TietoEnator has announced the completion of its IVR integration project with Hitachi Capital Consumer Finance. The project integrates Hitachi Capital’s telephony system for incoming customer calls, with the TietoEnator system for managing customer credit agreements.
The number of consumer credit agreements continues to rise and inevitably results in an increase in call volumes into Hitachi Capital's Customer Contact Centre. The company places a high priority on customer service as well as managing the call volumes in the most cost effective and efficient way possible. Hitachi Capital initiated the IVR integration project in support of these objectives.
Tony Blythe, Operations Manager, at Hitachi Capital commented, "We estimated that half the calls into our Customer Contact Centre ask for one of two pieces of information, a settlement figure or the customer's next payment date. It made sense to automate these calls and we currently anticipate that 75% of these routine calls will be handled by the new system within three months of the project completion date, and 100% within six months."
Customers calling Hitachi Capital's Customer Contact Centre are now guided through a couple of options and use the telephone keypad to find the answers they need. With all the requested information residing in the TietoEnator Instalment Credit system, the relevant data can be accessed in a fraction of a second while the customer awaits his next telephone instruction.
Hitachi Capital has already seen a number of benefits since introducing the IVR system, which has dealt with approximately 12,000 enquiries in its first month, thereby reducing the volume of calls handled by Contact Centre staff. As call volumes increase, Hitachi Capital will be able to accommodate them with little additional resource. Automation has brought secondary benefits in the reduction of keying errors, creating a more efficient operation while customers are benefiting from the extended Contact Centre opening hours.
Commenting on the project, John Prentice, Head of Business Change, Hitachi Capital said, "The TietoEnator team contributed significantly to the success of this project. The team was proactive, enthusiastic and reliable, making a positive difference to to the outcome. More importantly, development was timely, with any issues resolved quickly.
We're delighted too that the customer take up of the IVR service has been much faster than we anticipated."
Linda Fisher, Managing Director, TietoEnator Financial Solutions UK commented, "Hitachi Capital and TietoEnator have a close relationship going back a number of years. We're extremely pleased that this latest undertaking has been such an immediate success, delivering tangible business benefits. TietoEnator places great emphasis on close customer relationships and this demonstrates how such co-operation translates into project success."