Go BackA green customer care solution
Over the past few years, public perceptions and attitudes towards the importance of conserving the environment have changed. Increased awareness of the scientific findings surrounding global warming have resulted in political and economic debate and businesses as well as households face the imperative necessity of taking on social responsibility and ensure environmental sustainability.
The right choice of a customer care partner can enable organisations to effectively reduce their carbon footprint and help to decrease the pollution in our environment. Lynne Gray, Client Services Director at 2Touch explains how expert utilisation of multi-channel technologies can reduce a client's need for paper based marketing. Gray also describes how the company's bespoke Brand Champion methodology ensures higher than average first call resolution rates, which reduces the amount of energy expended to deliver clients' campaigns.
Innovative technology has generated new media channels and changed the way that we communicate today. The enhanced use of internet, email and text messaging not only improves workflow, but has led to a natural progression in reducing the production of carbon footprint. In order to remain competitive, businesses need to ensure that they are technically up-to-date and do not miss these developments, since the demand on companies and organisations to take on social responsibility and ensure ecological awareness is strongly growing.
Industries that historically provide a lot of paper-based marketing collateral are under particular pressure to reorganise their methods of communication and distribution as consumers become more concerned about environmental issues. In order to cope with this challenge and secure prosperous customer acquisition, such businesses need to effectively reduce their carbon footprint.
The expert utilisation of multi-channel technologies slashes the client's need for paper-based marketing and provides businesses with state-of-the-art facilities to match or even exceed their customers' expectations.
Due to increased competition within the majority of industries, the pressure on management to improve efficiency and cut costs is growing. Businesses strive to target their customer base as efficiently as possible and the implementation of multi-channel technology helps them to meet this challenge. Multi-channel technology such as text messaging as a means of communication allows customers to quickly and efficiently send information to the contact centre. For example, if pictures are required for a particular ID card, customers can text their image via MMS (Multi-media messaging service) to the contact centre. Agents at 2Touch are then able to ensure a speedy response by automatically uploading and producing photo ID cards, significantly reducing the time it takes for customers to receive them.
Furthermore, the opportunity to place orders via the web creates a win-win situation for consumers and suppliers. Both will profit from processing commercial transactions via the internet since it can be up to 30% cheaper than the alternative way of communication by post or telephone. Furthermore, web catalogues are likely to be far more comprehensive and up-to-date than printed catalogues could ever be. The businesses ability to directly update its website provides the best customer service since it ensures that as soon as new products are released, prices change or goods are out of stock, the customer will be informed within minutes. Furthermore, by linking the web technology to agents providing telephone support, customer service departments can provide a far higher level of interaction and support for consumers who may require assistance in purchasing their goods through either channel. The focus should always be on the customer's needs and requirements in order to provide excellent customer service and enhance brand loyalty.
Customers have become far more confident in the use of new communication channels over the last couple of years through familiarity and there is a remarkable increase in the volume of web traffic on the mail order side. Today every second person places his/her orders via the web, whereas three years ago only very few people made use of this innovative online market.
Although its use is decreasing, there is still a need for paper-based marketing today. Very often this is due to the necessity of sending out terms and conditions and signing contracts or agreements personally. Additionally there are always people who for different reasons do not have access to the internet, or simply prefer a printed catalogue since it is usually a highly well designed and structured document - a document which includes lots of detail and customers find it easier to simply sit down and work through the pages than manoeuvring around a company's website.
This proves that customers' individual communications needs are very diverse. The expert utilisation of multi-channel technology in 2Touch contact centres is not only of benefit for the environment but also enables businesses to meet the individual requirements of customers and consequently enhance their confidence in the brand.
If contact centres strive to accelerate their client's consumer acquisition, deliver improved ROI and business profitability they need to champion each and every brand. 2Touch´s bespoke Brand Champion methodology creates high brand awareness within the contact centre and therefore ensures higher than average first call resolution rates, which reduces the amount of energy expended to deliver clients' campaigns.
What makes the methodology so successful is that 2Touch invests a considerable amount of time and energy to replicate their client's company spirit and culture within the contact centre and ensures that every agent is only working for one specific client. The client's branding, slogan and customer message are omnipresent within the centre, advisors wear t-shirts in the brand's colours and finally the agents' training process is heavily geared around the client's customer promise. Effort is made to ensure that the contact centre agents are immersed in the brand and that they understand the ethos of the client and its products better. The customer relationship management and support teams have one specific focus: the client. This leads to the ability of answering a much broader range of customer enquiries through one person first time and therefore provides the client with the best possible customer service.
Higher than average first call resolution rates and the expert utilisation of multi-channel technology enables business managers to target their customer base as efficiently as possible and consequently save money, time and energy to provide excellent customer service. So when it comes to the question of finding the right customer care partner to ensure customer satisfaction and environmental sustainability, business managers should have a very close look on what the industry offers to enhance the success of their business.
About 2Touch
2Touch provides a comprehensive customer experience service. This means that it delivers brand interaction programmes which accelerate consumer acquisition and enhance brand loyalty. 2Touch champions the brand to deliver improved ROI and business profitability.
Providing integrated contact centre, fulfilment, response handling and data management services, 2Touch represent Clients from a variety of market sectors including automotive, charity, financial services, FMCG, retail, travel & tourism and telecommunications.
Adoption of award-winning people development programmes, innovative training courses and regular satisfaction surveys ensure high quality service on behalf of Clients. DMA members and both ISO9001:2000 and QMP accredited, 2Touch are part of the highly successful data services provider, Acxiom Corporation.
Further details about 2Touch can be found at www.2touch.co.uk and Acxiom at www.acxiom.co.uk
