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February 10, 2015

Webinar - Transform Customer Care in 2015 with Outbound and Mobile


For any company looking to increase service levels and inbound activity, the need for proactive outreach is critical. Delivering these outbound tactics properly takes proven best practices. Not only should they be meaningful for customers – but companies should also utilize self-service channels to keep their contact center working optimally.




A recent webinar sponsored by Enghouse Interactive (News - Alert), “Ready for 2015? Use Outbound and Mobile to Improve Service,” talked about the proper proactive outbound approach and what some of the modern expectations are from self-service as well as how companies can bypass customer frustration with better self-service tools.

During the webinar, Randy Cooper, Director of Technologies at IAT SmartDial, an Enghouse Interactive company, noted that a proactive notification is an outbound action made by a company to contact a customer about an event or issue involving that specific customer.

“It’s more about being specific for the customer,” Cooper explained. “When we provide proactive notification, we need to anticipate the customer needs and solve the problem through their preferred channels.”  

This will help come closer to the desired need for customers today who want to be better informed and have what the need at their fingertips.

Specific examples include doctor and dental appointments that send reminders about appointments to confirm or cancel. Or airlines can also use this to offer information about what is happening with flights so travelers can align their schedules.  

The problem is that the industry hasn’t done a great job done in the last 20 years. “We have created a lot of frustration and confusion for customers,” Cooper said.

Most customers would rather just hang up or “zero out” then deal with automated systems.

But it is possible to increase customer satisfaction by providing the needed information without interrupting the user.

Proactive outreach not only provides better satisfaction and lessens inbound calls, but by anticipating a customers needs and reaching out, it could also potentially trigger other events – like providing additional services.

John Cray, vice president of product management at Enghouse Interactive, also presented on the call about the ways proactive outreach together with mobile applications can transform the relationship between businesses and their customers.

Pew (News - Alert) Research says about 60 percent of American adults are using smartphones today to access apps and the Internet and these users expect a certain level of service through their mobile devices.

When it comes to mobile IVR, Cray noted the frustrations that customers have had with having to wait on hold can be overcome by connecting customers through mobile self-service.

This, Cray said, eliminates the need to wait on hold on a phone call and having to repeat information. In fact, most customers even said they would rather get all their tasks done through their mobile phone without ever having to talk to an agent on the phone.

Armed with this information, app developers and businesses should also keep in mind that the logic and flow can be similar when building mobile apps. “Since you have already built an IVR if you are delivering service, then there is a good chance that many of the same techniques can be used to build the mobile experience,” Cray said.

To hear more. Check out the Webinar HERE.




Edited by Maurice Nagle