Many established companies struggle to provide a customer contact structure that is agile enough to interact across the multiple communication channels used today. This client, a major bookseller, proved the effectiveness of a top-tier multichannel solution by boosting customer satisfaction, increasing volume, and significantly reducing operating costs at the same time.

Booksellers are no longer just purveyors of printed pages — this client is a leader in electronic content, e-commerce, and technology. A real-time service channel was needed to provide customers with convenient, seamless technical support that could assist buyers immediately, without the need for a phone call later. Our click-to-chat solution was selected because it enhances the customer experience — and operations — to a higher level of satisfaction. We worked closely with the company to clearly understand the needs and voice of the customer base. From that foundation, we developed and delivered a personalised engagement portal, staffed with associates capable of delighting the buyer. For this client, associates needed to be technologically savvy, but they also needed to be excellent written communicators. Our state-of-the-art candidate assessment tool was used to find the right candidates the first time, to fill the specific job profiles we developed for the project.

The programme improved the speed and quality of online interactions and enabled the bookseller to handle more traffic through this cost-effective support channel. Tens of thousands of technical support requests were handled within a few short months, and our operational efficiency continued to demonstrate value that exceeded expectations. At the 10-month mark, productivity savings had reduced the cost to serve each enquiry by 70%. The calibre of our associates and their ability to manage multiple interactions (including traditional voice) maximised resource utilisation and ROI for the client. At the same time that the bookseller was benefiting from a lower cost to serve, our team met all customer satisfaction goals and then exceeded their target by an additional 16%.