The challenge
The objective for a major computer goods manufacturer could not be more clear: It was on the hunt for operational savings. The tricky part was identifying which cost reduction measures will not harm—but in fact, enhance—the experience for its digital-first customers and workforce, too.
With a global footprint and reputation for innovation, the fast-growing company presented a vast and complicated operating environment to assess in search of cost-saving opportunities that also delivered efficiency gains. An extensive tech stack, numerous partners, unique delivery strategy, and multiple contact centers supporting five channels encompassed countless variables to examine—and levers to adjust.
Exposing and diagnosing friction points was vital to this operational consulting engagement whose centerpiece was a massive CX and Optimization Assessment.
The solution
TTEC identified operational strengths and opportunities and defined what an optimized operating model looks like for this client through data analysis, one-on-one interviews, and workshops with stakeholders.
The assessment took a deep dive into interaction recordings, messaging, emails, handling processes, NPS scores, and new hire survey results to identify top call drivers and intents. Metrics scoring customer satisfaction, first call resolution (FCR), average handle time (AHT), and cost per contact broken down by line of business provided visibility to operational gaps that needed to be addressed.
Also examined: effectiveness of technology tools for routing and self-service, work-from-home management, quality assurance, customer relationship management, knowledge management, reporting, and training.
With these new insights, TTEC’s Operational Consulting team reached across a broad set of subject matter experts internally to help craft the use cases and supporting business case for change.
Together, the group used solution modeling to build a roadmap to make everything easier for customers calling with questions about their computer devices as well as contact center associates supporting them.
TTEC’s recommended use cases and pilot for generative AI and conversational AI demonstrated how associates can retrieve answers from the knowledgebase quickly by asking questions using natural language. Because AI bots understand intents, this method, made popular by ChatGPT, is easier than entering best-guess keywords in search of product specification data and troubleshooting guides.
The results
The CX and Optimization Assessment yielded an exhaustive roster of 30 proposed solutions and phased-in process changes that would reduce cost while optimizing the customer experience through efficiency, streamlining, and removal of friction points.
TTEC identified $4.9 million in annual savings that could be realized in three key areas: optimized knowledgebase and training, modified geographic delivery strategy, and vendor consolidation.
- Knowledgebase/training: $1.7 million of these annual savings could be achieved through optimized workflows, improved knowledge management framework and content, and better training. Enhancements here not only would improve CX for customers through faster call resolution, but employees would benefit, too, because the information they need would be easier to access.
- Delivery strategy: $1.7 million of these savings would result from reassigning some call volume from the current Philippines call center to India, where labor costs are lower.
- Partner mix consolidation: $1.5 million savings would result by consolidating VIP support calls from call queues managed by two partners to just one.
Implementation of these and other measures promise to improve FCR 10%, AHT by 15%, and NPS by 10%. The computer goods company is currently evaluating next steps with some of the more transformational recommendations made by TTEC.
Beyond those three quick and actionable key items, TTEC also identified opportunities to improve automation and self-service in the messaging and voice channels. These measures could drive 30% to 50% higher efficiency and TTEC presented the client various options on how to do that.
While this particular client requested an exhaustive, soup-to-nuts assessment and recommendations for its operations, technology, and processes, other engagements need not cover such a broad scope. TTEC’s Operational Consulting team also performs more narrowly defined assessment exercises when a client’s goals and objectives are focused on incremental improvements.
