CALLCENTER AS
A SOURCE OF JOY

Each of us at least once called a big company, such as a mobile operator or a bank issuing plastic card.
And of course at least once, each had tons of positive emotions after being half an hour on hold (because "your call is very important" to them), and then chaotically switching between employees of different level of incompetence who evidently try to get rid of you and transfer you to the most remote department.

Absolutely horrible.

Mostly due to such treatment of their clients, the big "three" of the mobile operators enjoy very poor reputation.

However the clients of such oligopoly trinity have not much choice, that’s why these companies allow wiping their feet on their clients. But Ultima is business oriented and targets to work in competitive environment. So, if you are reading this, you probably need to fight for you place in this market.

That’s why your call center should work perfectly.
In all the meanings of the word.

So, the control scheme of a regular call center looks like this:

The client dials the number (of course, multi-channel one).

If the company spent at least small resources on technical equipment, the client will be listening to the voice messaging/IVR informing that "all the operators are currently assisting other clients" and ask you to wait... In other words, your call is very important, but they will not pick it up now.
The client is regularly offered to listen to the voice menu of psychosis architecture as long as Talmud, having as its purpose to convince the client that his/her stupid call is absolutely unnecessary and that he/she interferes with very important work of these VERY CLEVER people. That’s why 98% that the client will still be waiting for the operator. Why voice menu? Of course, everyone should know we have one. VERY CLEVER!

Finally, the operator picks up and determines the reason for the client’s call, and mostly to identify that the operator asks redundant or confusing questions, such as: please tell me your contract number, which was written on a scratch paper three years ago and has already been twice recycled.

But the stoic client keeps the temper and disregards any obstacles caused by the national understanding of "client service" and even more national idea of performing on air against any common sense; this helps him/her make his/her way through and insist on being switched to theoretically more competent employee ("manager"). That’s it; the client may start talking business.

If lucky.

But if not too lucky, and the "manager" of the Department A is not too competent (or if the situation is not too pleasant and the manager is not eager to deal with it on his/her own), the client is transferred to the manager of the Department B, and so on, as far as the client’s luck goes.
It’s interesting to note that if the company is big enough, when being switched back from the Department B to the Department A, the client will be talking to another "manager" and will have to relate the problem once again, which is in 95% of cases very banal.

But if the company is not too rich or advanced, the client may be asked to hang up and to call a different number for a different person. This is very well developed in governmental bodies.

This is in brief the triumph of modernization. Client-oriented.

Diminishing.

But how should it be?

"The client should call the company’s contact centre that is 100% integrated with Ultima ERP. The system determines the number, identifies counteragent and generates portfolio online.
The system uses the type and status of current orders to determine, which department and which manager should pick up the call (there is no operator in the chain). When the manager picks up the call, the counteragent portfolio is displayed automatically (name of the client, list of open orders or deliveries, claims or communications, and history of previous calls).
Instead of "Hi How are you?" the manager should say something like: "How are you Mr. Brown? Your order will be ready by 12 noon tomorrow. Do you want to schedule the delivery or prefer to come and pick it up yourself? /additional sales — Ultima note/ As you called, we have just received original dock-stations for your notebook. Do you want to add to your order and it will be delivered immediately? Yes, and the LCD wiping tissues /additional sales — Ultima note/, they cost pennies /400% profitability — Ultima note/.

This is an example of work of "Ruki iz Plech". A Normal and modern call center. This is the way the ‘losses’ department becomes sales department, and thus profitable.

By the way, why "contact" and not "call"?
Why the operators of the service center have so much time to sell, and not trying to get rid of tons of meaningless calls with the same repetitive questions of the clients who become brutal after being on hold for half an hour? Why there are no half an hour queues before connection?
Maybe there are not many calls, or there are too many operators, and the services are kept to the level by excessive means?
No, there are a lot of calls: "Ruki iz Plech" is the biggest post-warranty service center in Russia. And we should mention — the most efficient one, so there are not too many operators.

Everything is very simple.
Ultima ERP has integrated contact center processing all client’s requests and not call center (processing phone call only). This makes the difference. When processing clients’ requests, we try to load free electronic means of communication to their most: maximum of the general information is generated by the website, the order status is available to the clients 100% in their personal cabinet, the order status notifications are received fully automatically via email or SMS.
The client contacts operator only in emergencies (which are rare by definition) or in case of potentially interesting commercial contact.

You might think that implementation of such a contact center required big investments into equipment and software. If you review Avaya or Cisco multi-hundred-thousands prices (at least), your suspicion may grow into the assuredness.

But this is not true.
Additional costs were RUB 0.00. Because, as it has already been mentioned, the contact center module is 100% integrated into the system. No add-ons should be purchased, no equipment; the set up is included into general quote for Ultima ERP — everything is honest.

Yes, and as a free but priceless bonus you will have your satisfied and loyal clients. This is the major price component of services brand.

So, stop wasting money.
It’s much better to be rich and healthy than poor and sick. Satisfied clients and growing sales are better than tons of complaints and customer suits.

That’s it. Better with us!