
04 Aug Integrated communications solution at Valoris
The solution resulting from the cooperation of two IT&C leaders, Microsoft and Cisco, is now used in a Romanian Call Center, after successful implementation by CRESCENDO in 2007.
Initial situation
Company management acknowledged that in order to meet the market needs, the Call Center needed to be replicated within Valoris Call Center department of each business customer. This involved some difficulties in repeating the environment. Valoris business plan implied an efficient IT infrastructure to support an intensive activity that would have as high priority the 360 degrees perspective upon customer.
The criteria for choosing a solution to support the agreed business plan was based on:
- getting a complete and clear view upon all partners
- increasing of sales, as a result of focusing on current business activity
- accuracy of reporting – at anytime and in real time
- possibility to offer to the customers proactive behavior by developing the business portfolio of services
- increasing of productivity by using every human and material resource.
This led to choosing an IP Contact Center solution for call management combined with a software application to ensure internal users management, a client-e-mail, but also a very powerful reporting tool that can adopt services. All these elements should have been integrated in one. The company started looking for a solution in June. The specification for tender was completed in the first half of July, the implementation began in October and it was completed very quickly.
Solution
A Cisco Unified Communication solution was chosen, integrated with Microsoft Dynamic CRM 3.0, and the implementation partner was CRESCENDO Solution House.
Combining the two solutions can be considered a best practice for Call Center solutions in the industry and, moreover, it was a premium solution with a very attractive price versus quality, which allowed funding of other activities as well, a crucial element for new business.
The high degree of scalability and the fact that Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0, with its “web services”, is a solution easy to integrate with other components of an organization’s enterprise platform (communication solutions or other applications), were also taken into account.
Because an accurate but flexible reporting system was needed, integration with reporting system based on SQL Reporting Services that uses a 360 degree view at MS Dynamics CRM users with Cisco IPCC, was also appreciated.
“We chose Cisco IP Contact Center integrated with Microsoft CRM, application integrated with Microsoft Excange, all of them working on Active Directory, which was more than we hoped to find”, Valoris Director says.
Partner
When choosing CRESCENDO Solution House as a partner for project implementation, the skills in Microsoft and Cisco technologies mattered most. Furthermore, CRESCENDO Company had already implemented within its own business, Microsoft CRM 3.0 integrated with Cisco Unified Communications, thus being the first user in Romania of the new integrated technology.
CRESCENDO has been a Microsoft partner for 5 years and has the status of Microsoft Gold Partner with the following competencies: Advanced Infrastructure Solutions and Networking Infrastructure Solutions.
Moreover, CRESCENDO Solution House has the status of Cisco Silver Partner, positioning itself as the sole provider of communication solutions and security of communications in Romania certified Cisco Silver. CRESCENDO achieved Customer Satisfaction Excellence rate in 2006, which had been received only by two of 100 companies before, as part of customer satisfaction assessment program provided by Cisco.
“CRESCENDO was able to provide a solid solution, which met the requirement for a flexible, manageable and scalable solution. One of the most important benefits to choose CRESCENDO was its ability to deliver the entire solution and cover the whole area of project support, as it is very important for us to know in case of an incident, we can find solutions for complete resolution in one place,” Implementation Manager at Valoris Alex Manoilescu says.
Benefits
The solution CRESCENDO implemented at Valoris integrates Microsoft Dynamics CRM with Cisco Unified Communications and combines the benefits of a Customer Relationship Management with those of an IP Contact Center. Currently, Valoris uses Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 for the Call Center activity, broadly called “production”. However, Valoris wants to implement a model for its own sales activity as well, in the near future.
The proposed solution provides integrated Web-based services and communications over IP, by selectively recording or monitoring conversations, or by switching calls to available / prepared to answer employees, regardless of being in the same location or remote. Facilities are available such as automatic recognition of caller (“Screen pop-up”), flexible call distribution based on customer type and priority, availability and skills of employees etc.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 is integrated with Microsoft Outlook, making it easier to use. Actually, the line between Outlook and Microsoft CRM is invisible, which substantially reduces the learning curve for users and generates an almost immediate acceptance. Using the familiar interface of Microsoft Outlook all available information about the customer that the agent has access rights are displayed on computer screen.
Ability to configure and model reports by non IT people who have a virtually unlimited number of reports, becomes a major benefit.
Valoris has opted for Cisco IPCC Express Enhanced Edition that allows / includes intelligent call routing, IP IVR, reporting, call recording and Cisco IP phones. Consolidation of voice and data networks dramatically reduces the cost of change managing necessary when adding, moving or changing users’ settings. Valoris has now a reduced response time and real possibility to respond quickly and effectively to customer needs. In addition, Valoris offers now a guarantee of quality service through easy access to the entire history of interactions with customers.
Information stored in time become very precious and can be analyzed and used in at least two directions: to increase customer satisfaction and to use more efficiently the resources. The result is one: increasing the profitability of the organization.
Benefits that Valoris gets from choosing CRESENDO Solution House are consistent, because the solution brings extremely important added value to Valoris’ business.
Thus, Valoris’ performances after implementation are:
- Increasing of customers’ satisfaction
- Growing of work productivity
- Reducing managing cost for the inherent change of settings occasioned by adding, moving or changing user settings, while eliminating the substantial costs arising from traditional calls and telephone lines rental charges
- 360-degree view upon customers
- Decreased operational costs and rapid deployment of current activities
- Increase productivity of call center activity through voice calls, e-mail and interactive Web sessions
- Removing bottlenecks of a call – the operator has real time access to the entire history of the customer called/calling
Microsoft technologies used:
- Windows Small Business Server Standard 2003
- SQL Server Standard
- CRM Small Business Edition
- Office 2003
- Windows XP Professional
Hardware equipment: HP, APC
Communication equipment: CISCO
The client company
Valoris is a young and dynamic company, whose mission is to provide its customers with the excellence of “customer relationship”. Valoris customers receive a high quality of marketing, customer care and sales services, which contribute to cost optimization, customer loyalty, and flexibility of operations and increase of profits. Valoris Center is among the companies to quickly acknowledge that success is a thorough understanding of its customers and the markets in which they work. On these grounds, Valoris has developed an innovative range of Contact Center professional services. Experience of management team, operators’ skills, innovation based services, and the use of advanced technologies recommends Valoris Center as a reliable partner for companies wishing to build their future with focus on customer.
Valoris offers to its clients – companies from various business areas, such as financial services, pharmaceutical, automobile etc. – Client Customer Care services, sales and marketing support and telemarketing campaigns, order management, telephone studies, management of compliance to payment deadlines, as well as other services delivered at a high level of quality and professionalism. Companies that benefit from such services get a cost and human resources optimization, customer loyalty, flexibility of operations and profit increase.
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