Affinity Development Group Uses N-Focus, Reaps Benefits
Originally, Affinity Development Group (ADG) used a Nortel™ system in its old location for its call center's needs. In time, ADG grew to a level that warranted the move to a new, larger location in order to keep pace with demand, so a new location was opened in San Diego, CA. Upon this move, ADG management faced the decision of choosing what software solution to use at the new location. Ultimately, the decision was made to utilize Avaya hardware and software for their call center needs. Because it works in conjunction with Avaya's Definity ACD, the N-Focus software solution was sought to provide highly sophisticated, yet economical call center reporting and monitoring.
ADG chose N-Focus software for its call center reporting and monitoring needs. Jon Lane, VP of Member Services, stated, "Our call center needed more capabilities than BCMS offered, but we could not afford CMS." Compared to BCMS' limited historical data capabilities, N-Focus allows ADG to run historical reports for any time period ranging from a single day to several years. In addition to the need for increased historical reporting, ADG also demanded software that could provide its call center supervisors with a clear picture of operations.
Furthermore, ADG's dynamic call center environment required a solution that was supported by expert staff. "We have never had any problems with N-Focus support and technical staff; they have always handled issues quickly because they are truly interested in and always listen to customers," Lane said. Further, Lane said of N-Focus staff, "They are responsive, engaged and analytical; thus providing excellent customer service."
ADG has received numerous upgrades of N-Focus and a common theme has emerged throughout this evolution of the software. "All of the enhancements to the product have been relevant, very easy to use and are not disruptive to our staff and call center," Lane said. The enhancements to N-Focus have been well received by ADG, most notably the report scheduler feature. It allows supervisors to automatically schedule reports to be sent via email, in both PDF and Excel formats. According to Lane, "The user interface is now better than ever before and the ability to automatically schedule and email reports is vital to keeping supervisors up to date with daily performance and changes in activity levels. N-Focus allows supervisors to determine staffing levels at any point in time, adding or reducing staff size as needed."
N-Focus has had a positive affect on ADG's customers as well. The call center is better able to handle call spikes, thus lowering its abandon call rate and meeting demand more effectively. Lane acknowledged, "Our center can more effectively satisfy customers due to the fact that N-Focus gives our supervisors a real time view of call center activity, allowing our reserve agent support group to be signed in to help immediately when and where needed."
Ultimately, N-Focus positively affected ADG's bottom line. By being able to analyze data in great detail, ADG was able to use N-Focus to determine that they were losing 5-7% of their calls per week during a specific time period; this led to the call center expanding its weekend hours. The net result: by increasing weekend operating hours by three hours each day (+5% for the week), the call center picked up the same number of calls that they would during a normal, 13 hour operating day (+14% for the week). When asked to quantify this development, Lane confirmed, "This increase in calls represents a significant, six-figure gain in annual revenue for ADG."
About NetLert
Based in the mountains of Western North Carolina, NetLert produces a variety of communications and reporting tools for the contact center industry. The company initially offered its enterprise level instant messaging solution, NetLert IM, but has continued to evolve, focusing on developing and refining new software products. Today, NetLert is uniquely positioned in the market place, providing innovative products based on leading-edge technology to contact centers of all sizes. For more information, please visit www.netlert.com.
About Affinity Development Group, Inc.
FAffinity Development Group (ADG), located in San Diego, California, specializes in developing affinity and CRM programs for clients with established brands and loyal customer bases. In addition, ADG provides an automotive buying program for Costco Wholesale members. The program allows members to purchase automobiles at reduced prices, following suit with Costco's low-cost provider business model. For more information, please visit www.affinitydev.com.
