Keith L. Meyer
Senior vice president
USAA Federal Savings Bank
San Antonio
THE POTENTIAL CAPABILITIES of today's technology provide the customer service representative with simple and convenient access to a wealth of information from various areas to provide customers with seamless service.
We're in the process of implementing a number of technologies. Deploying image technology to the desktop will provide CSRs with instant on-line retrieval of statements, paid checks, etc. The data can be printed out and immediately faxed to the customer. Information in traditional application systems can be accessed by front-end systems with a graphical user interface. The rep will work with easyto-understand screens that use a point-andclick approach to access dam. The system will be further enhanced to analyze the account and alert staff for cross-sell opportunities.
Andrew Orent
National marketing director-banking
AT&T Business Communication
Services Bedminster, N.J.
BANKERS NEED TO LOOK at more than technology when buying networks. What they really need to buy is future capabilities. As bankers develop strategies, think a few years down the road. The integration of the computer and the telephone is just about here. Align yourself with someone who can deliver future technology when it comes, such as video capabilities.
As banks get bigger, they need the ability to take a defined quantity of expertise, such as the knowledge of their 50 mutual fund agents, and offer it to a whole customer base spread all over the country. Two-way voice and video will be able to do that. Look at technology that will allow the hours of the call center to be expanded; to have a center that will allow you to go beyond the 9-to-5 tune slot, perhaps to help you stay open as the sun rises on one coast and sets on the other. Then look at the technology to see if it will help you generate revenue from the center. While most are initially opened to provide customer service and reduce costs, new technology may help to make money. As banks buy each other, they are looking to consolidate both their call centers and their 800 numbers. For those that have many 800 numbers, they might want to consolidate the different functional areas within the bank to a single 800 number.
Helene Graff
Vice president
MasterCard International
New York City
WE'VE DONE A LOT OF RESEARCH into the call center. One thing we hear from customers over and over is they want one-call handling. Can the person who is answering the phone help them, or do they have to be transferred into different areas? They would rather the phone ring a little longer than have it answered immediately and then be transferred all around. This is where the technology comes in. Use it to make sure your customer service representatives have extensive information at their fingertips and a history of any calls made before.
Use technology to empower customer service reps to make decisions. Give them prompts that are fed to them on-line. Use the technology to meet the customer's needs.
CHARLIE MARAZITI
Senior vice president
UJB Financial Corp.
Princeton, NJ.
WE HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN the telephone customer service center for nearly ten years. The technology is much more user friendly than it was even one, two, and three years ago. For us, it has been like a building process, where you add new services onto existing ones. In many ways, you have to know what your needs are before you shop for the technology. You need technology that is expandable, so you can add on to the system, by adding more phone lines or adding additional services. You need to be sensitive to the number of incoming calls expected. You don't want your abandon rate so high that it counters any positive effect. You better have anticipated the proper volume and be able to add to the system immediately if it builds quickly.
Over the last couple of years our bank has been working on adding functionality to our call center. It may look simple from a customer's point of view, but it is a difficult technical process. Information must be gathered from many different systems quickly and presented to the customer in a relevant package. For example, we know that our customers are most likely to ask questions about the last five checks paid, so we programmed our system to automatically bring that information down from the host.
TONI JELINEK
Senior vice president
First of America Services
Kalamazoo, Mich.
THE IDEAL FOR BANKS is to get a system that provides integration in a number of ways. The information can be shared from agent to agent, or from the voice response system to the desktop. This greatly reduces the time a customer spends on the phone. Integration should also be possible from different areas of the bank, even if those services are performed by a third party. It is this kind of seamless customer service that makes a difference. The system also needs to maintain and be able to access a call history. This builds relationships. It gives the agent a chance to look at the whole picture, to take a customer-view as opposed to just an account-view of the person. The new windows-based, client-server technology that is out there is perfectly suited to providing these types of services.
PATRICK BLANCHARD
General manager, call center
Wachovia Corp.
Winston-Salem, N.C.
WITHOUT A MOTIVATED, customer-sensitive work force, technology by itself won't improve a call center. Technologically, you need to look at two main areas: activities over the phone -- the key component being the switch -- and the computer system. On the phone side, offer toll-free service, with a mnemonic number. When using a voice response unit, make sure the customer can opt out. If you are really serious about offering service, you have to integrate the technology with the human being. Automatic telephone identification lets staff know where the call is coming from. The technology enables the representative to get at the customer' s account without asking time-consuming questions.
Another thing that is important is the telephone switch itself. Depending on the 800 number, a call can bypass the main switch and be automatically routed to the appropriate department. Also useful are message boards, where your staff can see how many calls are holding, increasing their sense of urgency. It creates a very interactive environment. The trick on the system side is how easily you can use the computer to get the data you want. Can you establish a call history? Also important is to record what people are calling about. Track the call types so you can note patterns and establish remedies more quickly.
