ICMI's Customer Management Insight - January 2008 - (Page 16)

[IN THE CENTER] Creating a Unified Framework for Multiple Sites Cisco rolls out a one-stop service initiative and a new unifying strategy for making its 50-plus contact centers function as one. Its service goal: to provide a consistent customer experience across the organization. BY RAVI RAVISHANKHAR AND FRANCOISE TOURNIAIRE Three years ago, Internet network and networking management supplier Cisco found that it had a problem. Overall customer satisfaction ratings were good, but ratings for “ease of doing business” lagged significantly. A new frontline support system put the organization’s 50-plus contact centers back on track, and a new initiative in the works promises improved customer experiences and cost reductions for the company. As a very large organization, Cisco’s more than 50 different contact centers help customers with placing orders, tracking shipments, resolving technical issues, answering financial inquiries, and all the various interactions required to keep the business flowing. The problem was that the average caller required a large Rolodex just to keep track of all the various contact numbers and marketing collateral to help them navigate through a complex phone menu. Callers would frequently reach the “wrong” number or the “wrong” organization to address their needs — causing confusion, wasted efforts, and frustration for callers. This had an impact on the results of a Walker Information survey — specifically a question on the ease of doing business with Cisco. Customers rated the ease of doing business with Cisco significantly lower than customers’ overall satisfaction rating for the company (see the table below). Ease of Doing Business Results vs. Overall Customer Satisfaction FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007 Ease of Doing Business with Cisco Overall Cisco Customer Satisfaction 4.01 4.37 4.07 4.36 4.11 4.40 Cisco responded to the survey results by implementing one-stop service through the Customer Interaction Network (CIN). The CIN is a frontline organization that offers live-agent support to answer a variety of requests or route callers to the right expert. The CIN helped abstract the complexity of Cisco’s multiple contact centers by streamlining access to company resources. With CIN’s implementation, ease-of-doing-business scores have continuously improved. The customer experience, however, was not consistent across Cisco. The company now aims to offer one-stop service no matter which of its multiple access points customers use. This next stage is designed to move beyond ease of access toward ease of interaction: How can Cisco give customers the power to get the icmi’s insight www.icmi.com | JANUARY 2008 16 http://www.icmi.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ICMI's Customer Management Insight - January 2008

ICMI's Customer Management Insight - January 2008 Contents Customer Care Technologies Ad Index Editor's Page Contact Center Spotlight People: Prehire Tests In The Center Strategy: Video Contact Centers Show Preview Operations: Knowledge Management Industry Research Contact Centers Face Today's Realities: A Case for Consolidation 2.0 Is Your Agent Training Process Evolving with the Role? The Key to Innovation Is Maintaining Your Strengths Becoming Strategic: Using Customer Contact Analytics to Empower the Contact Center's Role

ICMI's Customer Management Insight - January 2008

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