Multi-Channel Enhancement Service Options

Most companies are available by phone; however, to beat the competition, this isn’t always enough.  Today’s consumers have much higher expectations than ever before.  24/7 live agents are critical to maintaining a positive customer service experience, but supportive communication channels ensure a more comprehensive and complete solution.  Voice, email, click-to-call and Web chat are quickly proving to be a worthwhile investment to a company’s bottom line. 

According to Forrester Research, “An investment in reactive chat is likely to produce a small positive return on investment (ROI) of 15%”.  Chat is a cost-effective motivator to convert more Web site viewers into Web site customers. Web chat, in addition to other customer service interaction channels, creates an environment where call center agents can provide support to multiple users at the same time. Together, these channels create a bundled approach of interactive touch points to obtain and retain customer relationships. 

Communication channels available…

Web Chat – Web Chat allows the customer to connect with your company instantaneously through your Web site with the click of a mouse. All chats are in real-time and are proven to be a convenient way for customers to connect with your company.

Click-to-Call – Click-to-Call makes it easy for web site visitors to call you. This service allows web site viewers to make an immediate connection to a live agent by phone.

 Email Response – Email response makes certain that customer email responses are rapid and consistent. Live agents are trained to respond to email inquiries in a way that would not be possible with an automated system.  

With the right technology, best practices, and properly trained agents, these communication channels can address the needs of every customer. Multiple touch points allow the user to interact with your product/service in a way that is most convenient for them. In order to face the competition, companies are using these tools to get ahead and work proactively to obtain new customers.

Chicago, Ill.

Answer Center America is a leading provider of inbound and outbound call center solutions. The company has more than doubled its size in the past three years. Due to ongoing growth, ACA continues to hire on a weekly basis. With a recent increase in hiring, Kern’s role at ACA will ensure the employee hiring and retaining process remains seamless. ACA maintains an above average employee retention rate within the call center industry and has hired Kern to maintain their employee friendly culture of excellence.

Kern’s professional experience most recently consists of serving the last five years as a Senior Recruiter for one of ACA’s personnel staffing partners, Banner Personnel. Prior to this, Tara has numerous years of experience in the management and human resource arenas.

Kern is a graduate of Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Arts in marketing. In her free time, Kern is an avid marathon and half-marathon runner and stays active in the Chicago running community. 

About Answer Center America Inc.

Based in Chicago, Ill., Answer Center America, Inc. is an experienced partner in providing seamless call center and answering solutions. Founded in 1995 by Janet Livingston, ACA has proven itself as an industry leader through cutting-edge technology, unwavering customer service, and customized services. For additional information, please visit www.goacanow.com. 

Scripting (ACA Contact Management Solution)

The scripting method is the most commonly used conversation flow method.  This process leads callers through the call process with prewritten answers and responses based on the information exchanged. Generally the script consists of a predetermined introduction, information exchange and closing statement.  Scripts can be easily modified and customized to accommodate the individual needs of the client and their callers. With today’s advance technology, call flows and scripts can be easliy delivered to the agent’s computer screen.

The ACA Contact Management (scripting) Solution can be an effective process to improve call center efficiency, reduce labor, and provide a consistent message to customers.  A well engineered script, in addition to accurately trained agents, can hit key performance metrics. Scripting can help reduce human error on calls and still allow call flows to be flexible during interaction with customers.

Conversation Modeling (ACA CISR Model)

For more complex calls, a modeling approach can benefit the client and caller.  Modeling requires the agent to be trained on all aspects of the account and prepared to answer questions off the cuff.  An information guide is provided for the agent but the call flow is not as detailed as a scripted account.

ACA uses our proprietary conversation model, called CISR, to train customer service representatives to lead conversations with customers and to clarify each customer’s specific service need.  The CISR model consists of four steps. These steps are used in sequence while interacting with the customer. A customer service representative is able to guide the conversation and determine all of the information needed to identify and deliver solutions that are customer focused and results driven.

C = Concerns

I = Indicators

S = Solutions

R = Responsibilities

Answer Center America can help determine which call method works best for your company.  Contact an ACA sales consultant to determine a customized contact solution for your company.

Walker holds 15 years of leadership experience in strategic planning, telecommunication, system design and human resources management. She comes from Rush North Medical Center where she worked as director of telecommunications for more than 10 years.

“Walkers experience in the healthcare industry will be a tremendous asset to our organization.” says Trey Bynum, general manager of Answer Center America.

As manager of call center operations, Walker will oversee the operations team. Major responsibilities include implementation procedures, managing daily workforce, tracking team productivity and additional responsibilities.

In addition to Walker, Troy Berry is a recent addition to the ACA team. Coming from Navagon as director of customer service, Troy Berry brings a wealth of knowledge to the table.  For more than 15 years, Berry has managed operations, new business development, CRM and technical support in call center settings. 

“It’s rewarding to enter a position with such an enthusiastic team,” says Berry. “The environment here fosters a strong sense of commitment and innovation. I look forward to collaborating with my team to offer ACA customers the ultimate customer service experience.”

In his role at ACA, Berry is responsible for managing account development, implementations and management.  These three functional groups outline the strategy for ACA’s entire relationship with their business-to-business client base.

“In response to the growth we’ve experienced in the past year, we realize the value of bringing in external employees to accompany our growing family of clients,” says Bynum.  “Their fresh perspective and previous experience is sure to bring innovative ideas and solutions to the table.”

Berry is a graduate from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Science in sociology.  He was raised in Ottumwa, Iowa. Walker attended DePaul University and earned her certified telecommunication technician license through AT&T. She is a native of Evanston, Ill. 

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About ACA Inc.

Based in Chicago, Ill., Answer Center America, Inc. is an experienced partner in providing seamless call center and answering solutions. Founded in 1995 by Janet Livingston, ACA has proven itself as an industry leader through cutting-edge technology, unwavering customer service, and customized services. For additional information, please visit www.goacanow.com or call 1-800-270-7030.

As the healthcare reform continues to move forward, medical call centers will most certainly aid in the customer service relationship between patients, healthcare professionals and insurance companies. This new reform will expand coverage to 32 million Americans who are currently uninsured. With this new reform comes the good and some may argue, also some bad.

Whether or not we are ready, the reform is on its way.  This change will affect the relationship between healthcare professionals and patients. A HIPAA certified medical answering service and call center can help patients and healthcare professionals seamlessly adjust to the changes brought about by this new development.

Here are obstacles that could present themselves once the new reform comes into action and ways in which a qualified call center can help:

• Decrease in patient personal attention – With a significant increase in patients, may come a shortage in healthcare professionals.  This could affect the level of attention each patient receives by his or her doctor.  Healthcare professionals must become more efficient with their time. HIPAA certified call centers will play a vital role in helping doctors address patient concerns, scheduling appointments and patching emergency calls.
• Increase in insurance claims and questions – The 32 million newly insured patients will most likely have questions for their insurance companies.  Just read this article on how Callers Flood ehealthinsurance Asking ‘Where’s my Free Obama Care?”. HIPPA certified call centers with licensed insurance agents will play a vital role in accommodating these individual’s concerns and questions.
• New member registration forms and expanding databases – This may overwhelm some insurance companies.  In addition, technology and environmental factors are encouraging healthcare organizations to go paperless. Outsourcing licensed insurance agents with a HIPAA compliant call center can keep costs at a minimum while providing quality customer service.
• Communication Barrier – This problem existed before the reform came into play, however, with 45 million Spanish speaking individuals in the United States, this issue is likely to be stressed.  Multilingual call centers enable insurance companies and healthcare professionals to communicate effectively with all types of language.

The new reform is going to provide individuals with health insurance that was previously unavailable, however, a quality call center can ensure these patients are given the quality customer service experience they deserve.

Outsourcing your customer service representatives can be an effective solution to manage the cultural differences between these two sectors.  The growing demand for a bilingual call center enables companies to accommodate this segment of the population, without the high-cost of hiring internal employees. With the Hispanic and Spanish speaking population on the rise, make sure your call center is providing bilingual services.

Here are key benefits you’ll gain when outsourcing a Spanish Speaking call center:

• Increased efficiency
• No need to hire or train employees
• Call center management already set in place
• Competitive edge
• A wide-range of services

Bridging the language barrier between your company/organization and the Spanish speaking community will quickly prove beneficial.  Answer Center America can help determine an effective strategy to help you reach Spanish speaking individuals.

For three decades, Inc. has recognized and celebrated the remarkable achievements of today’s entrepreneurial superstars—the privately held companies that drive our economy.

Inspired by the compounding success of the Inc. 5000 and its community, Inc. brings you GROWCO: Grow Your Company Conference, a three-day event created for business leaders who want to achieve sizable growth within their organization. First introduced in the eighties as Growing the Company Conference, GROWCO harvests the rich network of seasoned executives and inspirational thought leaders whom Inc. has accumulated through three decades of in-depth business reporting.

 In 2010, Inc.’s GROWCO Conference pulls together a dynamic program with a curriculum designed specifically for the nation’s rising entrepreneurial stars, including smaller organizations that want to make an appearance on the Inc. 5000 and Inc. 5000 honorees that want to break the higher ranks of the list or repeat their success in years to come. High-profile growth experts teach seminars that will give attendees actionable information with which to develop or maintain their own growth initiative.

After our amazing experience at the last Inc. Magazine event, we are very much looking forward to attending our first GROWCO event.  Speakers from truly inspirational companies such as College Hunks Hauling Junk , 37signals, Knockout Entrepreneur , and many more will be attending this year’s conference. We can’t wait to learn from their experiences and hear what they have to say. 

We hope to see you there!

Here’s an interesting article from Crain’s Chicago Business.  Being a Chicago based call center, I keep an eye out for news that hits close to home.  As this article proves, local Chicago businesses are realizing the benefits of outsourcing thier customer service agents.  Red Box announced today that they will be closing their office in Dowers Grove, Ill. And begin outsourcing their call center operations.

“After considering a number of options, it was determined that using a third party to manage our customer service operations was the best business decision for the company,” Redbox said in a statement.

Read more  here.