| Your business may be part of your family and part of | | | | methods of inbound ringing; longest idle, hunting, group, |
| your life, but it is not a child! It is an entity that needs to | | | | and strict cycle order. You have to decide which |
| be fed new business to survive. As the entity thrives | | | | method is most effective. |
| so do you. As a result, we all know that businesses | | | | Skills based routing: |
| want to maintain a competitive edge and keep their | | | | If numbers are structured to point to departments it is |
| names at the forefront of their customers minds. While | | | | possible to create overflow groups to ensure that the |
| advertising on T.V. is out of reach for many | | | | correct personnel handle the call. |
| companies, it's easy to understand why a Call Centre | | | | For example, if a call to the sales department goes |
| would be required to answer inbound calls if an advert | | | | unanswered, but a member of customer service is |
| had just flashed up on a television screen. | | | | fully aware of the sales process. It makes sense to |
| But what about for us normal business people! How | | | | include this member of staff in overflow group if the |
| do we become as effective, without the £'000's | | | | sales team are busy or not available. |
| price tag or attaining the mind controlling powers of a | | | | The same principle applies to all departments. Simply |
| Jedi knight? | | | | because the department is busy does not mean that a |
| A bit of perspective | | | | call should go unanswered. In simple terms, the call is |
| Let's face it, no one likes the thought of Call Centers. | | | | rooted to the next best person. |
| Rows of people, rows of desks and rows of dialog. | | | | Outbound calls:- |
| Call Centers can conjure up quite a negative | | | | If your business depends on making outbound calls, |
| impression of a working environment as well as the | | | | dialing from the screen is crucial to ensure the highest |
| perception that these "Centers" only relate to financial | | | | productivity; |
| services or teleshopping. | | | | Manual dialing = 100 calls per day, |
| What's more, most businesses are not interested in | | | | Dial by screen, clicking on a telephone number = 150 |
| the technology because they think it's not relevant to | | | | calls per day. |
| their business - but they're wrong! | | | | Progressive automated dialing = 200 calls per day. |
| Telecoms manufacturers have created new methods | | | | It is easy to calculate that a company with the right |
| of "contactability" which benefit all areas of customer | | | | tools can be twice as effective. |
| activity. These areas include calls in, calls out (obviously, | | | | If productivity is increased by 100% - is your |
| but the difference is in the detail) but also encompass, | | | | profitability? |
| emails, web activity, sms, chat and even fax (but it's | | | | Media Blending |
| not as popular nowadays). All activities are being | | | | In today's modern multi-medium communications age |
| viewed with equal importance. | | | | the ability to measure and manage all forms of |
| Is a telephone inquiry more important than an email | | | | interaction is known as media blending. Here, voice |
| inquiry? | | | | calls, emails, text messages, and even web call-backs |
| What was once the preserve of the Call Center | | | | and chat inquiries are received at a single point and |
| industry and Internet savvy business has now become | | | | distributed to the right people capable of handling the |
| available to everyone with a price to match. Let's face | | | | inquiry. |
| it, it's only software! | | | | Benefits: Forecasting inbound calls and messages is |
| This Call or Contact Center technology enables a | | | | not an easy task. Customers call and email when they |
| business to incorporate all forms of communication and | | | | want to... not when you want them too. This inevitably |
| apply a bespoke level of importance as to how and | | | | leads to fluctuating workloads and organisations then |
| when the customer is responded to. The simplest | | | | have to decide how to have enough people to deal |
| analogy is that of a funnel; as the various "contacts" | | | | with the peaks - which means that in troughs you |
| with your customers flows in, your staff handle each | | | | have people sitting idle - or accept that at peak times |
| inquiry in the priority you choose on the way out! | | | | you will keep customers waiting. |
| Consider this; how can your customers be "King" if you | | | | Blending lets you automatically manage the work. If |
| can't see them, let alone prioritise them. | | | | you mix inbound calls, outbound calls, emails, SMS text, |
| The Telephone System | | | | call-backs and chats you can keep everyone busy all |
| Before I go any further, it's important to be aware that | | | | of the time and still meet all your service levels. |
| most telephone systems will allow connection of | | | | Medial Blending in Action: |
| computers which run Contact Center software. If you | | | | Increasingly as their customers turned more to the |
| are unsure, contact your supplier who will be able to tell | | | | Internet, a leading metal processing firm got more and |
| you whether or not you can and secondly how this is | | | | more customer inquiries through e-mail or other media, |
| achieved. | | | | than just through normal voice calls. It was becoming |
| Take a minute to think about this; if we all have 24 | | | | obvious that although their agents were still busy on |
| hours in a day and all businesses are equal when it | | | | calls, e-mails were being left unattended in the Sales |
| comes to generating new business, why are some | | | | Team mailbox, and customers were not getting dealt |
| companies better at it than others? | | | | with promptly. The day they lost a new customer |
| A great deal of functionality can be achieved from | | | | because of this, they knew they had to do something |
| your existing telephone system, however, much | | | | fast. |
| depends on the creativity of your current supplier. But | | | | The answer was to blend together the phone calls |
| don't forget, they're not responsible for poor sales | | | | and e-mails, so that e-mails were dealt with promptly, |
| figures or poor performance. | | | | while not keeping callers waiting. When customers call |
| Chicken or the egg! | | | | the Sales Team they don't want to be kept waiting, so |
| As the saying goes, running a business without | | | | it was decided that e-mails would only be distributed to |
| advertising or marketing is like a man winking at a girl in | | | | agents when the number of calls fell below an agreed |
| the dark, he knows what he's doing, but the girl doesn't! | | | | number. |
| So the chicken and egg comes in to play. If you're not | | | | The results were dramatic. Because agents were |
| making the marketing effort in whichever guise you | | | | now automatically routed emails when e-mails were |
| deem fit, then this technology is not for you - rather, it | | | | available, response times improved, and the Sales |
| would be a waste of time, effort and money. The | | | | Team became more efficient as they had a more |
| problem is, not many sales companies ask you what | | | | consistent workload. Additionally, when a customer |
| amount of investment goes in to your annual budget | | | | sent an e-mail to the Sales Team mailbox, an auto |
| for attracting new business. | | | | response would be sent to the customer straight |
| It's about checks and balances. If your staff have their | | | | away to let them know that their message had been |
| noses to the grind-stone every day of the week, how | | | | received, and would be dealt with shortly. |
| can you be assured that the structure you have can | | | | This overall change in customer contact handling |
| accommodate their efforts. | | | | increased productivity, customer satisfaction and most |
| Where to start looking | | | | importantly sales. A five star hotel reservation team |
| A good place to start is to get hold of a book that has | | | | receive 500+ emails a day and were having problems |
| been published by Avaya which is very helpful, | | | | using Microsoft Outlook as they had difficulty in |
| especially if you're beginning to think that this may be a | | | | tracking service levels. It was hard to find messages |
| sensible area to focus on. What's more, it's free. Go to | | | | and impossible to track user productivity. The |
| avaya.co.uk | | | | Reservations Manager wanted to find a new way to |
| The "art" is being able to interpret the technology and | | | | increase customer service. The hotel decided to |
| features and put them in to a constructive method of | | | | change their business process so that they blended |
| operation for your business. But it still boils down to the | | | | telephone and email work as well as dinner and room |
| fact that a business must first be aware that the | | | | reservations being confirmed by SMS. |
| technology exists before it can have an affect their | | | | The result is that time taken to respond to customer |
| operations. Reading the book will help. | | | | emails has been reduced by 50%, the centralization of |
| Contact Centres and Media Blending | | | | messages has made it easier to handle customer |
| Once you decided that you want to operate and | | | | complaints and user productivity has increased by |
| handle more business more efficiently there are few | | | | 100%. Additionally, management information has lead to |
| stages to be aware of. | | | | better resource planning and confirmation by SMS has |
| Stage One | | | | increased customer satisfaction. |
| Costs - This time, don't consider it. To some | | | | Web Chat & Call Backs |
| companies taking on another member of staff is not | | | | Web call back allows a web site visitor to click an icon |
| given a second thought, especially when someone | | | | or link requesting the company whose website they |
| leaves or if you want to generate more business. This | | | | are visiting to call them, now, in 15 minutes or in an hour |
| time concentrate on how much you can increase | | | | etc. Web chat is another interactive web site browsing |
| revenues. Consider, if you let a member of staff "go", | | | | tool that opens up an on screen, two way, dialog box |
| their salary would pay for any new capital purchase in | | | | whereby an agent at the web site company can |
| the first year. By the second year you're already in | | | | 'converse' with the web site visitor. |
| front financially. If you lease any equipment it is all | | | | Benefits: These applications are all about getting more |
| considered a revenue expense and therefore can | | | | sales and capturing more value from website visitors. |
| offset on your balance sheet (but you knew that | | | | This is about striking while the iron is hot. Web Call |
| anyway) plus you get to keep the cash in the bank. | | | | Backs & Web Chat in Action: An on-line fashion mail |
| Stage Two | | | | order company found that whilst many visitors to their |
| Based upon your ROI analysis, if you need to change | | | | web site got to the point of ordering, the sales process |
| your phone system - do it. You're only adding | | | | often ceased at the point where the customer had to |
| components to your moneymaking entity. These are | | | | decide upon the size they required. |
| one-off purchases. | | | | They installed both a Web Call Back and Web Chat |
| Stage Three | | | | buttons on their web site to offer the customer the |
| Establish your business process; read our book Profit | | | | option of discussing any aspect of their purchase |
| from Technology, and put in place a technology team | | | | (colors, sizes, delivery times and postage charges etc) |
| to map out exactly how the equipment is to be | | | | with an experienced sales agent. The results were a |
| structured and what your staff are supposed to do. | | | | dramatic increase in the ratio of web site visitors to |
| Stage Four | | | | sales orders received as well as an equally impressive |
| Marketing; KIS - keep it simple. Start with deciding what | | | | reduction in goods returned because they were the |
| you want to focus on first; outbound or inbound | | | | wrong size or color. The company increased |
| contact? Set your goals and targets accordingly. | | | | productivity and profitability whilst at the same time |
| Reporting - WYSIWYG | | | | gaining many new customers who were referred on |
| As the saying goes, if you can't monitor it, you can't | | | | to them by satisfied users. |
| manage it! | | | | Conclusion |
| Inbound Phone Calls:- | | | | Technology is the facilitator to generating terrific |
| However the telephone call arrives at your telephone | | | | sustainable profits, but the vendors and sales people |
| system, the speed and efficiency as to how it is | | | | must become more business savvy and show |
| handled is paramount. | | | | potential customers the way forward and how new |
| Routing the call: | | | | technology will increase their bottom line. |
| Only the speed to answer counts. There are four | | | | |