Electronic Retailer - July 2011 - 34

BY KEN DAWSON

Case Study

Take the Right Route

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electronicRETAILER | July 2011

How InfoCision was able to increase direct response sales conversions with targeted call routing
Direct response callers are different from most call-in consumers. They have a high level of interest in the product based on what they’ve seen, read or heard – certainly enough to compel them to pick up the phone. But, unlike traditional phone product orders, a direct response sale is not a given. While a small pool of individuals may arrive in your call center ready to buy, most require additional information and some sales finesse before they decide to seal the deal. That’s when your contact center agents become game changers. A good agent who understands the needs, motivations and reservations of the customer can mean the difference between a conversion and a lost sale. This is why it’s imperative to deliver each and every call to the most experienced agent. Fortunately, technology has put this capability at our fingertips. By intelligently routing calls to agents, direct response companies can increase phone sales conversions and build greater brand equity. and the most effective direct response sales tool of all: customer recommendations.

The Challenge: Find a Way to Heat Up DR Sales Conversions
A direct response company specializing in selling portable heating units was generating roughly 200,000 inbound calls each month through print advertisements in national publications such as Parade. InfoCision Management Corporation was one of three contact centers employed by the company to handle these calls, including the company’s own in-house call center. With conversion rates hovering around 22 percent, InfoCision decided to perform an in-depth analysis of the program to see where adjustments could be made to boost sales. InfoCision began looking at call arrival patterns and quickly noticed a figure that stood out: above-average wait times. Callers were holding on the line longer without hanging up. InfoCision theorized that because callers had exhibited high levels of interest in the product, they were willing to wait longer than the average hold time – approximately 45 seconds – before speaking with an agent (or “communicator” as phone representatives at InfoCision are called). This discovery seemed to be distinct to direct response callers. It also indicated that callers exhibited high enough levels of interest that having the right agent on the line could make a difference in conversions.

What is “Targeted Routing”?
Targeted routing (also commonly referred to as intelligent routing or skills-based routing) is the system of matching specific contact center agents with calls based on their training or proficiency for a particular type of call. For example, if there are 100 agents trained on a particular program, the 10 best agents in the group would be given priority over the other agents when a call comes into the center. This technology helps ensure the best agent available to handle a call is the one on the line. The major benefit of targeted routing is connecting consumers with agents more adept at answering consumer questions and intuitive in addressing (and overcoming) issues or reservations. By providing a potential customer with a great phone experience with a confident, knowledgeable agent, you are more likely to convert a call into a sale. Additionally, superior call center experiences lead to better brand impressions, which lay the groundwork for future purchases

The Solution: Intelligent Call Routing to Top Contact Center Agents
The decision was made to test targeted routing on the direct response company’s program in an attempt to improve conversions. InfoCision’s test program for the client involved 650 communicators who took calls for three months. These communicators were selected for the program based on tenure and direct response training.

Electronic Retailer - July 2011

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