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Globe Telecom, Inc.
Call Center with Interactive Voice Response redefines customer relationships at Globe Telecom
Fujitsu Philippines subsidiary WeSolv implements Periphonics IVRS solution Competition and evolving technologies are driving significant change and convergence in every business environment and industry. In order to maintain market differentiation and grow their businesses, companies are striving to offer complete service portfolios to gain a stronger customer base. With increased competition, enterprises must build more intimate relationships with their customers. And key to this direction is using business communication platforms that ultimately meet customers' requirements.
Business communication technologies such as Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology have gone beyond the traditional communication platforms and are now re-defining interactive customer relationships through Call Centers. Organizations all over the world, including banks, insurance companies, funds and brokerage houses, airline carriers, institutions of higher education, government agencies, and telephone and utility companies, are taking advantage of IVR technology.
One local telecommunications giant has recognized the need to strengthen its customer service strategy by means of implementing an effective Call Center using proven IVR technology to help them retain and win more loyal customers.
Globe Telecom has recently acquired a Periphonics Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) from Fujitsu Philippines networking and communications subsidiary, WeSolv Open Computing, Inc., to enhance their customer service. This is in line with Globe Telecom's mission of not just delivering phone lines but also providing first-class quality and personalized service driven by excellence and innovation.
The new Periphonics IVRS is the foundation for the telecomm provider's 730-1000 (for landlines) or 211 (for Globe Handyphone subscribers) customer hotline, a value-added service provided by Globe Telecom to its growing number of subscribers.
"We wanted to strengthen our customer service. And the main component of customer service that would carry us against competition is the Call Center," Emmanuel Aligada, vice president of customer service at Globe Telecom, says. "In terms of cost, automating the Call Center would cost just a few centavos per contact, as compared to several pesos per contact for staff support. Other benefits such as operational efficiency, speed and accurate dissemination of information to customers are some of the measurable improvements that can be achieved. Our issue then was how to convince customers on the ease of using an interactive voice response system."
Globe Telecom needed a system that is very flexible to manage at any given time. Aligada stresses that if the company wants to change anything, it should be able to change it at minimum cost and quickly.
"Other IVRS platforms required specially trained technical guys, and would take us weeks, even almost a month, just to change a certain script. We didn't want that. What we wanted was flexibility, responsiveness, and of course, ease of access into our existing system," he adds.
The company has an in-house developed billing system, which Globe Telecom didn't want to change just to interconnect with the IVRS, Aligada explains. So the IVRS had to be open to talk to any of Globe Telecom's existing and future systems. And given the plans of the company's Customer Service department, such as customer relationship management (CRM) and computer telephony integration (CTI), Globe Telecom needed something that would "future-proof" its set-up. In addition, there was one very critical need - the availability of local expertise to support the company's requirements.
The company's old IVRS was limited to call routing only, with no interactive services. Globe started to look for a replacement that is primarily Y2K compliant, CTI-ready, and one that has a very good support team from the vendor. Globe Telecom found such a vendor in WeSolv, who offered to supply and implement the Periphonics IVRS.
New System
Replacing the legacy Syntellect IVRS, the Periphonics VPS/is2 7500 system is presently configured to handle a significant number simultaneously. Currently, the system is capable of providing the following services:
- Automated Billing Inquiry, which allows the customers instant access to their current and previous balance that will be spoken to them upon validation of certain information.
- Fax on Demand, which provides the client an option to receive a fax of their billing information right after requesting it and not several days after the request.
- Change of Easy Access Code
- Automated PIN Unblocking Key (PUK) inquiry
- Audiotext, which allows the customer access to information about Globe Telecom's other products and services,
- Transfer to a live Customer Service Representative.
With the new system, Globe Telecom automatically has additional 96 agents to handle these simple inquiries, without adding additional manpower. This frees up the Customer Service Representatives to entertain more complex and demanding cases. With the IVRS, customer support is available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. This translates to better customer service levels at minimal cost.
Through the new IVRS, Globe Telecom hopes to provide more automated services, such as activation/deactivation of subscription features such as SMS (text messaging), voice mail, IDD, NDD, automated requests for change of subscription plan, credit limit, or number.
Huge Factor
"Aside from the reputation of Periphonics as a superior IVRS product, WeSolv's personalized relationship with Globe Telecom's technical evaluation team was a huge factor," stresses Felipe Manalang, EVP and GM at FPI. "Our team also has a proven track record with Globe Telecom, since WeSolv and its mother company Fujitsu Philippines has provided other solutions such as network components and various application solutions." "The best technology is not necessarily the latest. That is a lesson that is not difficult to understand," Aligada points out. "I've worked in an environment wherein our system was several years behind the latest in the market. But when we looked at the applications and the way these applications were customized to serviced the customers, they were the best in the market. I don't mind having a second tier system, because if the application development fits smack into the requirements, then that's better than any state-of-the-art system that we can have."
"It's not really the system by itself that produces success in this business. The synergy between the user and the supplier comes into play. If the vendor is able to provide what the users require, then that should be good sound practice. I've seen that so far in WeSolv," he adds.
Service directions
Aligada stressed the need to segment Globe Telecom's customer base and provide an appropriate service for each segment. "Airlines do this as well as the banks. They identify the top revenue contributors and then provide high-level service to these individuals. They also provide a multi-tier service scheme, depending on the kind of customer."
"Our customer relationship management system has to support that direction. In that way, we get our high-revenue subscribers to become very loyal to us," he says. In the next 12 to 18 months, Aligada says the main focus will be to satisfy the different markets that the company provides service to, and to give them the appropriate service level they require. The biggest challenge so far is quickly identifying the requirements of the company's top subscribers and executing them in the shortest time possible.
Automation is key
Globe Telecom intends to close this year with a little less than a million subscribers. That's going to be more than double or triple than what the company had as of the end of last year. "The growth is geometric. By next year, we will be servicing more than a million subscribers. If we want to sustain that growth level, how do we provide proper service to all of them?" asks Aligada. He quickly points out that automation of its Call Center can help the company by controlling the growth of its expenses and maintains a fast-growing customer base. While the routine transactions and inquiries are being handled by the IVRS, Globe Telecom directs its call center staff to handle the key 10% of its customer base with utmost customer care.
Aligada concludes, "Automation plays a major role because that's the key tool that we will need to prevent our call center from growing as fast as our customer base. To grow our call center two to three times in the next three years is just unthinkable. The more we automate, the less we rely on staff, and the lower the expenses will be."
