Smooth operators - telecom TELUS, Mosaix's call-center software - Company Operations

Communications News, March, 1999

Increase agent effectiveness and customer retention.

TELUS Communications, Inc. is a widely held public company--and Canada's third-largest telecommunications and information-management services company--providing voice, data, and visual communications, and advertising services in that country. As a participant in Stentor, a member organization for the former Canadian regional telephone companies, TELUS recently captured first place for the third time in Stentor's Challenge Cup Four, an annual competition to recognize and reward the participating competing company best able to capture and retain residential customers in its market region. TELUS has also been named a National Quality Call Winner for three years in a row.

Before beginning this winning streak, though, TELUS needed to find an effective customer-service solution for both its telemarketing division and collections department. In the telemarketing organization, for example, a particular focus is placed on outbound calling to win business. TELUS needed to handle an ever-changing fluctuation in inbound call volumes while maintaining an extremely high quality and service level for inbound calls.

Its marketing department places many ads and runs many marketing campaigns to increase business, often resulting in a very inconsistent volume of inbound calls. Both the inbound and outbound operators were split. Call-center managers had to reconfigure the entire call center when a campaign hit in order to meet inbound demand. The spikes of inbound calls fluctuated so much that staffing became extremely difficult.

The need to react seamlessly from a staffing standpoint led TELUS to install Mosaix call-center technology. In 1993, its residential telemarketing division began using it. This division sells enhanced network services, long-distance toll plans, calling-card services, Internet services, and win-backs from other long-distance suppliers. In addition, agents make customer- service coverage calls to customers.

Using Mosaix's call-blending applications for both inbound and outbound operations, TELUS' agents can transition between inbound and outbound calling campaigns. As inbound call volumes rise and fall, the call management system recognizes the change and automatically shifts blend agents to inbound duty. When call volumes decrease, blend agents transition back to the outbound campaign.

The telemarketing group originally consisted of seven agents and 14 lines. Today, there are more than 300 agents at 166 workstations. The ability to work in both an inbound and outbound environment has greatly increased the effectiveness of TELUS' call-center agents and improved customer service. Over 90% of TELUS agents handling outbound calls can immediately be switched with blending to handle over 90% of inbound calls. Advanced blending tools enable them to average more than a dozen customer connects per agent per hour, with an impressive 47% close ratio (total customer sales-to-connects).

The TELUS collections department also shares these impressive results. The department debuted in 1994 with 13 agents and 26 telephone lines. Now there are over 40 agents using 80 phone lines. The department averages more than 1,560 calls per day--a connect rate of 13.5 calls per agent per hour and an average of 68 promises-to-pay per agent per day.

With the installation of Mosaix's predictive dialers, call-blending applications, and coaching tools, TELUS' managers are now able to spend time performing management tasks such as coaching, motivating, and improving agent skill sets. In addition, call-blending technology has enabled TELUS to achieve a high service level while servicing inbound calls with high quality and minimal disruption to staffing plans.

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