Industries:
|
Offering Groups:
|
Solution Areas:
|
Regions:
|
Challenges:
|
Benefits:
|
Infocom Technologies Inc.
INFOCOM – Enhancing customer contact to stay competitive
With business users solidifying and relying on the Internet’s role as an efficiency instrument in operations, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) must continually find ways to improve their respective services to maintain and gain market share.
Infocom Technologies Inc. (Infocom), the Philippines’ leading ISP and with the largest bandwidth, has been reinventing itself to become not just an Internet service provider but a solutions provider.
“And that is why linkages with Fujitsu Philippines, Inc. and other technology providers are very important,” said Cecilio B. Lorenzo, Chief Operating Officer. “We don’t just offer an Internet access but we look at enhancements to the operations of prospective clients to tailor-fit their requirements.”
Lorenzo pointed to focusing on solutions such as dynamic database hosting, email hosting to complicated nationwide Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), and eventually even to e-commerce applications.
The worldwide trend now, he believed, is the movement towards the convergence of wired and wireless access. For e-commerce, the difficulty has always been stabilizing fulfillment and settlement infrastructure, which the Philippines still lacks. “If these two aspects of e-commerce are solved, then we will see a greater embrace of e-commerce solutions,” Lorenzo said.
Stiff Competition
Infocom emerged into the business scene during the rapid growth of ISPs in 1996. It is the result of a strategic alliance between SequelNet and PLDT (Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.). Through PLDT's extensive telecommunications infrastructure and Sequel's expertise in information technology and networking solutions, the resulting ISP was launched as INFOCOM Technologies Inc.
Since 1996, Infocom has been able to grow amidst stiff competition among the 180 registered ISPs. Lorenzo claimed, “We have been able to grow our revenues between 30 to 32% year on year and looks like we will be able to reach that again this year. We have survived and have done relatively well in terms of growing our business.”
Besides post-paid Internet access subscribers, Infocom went a step further to increase its market share by launching last October 2001 the Infocom Warpspeed prepaid Internet access. The prepaid access subscribers now account for 1/3 of its total user base. Infocom also offers Now Cable Internet.
“The advantage of our product lines is that we can help our subscribers to progressively graduate from prepaid to post paid, upgrading to broadband use - either DSL or cable. We have narrow band, broadband, and different access points within,” he stressed.
Infocom’s differentiating factor, Lorenzo added, is providing its clients with Internet backend connectivity and client support. It has also launched its VSAT transport and will continue to provide different transports, as far as access is concerned. “We realize that the market, once they start learning about the Internet, is very discerning and like to get faster speed. The only way to improve the speed is move up the value chain of transport.”
“As far as applications are concerned, we are moving into that space in the next two years and make our edge in the areas of applications. We feel that we should be able to capitalize on our transports and build up applications and solutions at the backend,” Lorenzo said.
Customer Service
One such strategic application is an Interactive Voice Response System or an IVRS, which consists of a Periphonics VPS/IS 7000 powered by a Sun Ultra 5 processor, from Fujitsu Philippines. Infocom took a step to enhance its service through improving its customer service management. The company realized that it was essential to excel at each customer contact point, adding another distinction to itself – the customer-responsive ISP.
According to Mariphel N. Raza, Group Head of HR and Admin and Customer Management, a self-service facility and access to information such as post-paid account information, billing updates, last payment, online usage balances, and technical support are important aspects to delight customers.
Raza said with the IVRS in place, Infocom achieved a service level of 84 to 88%. Abandoned calls were minimized, and calls were answered within the standard response time. The company has also reduced its staff cost. “Without the IVRS, we needed 39 full-time call agents to answer calls. We now maintain 29. This will still be streamlined after the revisions of the IVRS call flow.”
Currently, 44% of the calls are being answered by the IVRS, 56% by call agents. Once the call flow is revised, Infocom expects the IVRS to handle 60% of the forecasted calls.
Business Challenges
The existing call flow poses a big challenge for Infocom. According to feedback gathered from the subscribers, the IVRS offers too many options and menus, thus creating confusion on how to use it. “We have decided to review and revise the call flow to simplify it. This will take three weeks of application development,” said Giancarlo Panganiban, Manager of Infocom’s Customer Management Division.
Another challenge is acceptance of the customers in using the system’s self-service facility. “The use of this new technology will need some time in order for the subscribers to get used to as they are used to talking to Call Agents,” Panganiban added. “It will take time to motivate and educate customers to take advantage of the self-service facility.”
He further added that Infocom foresees, with the ability to access more information through self-service and assisted service capabilities, its customers to be empowered with anytime, anywhere, and any channel access to accurate information and more personalized service.
In addressing these challenges, Infocom needs to employ the right Customer Relationship Management (CRM) strategy and solutions. The right integrated CRM solutions will help optimize Infocom’s resources and communications network while personalizing every customer contact, regardless of communication channel, Panganiban said.
Partnership with FPI
The partnership between Infocom and FPI can only be described as very satisfying. FPI has always been ready to assist Infocom about the system anytime.
“We appreciate FPI’s readiness to respond whenever we have inquiries about the system,” said Lorenzo. “We feel that FPI has been sincere and upfront in dealing with us. They also acted as our consultant in the revisions of our call flow; the intention of which is to help Infocom learn and improve its application by avoiding mistakes committed by other companies.”
After-sales support is one of the strongest points of FPI as a company. Hence, Infocom is a true example of getting the benefits from FPI in this aspect.
