InfoCision lends a helping hand to NMSS

In April 2003, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) set out to generate a 3:1 return on investment while acquiring tens of thousands of new donors through the Helping Hands Drive. This was no ordinary feat. In the nonprofit sector, the cost of donor prospecting is so high that most organizations struggle to break even on donor acquisition campaigns. If they were going to achieve such outstanding results, the society had to find a creative way to reach millions of donors at a minimal cost.

To meet this challenge, NMSS turned to InfoCision Management Corporation. With more than 23 years experience, InfoCision provides inbound and outbound teleservices for leading nonprofit, religious, political and commercial organizations. With such a diverse portfolio, we are constantly coming up with creative ways to serve our clients. This case was no exception.

NMSS supports research, educates the public and advocates for people with multiple sclerosis, a devastating disease that generally affects otherwise healthy people between the ages of 20 and 50. The objective of the Helping Hands Drive was to acquire new donors in a cost-effective manner, maximizing the society's income. NMSS wanted to build a family of donors who cared about the cause and were likely to give again.

Experience has shown us that friends and family members tend to share interests and values. Therefore, we called the society's list of supporters and asked them to volunteer a small amount of time to help NMSS raise funds. All the volunteers had to do was send a letter, which we would provide, to 20 of their friends and family members. The volunteers would provide the postage stamps and do the prospecting, saving NMSS thousands of dollars. The friends and family members would learn about the society's mission from someone they trusted and, therefore, be much more likely to donate than the average prospect.

Marketing tactics
We launched the campaign by calling past donors and recipients of the society's services. They were familiar with NMSS, and they cared about its mission. The phone call appealed to their concern for the cause by explaining that the recession had impaired the society's efforts to find new treatments and a cure. It reminded the audience that they could help 400,000 people suffering from MS simply by spending a small part of one day sending out letters.

Within three days, we placed follow-up calls to volunteers to confirm their participation. Then, we sent volunteers a postcard thanking them for their support. The card assured volunteers that a kit was on its way and included an illustration to help them recognize the kit when it arrived in the mail.
If they said "no" during the first call, we asked them to make a donation instead. Those who agreed received a pledge letter in the mail.

Shortly thereafter, we sent volunteer kits, which included 20 letters for friends and family, mailing envelopes, return envelopes and instructions. These kits were designed to make the process as easy as possible for volunteers. The simple instructions and light graphic elements prevented potential barriers to completing the task, and it took less than 10 minutes to assemble and mail the letters.

Letters to the secondary audience (friends and family) described multiple sclerosis and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's efforts to help people who suffer from it. The letters were written in the volunteer's voice, and they included blank space for the volunteer to sign his or her name and add a personal message. The letters instructed recipients to send their donations back to the volunteer. That way, the donors could send their contributions to someone they knew and trusted.

The friends and family members then sent their donations back to the volunteers, and the volunteers sent all donations to the society.
Eight weeks after the kits were mailed, we started sending reminders to volunteers who had not sent in any donations. Those volunteers who did not respond to the reminders received an automated voice message, which politely reminded them to send in their donations.

Results
In nonprofit fundraising, the average cost of acquiring one new donor is $30 - $40. Since the average donor's first gift is only $25, nonprofit organizations rarely generate net income on donor acquisition programs. The donor becomes valuable when he or she gives again.

This overwhelmingly successful campaign exceeded all expectations by generating $2,407,298 in gross income. At the low cost of $680,391, it acquired 59,480 new donors and reactivated 14,871 lapsed donors. That means it produced a 3.54:1 return on investment for NMSS, beating our initial projections. These are phenomenal results for a donor acquisition campaign. The keys to the success of this program were the large average gift size of $32.37 and the very low cost per donor of $9.15. Once the donations were in, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society had $1,726,907 in net income to support their worthy cause and 74,351 new and reactivated donors to rely on for future support.

How Personalized Communications Provided Additional Value To A Client: A Study

Often a client's expectations of call handling, by call centers such as Personalized Communications www.per-com.com, only includes capturing information for order taking or dispatching of messages. They are unaware that through our state-of-the-art equipment and custom staff training programs, we can also provide help desk information, customer service support, dealer locate, web site access, and other inbound telephone call handling services.

A client of Personalized Communications mentioned to our Sales Representative that they were having problems tracking the status of their client who may call to request additional deliveries of the goods they produce. While maintaining good inventory records usually works, their experience showed that the weather, sales, and activity levels at their restaurant & grocery locations could affect the actual amount of product inventory required before the next scheduled delivery date. This was a challenge that required a quick resolution.

Our 'customer's challenge' was brought to the attention of our Client Care Team, who began to strategically brainstorm and develop valuable ideas. We looked for ways to delight our customer and solve their problem. We developed a process to provide good tracking of all calls and the resulting follow-up.

We shared our plan with our client, got their approval and support and started implementation soon after. The plan worked well, and not only solved the problem at hand, but also extended to fit other areas of call handling for the client. Not only had we solved the original problem, we were also able to provide greater assistance in their efforts to be superior providers to their restaurant and grocery store customers.

The system that was developed enables our client's customers to contact our call center for additional products. We notify the route person, verify that delivery was made, notify management that the task was completed and provide the length of time it took to respond. The client can follow up to determine both the satisfaction of their customer as well as track their driver's response time. We also provide specific reports to track by store number, restaurant number, and driver identification all requests that came in for a specific day. The communication is complete and concise for our customer. This creates a better bottom line of additional sales brought about by the process improvement we designed specifically for this customer.

The feedback from our client is that not only have their company's product sales increased, but our client reports that their customers are much happier with better response time and great follow up. Personalized Communications is always excited when we get such positive feedback and trust from the clients we partner with.

Working as an "out of the office partner" for 30 years has proven to be a great asset. We say-'BRING US YOUR QUESTIONS, WE WILL WORK ON THE BEST ANSWERS FOR YOUR COMPANY NEEDS'. We are PERSONALIZED to suit your specific call center needs and requirements.

Personalized Communications www.per-com.com handles inbound sales, order entry, customer service support and many other call center communication needs for clients nationwide, processing more than two million inbound and outbound calls annually. For over 25 years, Personalized Communications has provided their clients with personalized customer service and greater options for their call center needs.

Global Response Partners with Catalog Retailer for Live Chat with Customers

If you want to sell on the Internet, it takes more than just posting an online brochure or product catalog. It takes more than a friendly call agent on the phone. It takes more than easy-to-use technology.

It takes all three working simultaneously and flawlessly.

"Some people don't like the phone, some people don't like the web," says Timothy Holody, COO of catalog retailer Palm Beach Jewelry. "You need to have several possible points of sale. You have to be ready to try new ways of doing things."

Recent research from Forrester Research shows that in 2003, 30 percent of people who shopped or did business online used chat for customer service. That number is expected to increase to 52 percent by 2006, according to Forrester. Younger shoppers are leading the way.

"I watch my 16-year-old son on the computer," says Wendy Leuchter, vice president of marketing at Global Response Inc., a customer contact center headquartered near Fort Lauderdale. He doesn't talk to people on the phone. He's instant messaging and having conversations online. And he wants information right away, not e-mailed to him in a few days."

For Palm Beach Jewelry getting into what's new meant teaming up with Global Response, its outsource call center, to provide live chat with customers as a way to improve customer service and boost sales. It also meant looking at new ways of compensation.

"It's a partnership," explains Holody. "With Global Response we asked them to get way from their traditional call per minute fees. Instead we pay them a percentage of all sales. That's incentive for them to do upsells."

Global Response has already enhanced the bottom line at Palm Beach Jewelry, a subsidiary of Seta Corp. headquartered in Boca Raton, FL.

Palm Beach Jewelry saved some $500,000 in annual administrative costs by shuttering down its own call center, instead outsourcing those functions, both the sales and the customer service sides, to the web-enabled facility of Global Response. Palm Beach Jewelry initially hired Global Response to handle overflow. Last July it assigned the entire function to the outsource provider after it measured its performance against that of its in-house center, says Holody.

Seta looked at sales generated through the call center using Palm Beach Jewelry scripts for upsell and cross sell. Of customers offered the chance to learn about additional offers, such as matching items, gift boxes or clearance sales, 85 percent agreed to hear the offers. Of that number, 15 to 20 percent accepted them. "That's what we were getting in-house, and Global has been able to maintain that," adds Holody.

To further grow its relationship with its call center provider, Palm Beach Jewelry agreed to undertake the cost of new software that would provide live chat to its customers. With InstantService, Global Response agents are now able to quickly help customers navigate Palm Beach Jewelry's web site, answer customer questions and update order status via live chat, thereby increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty.

"Global Response had not used an application like this before," says Scott Carlin, sales representative for InstantService Inc. who trained a team of Global Response employees in Fort Lauderdale. "But it's a very easy tool to use."

InstantService Inc. is a Seattle-based application service provider of chat and email management that integrates with existing e-commerce and CRM systems, facilitating relationships between companies and their customers.

Global Response already required computer literacy as well as voice and customer service skills of its call agents who work across phone, e-mail and chat. Rick Fairchild, workforce management/quality assurance manager, says they're held to a higher standard of performance than agents who are exclusively on the phone. "They are more like help desk representatives; someone who has more problem-solving skills and is a little more analytical," he says.

While live chat has been operational for only four months, both Holody and Fairchild are optimistic that with a newly designed web site ready to launch this month [November], Palm Beach Jewelry will see significant results.

Carlin, of InstantService, says that some online retailers have seen a 20 to 30 percent lift in sales after using live chat and are also able to reduce e-mail costs.

Live chat agents can engage web visitors and direct them to a sale, and give information on a product at that moment - when purchase interest is highest.

InstantService's technology allows a supervisor to monitor how productive customer-support agents are from a log that shows the number of chats they handle and how long it takes to resolve a customer issue. Agents and managers also can see how long customers are waiting in order to decide if more agents are needed.

The customer service experience is greatly enhanced with the interactivity of InstantService Chat. While phone agents are limited to saying, "let me tell you," chat agents are able to say "let me show you" or "let me do it for you." Chat agents can push URL's, co-browse Web pages, jointly fill-in forms, download/upload files, and even take over control of the customer's PC to resolve problems right away. These features are especially beneficial in a technical support situation.

"It can be phenomenal," says Carlin. "You have the ability to handle more than one customer at a time, even up to 10 customers at a time...You can't do that on the phone."

The call center agents at Global Response are up to the challenge.

Global Response is a complete customer contact support firm headquartered near Fort Lauderdale. Ranked among the top 50 U.S. call centers, Global Response processes over one million inbound calls a month. Services include comprehensive inbound and outbound teleservices, e-mail & data management, electronic Customer Relationship Management/eCRM, and fulfillment.

For additional information visit http://www.globalresponse.com.

How The Connection Used "Mock Calls" As A Powerful Tactic To Improve A Client's Bottom Line!

The Connection currently handles specific overall contact center needs for a major telecommunications DSL provider. In this particular program, The Connection uses a variety of techniques to "save" a customer, who arrives through an inbound call to keep the provider's DSL service with the customer. Aspects of the program include:

? Answering customer-initiated inbound calls concerning the termination or disconnection of the major DSL provider's services.
? Resolving pricing questions, billing discrepancies and other customer initiated concerns that would cause a customer to disconnect service.
? Maximizing retention of customers calling to disconnect service.
? Offering customer incentives approved by our client to retain customers.
? Redirect any calls that require support pertaining to other products or services of our client.
? Representing our DSL client by providing the highest level of customer service to all existing and potential subscribers.

The Connection implemented several tactics and strategies to accomplish our client's goal. Agents assigned to this client program were extensively trained prior to answering any calls. The Connection ramped up to 150 agents in sixty days and increased that to 260 agents within six months. The customized training curriculum was developed with significant input from our DSL client. The Connection successfully used "mock calls" as part of the certification process before agents were allowed to take "live" calls on the floor. In addition, The Connection used online quizzes and tests to monitor agents. Numerous incentive programs were established as well, between the client and The Connection to motivate agents toward set goals. This includes monetary and non-monetary prizes, individual, team, call center based as well as daily, weekly, monthly, special 'power days', coach awards and more.

Our additional responsibilities include:

Maintain ownership of the customer until retention issues for the customer are brought to a closure based on our client's policies and procedures.
Successfully implement quality or call improvement coaches who work along with coaches, senior coaches, and product/program specialties.
Work closely with client marketing department and project management team to deliver positive results.
Participate in the periodic status/update calls. The calls are scheduled at our client's discretion.
Have dedicated trainers assigned to work with our client. The trainers utilize our client's curriculum for all new hires and continuation training classes. Modifications to materials are approved by our client.
Maintain a dedicated Quality Assurance team for our client.
Provide a designated team for force-to-load management, which includes forecast scheduling, schedule adherence, and reporting metrics involved in staffing levels.
Accept and share "best practice" initiatives and processes between our client and The Connection.
Accept guidance and management from any party designated by our client.
Provide resources to receive, authorize, and implement retention, product revisions, etc. of our client's, in a prompt and courteous manner.
Equip our call centers in accordance with our client's hardware and software needs.
Repair, supply, and maintain our call centers to our client's satisfaction in addition to a security plan approved by our client.
Establish a disaster and quality assurance plan in accordance with our client.
Schedule agent shifts to align with determined call center patterns in accordance between The Connection and our client.
Provide management and handling of customer escalation service issues and resolution.

Through successful implementation of this project, we continue to contribute to our client's bottom line. We have exceeded the monthly disconnect objectives set forth by the client. We have met and continue to meet average hold time (AHT) and average speed of answer (ASA) performance metrics as well. In addition, we have maintained an above average internal monthly disconnect per call ratio per agent and center level.

The Connection has consistently and effectively handled changing and updated program details, offers, etc. through a variety of methods, including daily talk sheets, weekly buzz meetings, and extensive online training and information site on intranet. Our DSL client's program is still in progress and remains successful, while continually growing.

Case Study: How AAA Improved Its Operation By Deploying The IEX TotalView Workforce Management Product

AAA Oregon/Idaho is a non-profit organization providing travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services to more than 620,000 members in the two-state region. A core commitment of the company, as reflected in its mission statement, is to provide its members with quality service. Every year AAA's members rank the customer service they receive providing the company a clear indication on how well it is achieving this goal.

A large share of meeting this service commitment rests on the shoulders of the company's 95 customer service agents that handle about 1.5 million calls a year. AAA wanted to have a system in place that would enable them to accurately plan and manage service delivery while helping them maintain control of service related operating costs. IEX TotalView Workforce Management lets them do that, and more.

"According to our members, customer service has improved steadily since the implementation of TotalView," said Call Center Assistant Manager Lindy Nelson. "Not only have we improved service to our customers, we have consistently risen in our service ranking among all AAA organizations nationwide."

The contact center's average speed of answer (ASA) improved 60 percent, going from 120 to 48 seconds, and overtime costs were reduced 20 percent in the period since TotalView was installed. During the second year of using Totalview we have continued to see improvements. Our ASA has now dropped to 21 seconds for 2003.

"The TotalView system enables us to accurately predict call volumes and effectively schedule our staff. We are able to consistently maintain our ASA much lower than it was before we had TotalView," Nelson said. Since customers generally spend less time in the queue, AAA has also saved money on telecommunications services.

REAL-TIME ADHERENCE
AAA attributes a large share of its improved customer satisfaction to the implementation of TotalView's Real-Time Adherence feature. This feature helps AAA managers quickly identify agents that aren't adhering to their schedule and ensure issues are resolved quickly.

"TotalView has helped us realize the important role adherence plays in our staffing plan," said Nelson. "More awareness in our leadership group and front-line staff has led to an increased sense of accountability. Prior to installing TotalView, we didn't have an effective way to measure adherence. Since then we've significantly reduced the amount of non-productive time spent by our agents."

WEBSTATION
The TotalView WebStation feature has helped AAA further enhance its schedule adherence results by keeping agents up-to date on their schedules and break times. WebStation also gives agents and team leaders easy access to performance statistics and overall averages. Previously, this information had to come from printed reports generated by managers.

"Now agents are more independent and efficient," Nelson said. "WebStation has raised performance awareness and expectations significantly, which has brought a sense of friendly competition to the contact center."

VACATION AND HOLIDAY PLANNER
The TotalView Vacation and Holiday Planner feature provides agents further autonomy while improving the center's efficiency. On days such as holidays, when the contact center does not need to be fully staffed, this feature helps Nelson easily calculate appropriate staffing levels in advance and lets agents see available days for vacation time.

"This features makes planning agent time off quick and easy," Nelson said. "I can plan headcount for any day of the year in a matter of minutes. Our agents can tell at a glance if a particular day off is available and then request it online."

IMPROVEMENT ALL AROUND
TotalView helps AAA deliver on its promise of providing quality service to its customers by making sure the contact center is always adequately staffed. AAA Oregon/Idaho has seen customer service levels rise consistently, while at the same time saving money by spending less on overtime wages, non-productive agent time and telecommunications expenses.

BENEFITS
? Reduced overtime expenses by 20 percent
? Lowered ASA from 120 to 21seconds
? Improved schedule adherence
? Streamlined the vacation planning process

BREAK OUT QUOTE
"TotalView has helped us consistently rise in customer service ranking among all AAA organizations nationwide." Lindy Nelson, AAA Oregon/Idaho