Avaya Customer Service Technologies Help Businesses Gain Strategic Advantage

LOS ANGELES, Aug 14, 2008 (ASCRIBE NEWS via COMTEX) -- AV | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- A broad range of businesses, from transportation to government to direct marketing, are choosing Avaya customer service solutions, the company reported.

According to the company, three organizations using contact center technologies from Avaya, a provider in the contact center market, to deliver superior customer service include American Automobile Association (AAA) Mid-Atlantic, the government of the City of Indianapolis and direct marketing giant Harte-Hanks.

Even as gas prices and traveler frustrations rise, AAA Mid-Atlantic's customer service operation remains a smooth running machine. This is due to a 24/7 customer service solution from Avaya that AAA Mid-Atlantic relies on to deliver fast and reliable service in any traveling season, with an eye on cost-savings, the company said.

"We deal with all types of calls, from insurance and vacation planning to emergencies that require an immediate response," said AAA Mid-Atlantic CIO, Dominic Grosso. "Flat tires, dead batteries and accidents necessitate customer service that can handle a large volume of roadside assistance calls all year round. When drivers have a problem, it's our goal to get them back on the road fast, and Avaya helps us do this."

According to the company, more than 95 percent of AAA Mid-Atlantic member calls are answered by an agent in less than 30 seconds, a factor that has led to AAA Mid-Atlantic's 90 percent membership renewal rate, one of the organization's highest. This was achieved while using an Avaya contact center solution that reduced the number of facilities, resources and costs, without sacrificing quality of service.

"We have a huge fleet of tow trucks," adds Grosso. "So like everyone else, gas prices are impacting us and we need to be smart about how we spend money."

The government of Indianapolis, Indiana oversees a broad range of agencies, including the Office of Finance & Management, citizen hotlines, Public Safety, and the Marion County Superior Courts. To meet the administration's goal of improving citizen experiences, according to the company, Indianapolis selected an Avaya customer service solution with a reporting and analytics application, Avaya IQ.

"We are always looking for ways to improve customer service," said Giesla Schepers, telecom manager, City of Indianapolis. "With Avaya IQ, we can see which agencies are serving customers effectively, and where improvements are needed. This helps us better allocate resources for improving customer service."

Additionally, Avaya IQ is helping the city of Indianapolis fine-tune agent responsiveness and productivity. "Now, we can easily track down and rectify problematic agent behaviors," says Schepers. "Depending on what a supervisor sees -- like an agent hanging up excessively, or putting customers on hold for too long -- Avaya IQ can identify that behavior, and drill down to learn the details. Avaya IQ eliminates the guesswork, and provides the data to back it up."

Harte-Hanks, a direct marketing company, provides Fortune 500 clients with global contact center solutions encompassing key functions such as lead generation, customer care, and technical support. Success to Harte-Hanks means helping clients realize a substantial return on their marketing investments.

According to the company, to ensure customer service remains fast and effective in tough economic times, Harte-Hanks uses a range of Avaya contact center solutions, including self service, which lets customers navigate a company's phone by themselves to get to the right information or live agent. Self service improves both customer satisfaction and cost savings through faster, more accurate interactions, and more efficient use of agents.

"The great thing about Avaya's self service technologies is that you don't have to break the bank to be effective," said Kris Klein in Corporate Technology Services at Harte-Hanks. "We can be smart with technology to help our clients keep customers happy, while keeping overall costs down."

"Extending self service via the Web, we helped a game console provider build a knowledge database over 5 years," said Klein. "Our customer service ratings with them are very high, and this is due to Avaya self service helping deliver fast, accurate information for people that demand instant gratification. Even in tough times, clients want to see customer satisfaction levels trend upward -- and they hold us accountable."

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