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September 1, 2010

Global Telecommunications' Leader Improves Sales, Customer Satisfaction and Web Site Experience with New Web Chat Solution.

 “Through our partnership with Etech, we have reduced our chat costs and increased conversions and order value. This program has brought in 60% incremental revenue and is a clear winner.”
VP, Ecommerce

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Although an Internet presence has the power to revolutionize an industry, many companies are finding that customers are abandoning their web sites without purchasing. Complicated service orders, unanswered questions and unexplained charges all contribute to 60% of online visitors abandoning the shopping cart. However, studies show that the customer experience is significantly improved by providing online Chat Service Representatives to answer questions, provide additional information, and resolve customer issues. These studies further revealed that companies investing in chat programs not only received a phenomenal increase in their conversion rates, but were able to reduce their inbound call volumes by more than 20%.

THE CHALLENGE
Ecommerce companies know that it is an ongoing challenge to convert web site traffic to paying customers. In fact, studies show that 60% of online visitors abandon the checkout process due to complicated service orders, unanswered questions and unexplained charges. This leading telecommunications provider was having a similar experience. They wanted to increase online sales and overall conversions in order to meet their aggressive revenue goals. They also wanted to ensure a great customer experience online. In their competitive field, they could not afford to lose a single customer or sale.

EXISTING SOLUTION RIDDLED WITH ISSUES
The telecommunications provider developed an internal web chat sales channel, staffed by highly compensated representatives, to meet the needs of their growing online customer base. These dedicated agents were available to answer questions and help close sales through an online chat solution. Unfortunately, their in-house solution wasn’t meeting their objectives. Their close rates were lower than expected and customer feedback showed that they weren’t meeting their CSAT objectives either. They also had service levels of only 70%. While they weren’t meeting their objectives, their cost per chat contact at $3.51 was well below their cost per sales call, which was a nice cost savings. The company needed to find a way to leverage this low-cost sales channel while meeting their sales goals and CSAT objectives.

SOLVING THE PROBLEM REQUIRED THE PERFECT SOLUTION PROVIDER
The company had several options for tackling this issue. They could grow internally and invest in training for their in-house team or outsource to a vendor who specializes in chat sales and customer service. The telecommunications provider was hesitant to outsource because they wanted to preserve their brand and ensure a great customer experience. “Could a third party vendor really provide the same level of service as we can in-house?” The management team decided to test the waters. They would search for an experienced vendor to help them capitalize on the potential customers browsing the web site and test them against their internal solution. They wanted a partner with a strong background in chat sales that could be up and running quickly with strong results. Their partner needed to be available 24/7 and be able to scale very quickly.

THE CHOICE WAS CLEAR
After a thorough search, the telecommunications company found the perfect partner in Etech. Not only did they have proven success in chat sales, Etech offered a host of best practices and experience to help the company succeed. Some of their core differentiators include:

World-class Training
Etech’s agents are well trained with custom-made training curriculum.

Lower Response Times
Etech’s custom built tools lower response time on chats for a better chat experience.

Quick Staffing Ramp-up
Etech has the ability to manage fluctuating volumes and can ramp quickly through their robust hiring and training process.

Deep Business Intelligence
Every chat session is digitally recorded and analyzed. The voice of the customer data is provided to clients to improve the web site experience, improve promotional offers and understand the competition.

Stringent Quality Monitoring
Etech’s best-of-breed QA process improves agent performance and ensures a positive customer experience.

24/7/365 Capabilities
The combination of an onshore and offshore model allows full coverage every day of the week and every hour of the day.

State-of-the-Art Technology
Chat technology includes sophisticated rules engine, prioritization routing and advanced analytics.

Highest Integrity
Above all, Etech’s motto is “Playing by the Rules”. They adhere to the highest standards and the results can be seen in their strong retention rates and CSAT scores.

EXCEPTIONAL RESULTS RIGHT AWAY – INCREASED CONVERSIONS, CSAT AND REVENUE
The telecommunications provider was extremely pleased with Etech’s results during the trial period. Etech’s cost per chat session was lower than internal costs and conversion rates were up. The best surprise was the increase in customer satisfaction – even higher than the internal team. Some of the results include:
• Etech reduced the cost per chat session by 32% allowing the company to realize an even greater savings on this already low-cost sales channel.
• Etech consistently met the client SLA of 85% and outperformed the internal team.
• During the trial, Etech consistently achieved 15% and above close rates outperforming the internal team on a regular basis.
• Etech consistenly generated more sales per hour than the internal team during the trial period.
• Etech consistently met the average order value goal and exceeded the internal team’s average orde by 12%.
• After the initial trial, the customer satisfaction rates continued to improve and are averaging 89%.
• After the initial trial, the close rates continued to improve and were as high as 20% some months. With an average close rate of 18.4%, Etech consistently surpasses the close rate goal of 16%.


The strong results are a reflection of Etech’s investment in QA and data analysis along with strong coaching methodology. Their use of Six Sigma and Lean methodologies to drive process improvements has been the key factor in generating these great results. Based on the results of the trial, the company transitioned the entire web chat project to Etech. The project expanded from just 6 agents during the trial to over 200 agents today. Over the past 12 months, chat volume has grown by 90% and is expected to grow further as customers continue to move to this convenient contact method. Although initial results were excellent, Etech works to continue the improvements. Today, Etech is providing the company with stellar sales and customer experience results along with a 97% service level.

WHO IS ETECH?
Etech is a pioneer in the click-to-chat Sales and Service outsourcing with 11+ years of industry expertise. Etech is also a leader in inbound/outbound customer care and teleservices. For over a decade, we have been helping companies cost effectively acquire new customers and maximize profits by servicing and growing existing customers. Etech has a successful and ongoing track record in achieving key metrics including conversion rates, service levels, average order value and monthly recurring revenue for our clients. Our clients and success stories will attest to the innovation, business intelligence and delivery Etech provides. We’re confident our web chat services solution will help you realize cost-efficiencies and more importantly add value to your existing products & services.

Etech is composed of approximately 2,300 team members with seven facilities located in Texas, Jamaica and India. Our Pasadena, TX site is a dedicated bilingual center providing services in both Spanish and English.

Etech is a Corporate Plus Member of the National Minority Supplier Development Council, ISO 9000 Certified and PCI Compliant.

This article was written by Jim Iyoob, Vice President at Etech. If you have questions related to call center outsourcing or web chat services, please contact Jim Iyoob at jim.iyoob@etechinc.com