Tag Archives: cloud-based

Are You Prepared for Unpredicted Spikes in Call Volume? [Slideshare]

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Are You Prepared for Unpredicted Spikes in Call Volume [Webinar]While today’s tech-savvy consumers are using more non-voice channels to connect with businesses, the act of picking up the phone to quickly and verbally resolve an issue (complex or otherwise) isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The problem with this? According to an Accenture study, consumers’ top two complaints were:

  1. Having to contact customer service multiple times; and
  2. Being kept on hold for too long.

This consumer pet peeve is exacerbated by the fact that contact centers routinely face expected, and unexpected, spikes in call volume. Expected spikes can be a result of seasonality and promotional events, and unexpected spikes can stem from product recalls or natural disasters.

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Two Birds, One Stone: How to Reduce Contact Center Costs AND Improve Customer Service [Slideshare]

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managing service levelsCall center executives are constantly under pressure to find cost-savings. Yet, according to the Harvard Business Review (HBR), “acquiring a new customer is anywhere from five to 25 times more expensive than retaining an existing one.” The key takeaway is that you cannot skimp on customer service. So, how do you reduce costs while not damaging your customer service function? Investing in the right technology can go a long way in reducing costs while actually improving the overall quality of customer service. From effortlessly providing customer support in any language to managing staffing requirements as a result of call volume spikes, implementing the right technology can be transformational.

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Two Birds, One Stone: How to Reduce Contact Center Costs AND Improve Customer Service [Webinar]

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How to Reduce Contact Center Costs AND Improve Customer ServiceWhen it comes to contact center ‘best practices,’ the library runneth over: Hundreds of articles and reports have been written on the practical ways contact centers can reduce operating expenses without sacrificing quality. This is because senior management are typically reluctant to pump money into call centers, seeing them as a cost center and not a profit center. This in turn increases the pressure to identify ways to reduce cost. The challenge is that a majority of these “cost-reductions” lead to markedly poorer customer service quality. So, can you reduce contact center costs and improve customer service? To many contact center managers and executives, achieving this would be akin to finding the Holy Grail.

To achieve the kind of cost savings that truly impact the bottom line, contact center leaders need to reconsider the typical ho-hum tactics. Improving scripts and workflows to shorten calls will only get your organization so far. The answer? Invest in cost-saving technology that will reduce overheads and improve the quality of your customer care.

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Fonolo Named Most Promising Contact Center Technology Solution Provider for 2015

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Fonolo Named Most Promising Contact Center Technology Solution Provider for 2015Today’s news release announced some exciting news – for the second consecutive year, CIOReview has selected Fonolo as one of the 20 Most Promising Contact Center Technology Solution Providers. The annual list of companies is selected by a panel of experts and members of CIOReview’s editorial board to recognize and promote technology entrepreneurship.

“Fonolo has been on our radar for quite some time as the pioneer of cloud-based call-backs. We are happy to showcase them this year because of their continued success in developing the most advanced technology-driven customer experience solutions,” said Jeevan George, Managing Editor, CIO Review. “Fonolo continued to break new ground in the contact center space within the past year, benefiting its customers around the globe. To have them listed as one of our top companies is a well-deserved accolade.”
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The Call Center’s Great Cloud Migration Continues

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The Call Center's Great Cloud Migration ContinuesThe call center experience is a universal part of modern life to the point where anyone you stop on the street can tell you about the last few (usually poor) interactions they’ve had. Most people don’t realize the impressive scale of the contact center industry. It accounts for one in every 25 jobs in the US! (Harris Interactive)

This behemoth of an industry which, for decades prior, had seen little change, is undergoing an extraordinary transformation. In the early 2000’s, running a call center through a cloud service was dismissed as impractical. A few years later, it was viewed as “just for the smallest call centers”. But by 2008 many naysayers had eaten their words and the migration was in full swing. Between 2008 and 2012, the cloud market grew by some 224%. By the end of 2013, more than 62% of organizations were using some type of cloud-based contact center solution as part of their operation. (Both data points from DMG.)

Let’s look at what is fueling that growth. Continue reading →

Fonolo Partners with Aspect on Multi-Channel Call-Backs  

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Fonolo Partners with Aspect on Multi-Channel Call-BacksOne of the stats we often lead with is from Forrester, who notes that “75% of callers think the option of a call-back is ‘highly appealing’.” It’s simple and clearly illustrates the point that most people prefer not to wait on hold. This is at the essence of the services we provide at Fonolo.

To do this (i.e. replace hold-time with a call-back), a company like ours has to support a wide range of platforms – not just different vendors, but also a range of products (of different vintages) from each vendor. What this means is that we spent a great deal of our time with infrastructure companies in order to make sure we have maximum interoperability.

Luckily, Fonolo’s solution is cloud-based, which makes it relatively easy to integrate with any technology. But, we also have the ability to integrate more deeply, where we can offer some extra functionality (for example, with our on-premise Call-Back Appliances).

Which brings me to today’s news: we’ve just announced a partnership with Aspect, which allows us to expand our call-back offering (including web and mobile) for customers on their platform. We have a number of customers operating Aspect contact centers, so this is truly great news for us. Continue reading →

[Case Study] Major Cable Operator Adds Call-Backs

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[Case Study] Major Cable Operator Adds Call-BacksThe best part of my day at Fonolo, without question, is working with customers where Fonolo has made a real difference. One such customer is Suddenlink Communications, the 7th largest cable operator in the US, who has been a Fonolo customer since July of 2014.

Suddenlink, who services 1.4 million customers and operates 7 call centers, prides itself on delivering a superior customer experience – they’ve built their business on it. Suddenlink is always looking for ways to improve that experience on every channel. So it should come as no surprise that they wanted a way to reduce hold time and improve the calling experience for their customers. I’m thrilled that Fonolo was able to offer them a solution to do just that. Continue reading →

Video Success Story: Reducing Abandon Rates by 37%

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Video Success Story: Reducing Abandon Rates by 37%A while ago, we documented how Fonolo helped Tech CU (a credit union based in San Jose) handle unpredictable spikes in call volume to its call center. Like many organizations, they struggled with high abandon rates (upwards of 20%), no matter how they managed their workforce.

By implementing In-Call Rescue (a cloud-based call-back platform), Tech CU was able to replace hold-time with a call back when call volumes – and hold times – peaked. This lowered the rate of call abandonment: Rather than hang-up, members could instead choose the call-back option and receive a call when an agent was free to speak with them, something that also improved the customer experience. Continue reading →

4 Hidden Causes of Poor Customer Service

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4 Hidden Causes of Poor Customer ServiceThe road to hell may be paved with good intentions, but so is the contact center. Many companies talk a big game when it comes to providing outstanding customer service, but few actually achieve it. The question is: Why?

Certainly, no organization sets out to overpromise and underdeliver to its customers. Rather, poor service is the sum of all the policies and decisions along the way that negatively affect the service outcome, despite anyone’s best intentions.

Here are 4 hidden causes of poor customer service, and what you can do about them. Continue reading →

The Call Center’s Great Cloud Migration

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The Call Center's Great Cloud MigrationOver the last decade, an extraordinary transformation has taken place in an industry which, for decades prior, had seen little change. In the early 2000’s, running a call center through a cloud service was dismissed as impractical. A few years later, it was viewed as “just for the smallest call centers”. But by 2008 many naysayers had eaten their words and the migration was in full swing. Between 2008 and 2012, the cloud market grew by some 224%. By the end of 2013, more than 62% of organizations were using some type of cloud-based contact center solution as part of their operation. (Both data points from DMG.)

The cloud-based contact center market is expected to continue to grow from $4.2 billion last year to $11 billion in 2019. That growth is being fueled by several waves of innovation: a new crop of “cloud first” offerings, and new partnerships between carriers and vendors. Continue reading →

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