Improving customer service through telecoms gains

Interalia Communications look at 'Improving customer service through advances in telecoms'.

By harnessing today's telecommunication's technology, organisations can create sophisticated response systems that manage large volumes of enquiries.

Businesses are extremely competent in advertising their products and services via mass media operations and most large operations spend a significant part of their revenue in providing information to potential customers to encourage them to buy their services and goods.

However, how many businesses rely solely of literature and advertising to provide their customers with information about their products and services.

Whilst the Internet offers 24-hour access and is widely used by major businesses, not all customers can access information by this route, as they do not have the necessary skills.

Of increasing importance is the need for companies to create telephone information and help lines that offer customers an around the clock contact point.

By harnessing today's telecommunication's technology, organisations can create sophisticated response systems that manage large volumes of enquiries and help organisations deal with each individual caller in the most effective and appropriate manner.

Today, technology is available to provide multifunction announcement platforms to enable large retail operations to maximise the potential from in-store customers by providing information and entertainment to enhance the customer's in store experience.

This type of technology provides services to customers both in-store and via the telephone on a single, ultra reliable, multi-port unit that connects to any existing PABX and/or PA system.

Different situations and operations have their own unique images and methodologies.

The following benefits, therefore, are general guidelines only as the inherent flexibility of today's announcement systems allow for infinite variations.

These can be tailored to provide individual retail operations with a system that relates to their own unique requirements.

INSTORE CUSTOMERS.

Sound from different sources can be broadcast via a PA System to provide ambient music to in store customers with different music being broadcast in different zones of the store.

Regular safety and information announcements can be gracefully blended with the background sound source to give necessary and valuable information to browsing customers.

This can vary from standard scheduled opening times and promotional messages to ad hoc announcements for those special, last minute sales offers that can mean the difference between overstock and empty shelves.

Graphical User Interfaces and Message Manager software allows staff to simply and efficiently change the announcement schedule to play pre-recorded announcements or even to record new announcements that can be undertaken with minimal training.

TELPHONE CALLERS.

How often are telephone callers given the same attention as in store browsers?.

Call announcement and processing systems, such as Interalia's, can be connected to virtually any telephone system.

It is not necessary to scrap current technology or rebuild the entire telephone system.

Instead, businesses can simply add on the technology to increase the functionality of their existing network.

Retail operations can enhance their remote appeal by using: AutoAttendant.

To provide a callers with a professional and immediate answer to their call irrespective of busy periods and staff availability.

Auto attendant also allows callers to route themselves through to the correct department without involving the valuable time of in-store staff.

Audiotext.

Allows callers to choose to listen to routine store information, opening times, special offers etc, without having staff relay repetitive information.

The caller retains the ability to select to simply and quickly transfer to an operator if there is a need for a one to one discussion.

Marketing On Hold.

Inevitably callers will be put on hold for short periods of time.

However, the days of having to listen to bland 'lift music' have now gone.

Music on Hold can be changed to Marketing on Hold to inform customers with professionally recorded messages to promote the Company or products.

There are many systems available, but the best are not necessarily the most expensive and often the independent specialist Companies that concentrate solely on this type of technology have the experience and products available to ensure that the outlay is rapidly rewarded Phone information lines can become clogged at high points of demand, resulting in lost business.

Systems, such as Interalia's, not only allow organisations to cope with changes in demand but ensure all callers get the information they require whatever the strain on resources.

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