STORM® SHIELD™: at the front line of a telecommunications revolution
1st April 2010
The role of the telephone is changing. Increasingly, it is seen as a means of access to services, rather than simply a way of speaking to people. The last remaining resistance to automation is diminishing, as people re-evaluate their relationship with the phone and realise how much time and money they can save by using automated phone-based services.
Beyond IVR
STORM® Sudden High Impact Event-Led Defence - or SHIELD™ - is a front line service in this telecommunications revolution. It provides strong protection for contact centres against sudden surges in traffic, helping to maintain an efficient and customer-focused service, even at peak times.
As a Content Guru specialist product, SHIELD runs on STORM, Europe’s biggest mass interactive communications platform, built with Redwood’s award-winning intelligent media gateways. STORM offers proven 99.999% availability and is capable of accommodating up to 30,000 simultaneous connections.
SHIELD sets a new standard for interactive voice response (IVR) technology, allowing the creation of a deeply personalised customer experience, and the delivery of highly sophisticated services. These capabilities can make a dramatic difference to call peaks and troughs for contact centres, easing pressure on agents and transforming productivity and return on investment.
A SHIELD deployment can be strongly customer-centric, in many instances offering better service than an agent could provide. For routine calls such as balance enquiries, bill payments, opening times, delivery tracking or helpdesk ticket progress, SHIELD automation can get customers to the information and functions they require faster than an agent.
Integration
Contact centres can deploy SHIELD as an integral part of their front line services. It operates as a sophisticated IVR system that can integrate speech recognition, text-to-speech, call recording and even automated bill payment. Callers can interact either through the keypad or by giving spoken responses.
If the system cannot provide a satisfactory resolution, the call can be routed through to an agent. SHIELD's Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) capabilities allow the call to be transferred in conjunction with details of all transactions up to the point of transfer, as well as the relevant CRM information about the caller. When the agent answers the call, they have a completely up-to-date picture of the activity on the account and can begin immediately to address the caller's concerns.
Flexibility
SHIELD gives contact centre managers the flexibility to deploy automation in line with demand. At times of low traffic, more calls can be routed to agents. When traffic hits a peak, SHIELD can be deployed rapidly to field more routine calls, while agents deal with the most complex enquiries.
Call flows can be written and rewritten on the fly, allowing SHIELD to be configured to accommodate particular patterns of demand. For example, if bill payment reminders have been issued, the payment system can be featured as the first option when calls come in. Then, when demand for the payment service begins to diminish, an alternative option can be moved up the list.
This kind of flexibility gives contact centre managers high levels of control over the system, allowing it to be continuously re-aligned as operational demands evolve.
SaaS hosting
As a hosted service, delivered via the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, SHIELD can be adopted without substantial capital investment. Its adaptability enables contact centre managers to plan staffing levels cost-effectively, with the peace of mind of knowing that if an unexpected peak occurs, a highly effective customer-facing system is available to deal with the demand.
Integration with STORM's LOCK™ secure bill payment system adds a compelling extra dimension to SHIELD's capabilities. LOCK enables payments to be made without any interaction with an agent, and without the need to store sensitive information. The system also provides reassurance for customers who have made a purchase through an agent. When the time comes to pay, they can be transferred to the automated LOCK system, reducing the risk of fraud.
Positive feedback
One of the most challenging dilemmas posed by automation is the balance between cost savings and customer service. While customers continue to perceive IVR systems as barriers to service, there is a risk of damage to the brand and hostile customer feedback.
STORM SHIELD allows contact centres to take a crucial step forward, elevating automation to the point at which it can actually improve the customer experience and enhance the brand promise, while still delivering the efficiencies and cost-savings that IVR can bring.
For further information call +[44] (0)1344 852 350 or text Guru to 66663.
