Financial Services – Problem
A large financial services company was in need of contact center resources to help with their call volume and support their diverse customer base. The organization, an insurance and investment specialist with 15 million customers in 25 countries, could not support call volume with their in-house call center. The company decided to outsource several of their customer support functions to multiple vendors.
Search for a Solution
The solution providers needed to support standardization, improve processes, reduce costs, increase scalability and possess the technology to support the company’s growth. The financial services company chose Ansafone, a leading US-based contact center company, as their partner for several of their customer support needs. This decision was based on their operational model, quality and cost-effectiveness.
Solution
Ansafone was hired to not only provide immediate assistance, but also help the client determine a long-term contact center solution.
- In 2001, Ansafone launched a support project for the company’s Long-Term Care sales agents in order to capture basic data points and set expectations for returned calls. Within months, Ansafone’s role evolved, and it became the company’s full-service center solution, providing assistance with all sales agent needs.
- In 2004, Ansafone introduced a bilingual program for inbound customer support, which included functions such as directory assistance, virtual receptionist and multi-product lead generation. The program consisted of a combination of dedicated and shared agents to meet the service level requirements. An outbound component was launched consisting of outbound calls to facilitate customer service and agent satisfaction surveys, using the “Net Promoter Score” philosophy.
- As a result of the successful partnership, the company looked to Ansafone as part of their business continuity plan for fixed annuity and long-term care policyholder services support. Ansafone was granted VPN access into the company’s servers in order to handle calls with the same tools and software used internally.
- Ansafone implemented innovative solutions and best practices unique to each role, as well as key value drivers including customer satisfaction, quality calibration, average handle time and alignment with the company’s core principles. Ansafone’s quality approach has put them in the position of leading call center vendor for all key driver metrics.
- Ansafone found the ideal customer service representatives through systematic skill profiling and extensive recruiting process. The CSRs possess a combination of customer service and problem-solving skills designed to meet or exceed the needs of specific programs.
- Ansafone conducted extensive customer service training and client specific strategies. Best practices are leveraged across all customer care programs, including call handling and problem-solving techniques.
Results & Benefits
Overall. Ansafone has implemented a solution that is delivering greater efficiencies, quality and customer satisfaction.
- Ansafone provided the client with efficient call handling, which has resulted in a 70 percent annual savings.
- Ansafone consistently outperforms the client’s other call center vendors. with an average handle time that is 8 percent lower, customer satisfaction ratings that are 72 percent higher, and an overall service rating that is 70 percent higher. These metrics not only save the client money directly, but provide an enhanced
customer experience. - In 2006 Ansafone was recognized as Vendor of the Year from a pool of 7,000 suppliers. Recognition was based on quality and being aligned with the financial services company’s internal culture.