An Integrated Solution and Outbound Dialer: From ‘What is It?’ To ‘How Did We Do Without It?’
May 12, 2008
by Michelle Heiden
As a technology specialist, I’m always looking for big problems that can be solved by well-executed, properly-designed technical solutions. For me, the bigger the better.
Well, recently I helped install a system for a health supply company. When we first began diagnosing their issues, they thought they merely needed a new PBX. But after further investigation, we realized they needed a solution that fundamentally changed the way they manage and grow their business.
It is so significant, that I thought you should hear.
Company Overview:
Butler Animal Health Supply is a national leader in providing pet supplies for independent Veterinarians across the United States. Their products range from cotton swabs to medicine to food supplies for all pets related to Veterinarian practice. Butler Animal Health Supply has multiple locations with their corporate headquarters located in Dublin, Ohio. They have inside sales centers in an additional 8 cities and multiple distribution centers throughout the country.
The Problem:
Butler was hoping to solve multiple problems. All the problems below have a significant hard cost ROI associated:
- Multitude of old disparate phone solutions at each site with minimal to no reporting. (Due to this environment Butler Animal Health Supply did not understand how their organization, as a whole, was providing service to their customers, how many calls the call centers were handling, and bandwidth required to handle activity. They did not have accurate data to support growth.)
- No interoffice dialing. Long distance dialing was required to call remote facilities.
- Each site with individual voice mail solutions. No central management, no standardized use of voice mail and multiple people needed to support this environment.
- Multiple support organizations, excessive network costs. Due to multiple environments, Butler Animal Health Supply was paying up to 8 separate support companies to support their environments, which means little control and inconsistencies.
- Minimal call distribution solutions. Limited call processing.
- No automated dialing, and little to no flexibility or integration to other applications.
Solution:
When we begin with a customer, we get very clear on the goals. In this case, their goals were to:
- a) to make their environment more efficient to for revenue growth,
- b) to increase management effectiveness by giving them tools, and
- c) to reduce technology costs.
The implementation of a VoIP telecommunication leader, Customer Interaction Center, provides a centralized solution that allows for ONE solution across the entire enterprise.
Implemented an Outbound Dialer which automatically initiated outbound sales calls when inside sales reps were idle.
The End Result
was a consolidation of support contracts into one national contract. That, in turn, reduced network costs due to implementing VoIP technology which reduces long distance costs and allow technology to take advantage of the existing data network.
Advanced supervisor, reporting and monitoring tools which allows management to appropriately manage, support and grow the business.
Michelle Heiden is a consultant with G3 Technology Partners (Cincinnati, OH). She specializes in business applications for technology solutions and can be reached at 317.876.6588 or at michelle.heiden@g3tp.com
Attention Call Centers: See What VoIP Can Do For You
May 7, 2008
By Amanda Morris
Most companies are aware of the latest VoIP (Voice over internet) technology, but many don’t recognize the benefits of such technology and the positive impact that it can have on their organization.
There is a wide spread misconception about the benefits of VoIP.
If you ask many companies why they want this technology, they say they’re looking to eliminate their long-distance bills. While this might be financially compelling in some scenarios, the reality is that the true ROI of implementing this technology is not in the savings of telco bills.
If Not Cost Savings, What Is The Benefit?
Most VoIP solutions offer customized applications that can be designed specifically to meet the customer’s needs. No one industry benefits more from this technology than Call Centers themselves.
A poll of 105 Call Center Managers in 2006 by Interactive Intelligence showed that 73% plan to implement VoIP Technology in the future. 43% of these respondents said that improving customer satisfaction was the main concern when evaluating communication platforms.
Are You Building A Customer Service Powerhouse?
The truth is that by installing such technology and properly using it, you can help a call center establish a service powerhouse. This technology provides flexibility, innovation, and agility. The end results can provide a company with the ultimate customer service advantage–more profits, longer term customers, more revenue.
OK, so it is easy to claim all of the above, but if you are like me, you probably want to know how. Each call center is different, but there many applications that can help call centers across the board. Some of these applications are Interactive Voice Response, Unified Messaging, Skills Based Routing, Administration, and Outbound Dialing. Below I will briefly discuss the benefits of each application.
A Quick Menu of Options
- Interactive Voice Response (IVR) can offer self-service to customers 24/7. The IVR can be speech-enabled and can create an auto response for e-mail and web chat. [what kinds of companies do you find that don’t use this now that could? What are the characteristics of the type of company that this could fit?] This feature is popular in education, financial services, and companies that have customers who are calling in to check on their account.
- Unified Messaging today does more than just deliver your voicemails and faxes to your email. Today’s UM allows for Presence Management (ability to see on PC what other employees are doing) and enhanced call functionality (allows callers in to see where you are. By having unified messaging, employees work smarter, faster, and more accurately. Recording, chat, camp and conferencing functionality are just some of the features that allow that to happen. The bottom line is that every one of these features reduces cost, could increase revenue and increase customer satisfaction.
- Enhanced Routing features give a company the ability to route calls to locations or people based on skill level. This same routing technique can apply to e-mails, chat requests, and pre-defined media such as trouble tickets. Bottom line is it gets the customer in contact with the person they need to speak with—quickly.
- Administration of VoIP technology can be a Telecommunication Director’s dream come true. Gone are the days of paying for someone to change an extension or move a phone. Every aspect, from users to security access, of a VoIP communication system can be managed locally or remote. In addition, administration takes place from one interface. While every company is different (number of stations and people) one company saved over $55,000 in the first year. And many other companies have decreased their reliance on outsourced telecom service personnel.
- Outbound Dialing in the VoIP world allows call centers to optimize revenue opportunities by monitoring and analyzing real-time campaign performance. In addition, the outbound dialer can be set to an “agent-less” dialer. This dialer can be programmed to target specific demographics at certain times of the day or week.
The True Value For Your Company is Customer Satisfaction (and Revenue)
You can talk about the technology all you want—and many people do—but you need to know this: The true benefits, if properly designed and installed, can impact a call center significantly with higher levels of customer satisfaction and profitability.
It is imperative for the contact center manager(s) to get involved in the design of the technology before anything is decided upon.
Doing this will help ensure that the system is specifically customized to how it can best help your business.
Amanda Morris is a G3 specialist and contributor to this blog. She can be reached at amanda.morris@g3tp.com
Sources:
“IP Communications for the Contact Center”, Interactive Intelligence
“VoIP call centers on slow but steady adoption path”, Jeffrey Snyder
“VoIP adoption changing how contact centers do business”, Andrew Hickey
Change Management. A Big Deal In Implementing Technology
May 2, 2008
In the following audio podcast, Ray Hoffman, G3 VP Operations, discusses change management throughout a technology journey. He says there are four things you really need to think through: “What is your vision?” “Do I have the right people in place?” “Are they going to help me get my business where it needs to be?” And “How much change can your organization withstand?”
- How to know when there is too much change
- Get acceptance from user community prior to going to phases two and three
- Technology is never ending - there will always be additions
- Must have a change control process - more important now due to many converging forces
- Why people want to fight change - negative energy
- With implementation of technology, there will be some level of temporary productivity loss for a few weeks.
Other Areas
- Senior management must have buy in and “believe” that there is an ROI
Make sure you have the right people in place - understand the “vision.”
Select correct technology, and the right partner, so you can quickly get to productivity gains - How we used to sell technology - strictly phones. Today, this is not so.
Now, we find we deal with C-level execs on health of business, marketing and sales department heads, inventory control people, IT, database people. Each one must be committed to change.
Technology today is about interaction - not telephones. The question is, “How do your customers want information so they may utilize it best?”
Ray Hoffman is the Chief Operations Officer of G3 Technology Partners and a contributor to this site. He can be reached at ray.hoffman@g3tp.com
Technology as a Business Strategy
April 24, 2008
When you think of business strategy, you think competitive advantage, or pricing, or promotion. But what if Technology could actually give you an advantage in growing your business?
When we talk with business owners/presidents/leaders, we ask the very simple question:
“Based on what you want to accomplish over the next few years, what are some of the strategies you will engage in to get to that vision.”
What we are looking for is how technology can actually help quicken the process from your Current Reality to your Future Reality.
One company we know told us their vision was to be the largest producer of their product in the state. In order to get there, they had to invest in infrastructure so they could grow quickly.
Fortunately for them, there were distinct advantages that technology could bring them–one of which actually helped them bring more customers - which was part of their goal.
Your business strategy can include many things–but technology just might be something that can touch other elements of strategy. Thus, it makes your path to your vision quicker and more efficient. G3 is committed to understanding what’s most important to your business and takes a future oriented approach to reaching your objectives. The bridge below helps illustrate this ideology.
Of course your objectives may differ from those in the model and that is where we can help. G3 adapts to your situation to provide you with the most ideal technology solution to realize your vision effectively.
The Seven Business Issues That Fund Technology Investment
April 10, 2008
In this episode, Ray Hoffman, G3’s VP of Operations, discusses the business value of a technology investment.
There are seven major areas that technology will impact. Some of these areas might not be what comes to mind, traditionally, when you think of business problems solved by technology solutions.