Keeping Customers on the Line

IVR, automated dialing, CTI and the Internet all are keeping CSRs in touch with customers.

Whether it is to initiate new service, expand an existing package or question a bill, the CSR is invariably one of the first, if not the only point of contact between the consumer and the wireless-service provider.

The role of the CSR has progressed from the days when reps were armed only with knowledge about specific billing questions to the current scenario, where they are trained in a broad gamut of products and services and can guide a customer through a myriad of options and even close the deal. With products and pricing leveling out among most service providers, customer service is taking on more importance than ever before. And much of what a CSR can offer a customer, and how quickly, is determined by a service provider's use of new technological tools.

Although the technology is changing rapidly, the reasons for customer call-ins have remained relatively consistent. The majority of calls tend to come from newcomers to a particular service who want a representative to walk them through their first bill, although service providers offering bundled billing are beginning to see fewer of those calls. Other callers want to better understand rate plans and calling areas, and they can get more service for their dollar.

Wireless Review conducted a survey of service providers to see which technologies are making CSRs' jobs easier and which hi-tech roll-outs they have on the books for the coming year. Not surprisingly, it turns out many companies use the same or similar technologies — integrated voice response (IVR) systems, automated dialers and computer-telephony integration (CTI) among them. What distinguishes the service providers that are excelling is what they are doing with the technology and the supplemental systems they are bringing to the party.

First, a few trends:

• More customers are opting to use IVRs and bypass a live representative altogether.

• Those service providers that have initiated customer service on their Internet sites are noting increasing usage.

• With the help of new technologies, service providers are moving toward a model where one CSR can aid a customer with most, if not all, issues.

At the heart of many of the new technologies being deployed is the concept of keeping a customer on the line — a critical, if not always obvious, phenomenon. Too many automated options or lack of a centralized information depot means risking losing a caller during a call transfer or, equally as damaging, turning off a potential customer by not connecting him with the appropriate representative.

For Alltel, which surveys its customers monthly about its customer-care operations, keeping step has meant simplifying its IVR so that callers can jump more quickly into a given option or to the appropriate CSR.

"We found customers were confused with how to get to a representative that could handle their needs regardless of whether they have our cellular service, paging service or CLEC service," said Kelly Truax, Alltel vice president of customer service. "We no longer have IVRs that are so deep and complex that they turn off the customer before we ever get a chance to talk to them. Most don't go deeper than three choices."

Truax said about 25% of Alltel's customers use the automated system, a percentage that jibes with reports from several other service providers. Almost all report IVR usage is on the rise, with GTE Wireless statistics revealing that about 20% of the time customers call in, they can be completely satisfied interacting with the IVR without going on to talk to a live rep.

GTE Wireless is in the process of studying its current automated system — developed by TKTK-based firm Paraphonics — with an eye toward bringing in new enhancements during the next few months, according to Fred Jefferson, manager of customer care. Slated for later this year is the addition of speech- and voice-recognition capability to the IVR so customers can state what they want rather than pushing sundry buttons. Cellular One also is updating and personalizing its IVR.

"The IVR is a common piece of technology, but it is very effective for customers in terms of the number of things they can do without speaking to a representative," said Jefferson.

Sprint PCS doubled capacity at its call centers last year facility-wise, and needed a system to more efficiently address call volume. The answer is the new interface system it launched in the fall in its activation group, which Alan Winters, vice president of customer care/call-center operations, said has reduced by almost 70% the number of screens and key strokes representatives had to sort through when servicing a customer.

By automatically linking billing and product/service information in one centralized place on the desktop, the system empowers CSRs to address a broad gamut of issues.

"It allows us to have a much more productive conversation with the customer in a more timely manner, and because of that, customers are spending more time with us," Winters said.

Sprint developed the system in-house, then contracted out to a third party to build and operate the backbone. Although currently it is active only in the activation group, Sprint plans to move quickly on implementing the same process in the other centers, including its collections group, which will see significant expansion in 2000.

In fact, custom systems are now in operation at many call centers, most of which are deploying these technologies with commonly available technologies such as CTI. For example, Alltel's AllRef system, an online reference system that expediently provides customer and market information to representatives' desktops, is universally deployed by the company's CSRs.

The key to AllRef is that all customer information is available to all CSRs no matter where they are located. If a customer calls a local rep while on vacation in, say, Virginia Beach, that rep can access information from the customer's hometown immediately without having to transfer the call or ask the customer to dial a different number, according to Truax.

Additionally, while most CTIs allow a CSR to identify a customer instantly and indicate if the customer is calling in on his wireless phone, Alltel plans this year to expand that service to enable CSRs to tap into a profile of customer-usage patterns.

"From that information, we will have instant onscreen analysis," Truax said.

The system also would integrate with Alltel's billing system.

Internet Plans
Of course no discussion of technology would be complete without a look at the mighty Internet. Although every service provider worth its salt has had a Web site in operation for some time now, each is approaching the Internet from a slightly different angle and is deploying service at a different clip.

Most wireless-service providers' Web sites enable customers at minimum to research their products and services, and many can take orders directly via the Internet either immediately or by e-mailing a service rep.

Coming this year is the addition of interactive elements such as live chat sessions with CSRs, on tap from Alltel, electronic bill presentation and robust Web-based customer service that would enable customers to make significant changes to a given account from their desktops. Among Sprint's goals for 2000 is the ability for a customer to manage his account completely through the Internet, depending on security issues.

GTE this spring plans to implement an Internet-based, rate-plan-analysis service.

"This would be an easy-to-use process where they could give a little information and determine what is the best rate plan for them to be on for their service," said Jefferson.

Perhaps the most new millennium-esque customer-service development will come when customers are able to more efficiently access service data via their wir eless handsets, a plan several service providers have on the books for late 2000/early 2001.

As service providers begin to dip their toes into the wireless data market with offerings such as stock quotes, weather and entertainment listings, the prospect of a user accessing specific service options at the press of a button is not too far off.

"Given that our handsets are not purely voice — they provide data as well — we are working to service accounts toward the end of the year where they can do things on their handset they previously would have had to call in to do," said Sprint's Winters. "The idea of choosing one of several touch points to get to different service areas — these are the types of solutions we are looking at."

GTE, too, just announced a family of new wireless data/wireless Internet offerings with the goal of providing a stream of wireless data to customers in a more efficient manner. The company is launching a personal Web page (www.mygtew.com) that provides customers the ability to use their desktop PCs to tailor the information they want to see on their Qualcomm 860 or 2760 phone screens.

The site is designed and managed by InfoSpace.com, and comes in three flavors. The most robust is Wireless InfoManager, which provides the ability to view general and personalized Internet information as well as e-mail from the handset, at a cost of $9.95 per month in addition to the rate plan.

Using their handsets, users also can jump, say, from a general movie site to reviews of specific films to local theater listings by pressing one or two buttons without having to enter the specific URL for each site. Although direct customer-service options are not in the near-term forecast, they may well surface by the year-end or early 2001.

"We all talk about wireless data, but you tend to hear the same thing from customers who have been given these phones to use: 'It's a lot of work, it's a little difficult to navigate.' We've looked at those complaints and set up wireless access to Internet and e-mail that builds in intelligence and personalization," said Tony Hamilton, GTE Wireless consultant.

Internet Text Messaging, at $3.95 per month, allows users to receive text messages and to be alerted when certain events of their choice occur. Wireless Office, at $4.95 per month, provides a wireless connection to the Internet and e-mail by connecting the phone to a laptop or PDA using a special cable ($79), but does not provide a phone-screen browser.

Olson is a freelance writer based in Alexandria, VA.