Infosys and AT&T today announced a jointly developed BSS solution to improve efficiency and customer care at call centers.
The SpeedSolve product allows customer care agents to use chat requests to get answers to questions that come up while they are on the phone with a client. More than simple instant messaging, the SpeedSolve product is designed to allow chat requests to be routed directly to the appropriate agent; allows prioritization of requests based on the products involved; and enables reporting so that operators can analyze customer service performance.
SpeedSolve started as an Infosys product that was tweaked in conjunction with the needs of AT&T. Now it is being offered as a joint product from the two companies. The solution is powered by Infosys’ Real-Time Expertise Manager.
Previously, an agent might have to put a customer on hold while they obtained an answer, or call the customer back, according to Gopal Devanahalli, VP of Products, Platforms and Solutions for Infosys. With SpeedSolve, they can send out a chat request while continuing the phone conversation. The request is routed to an available employee who is a designated expert. The expert can also designate that the answer given can be added to a knowledge database – so that other agents can find that answer by themselves in the future.
Since people can handle multiple chat requests at once, the system is designed to be faster than seeking face-to-face help. The automatic routing is designed to ensure that the workload is evenly balanced among designated experts, and that agents reach out to the correct expert, rather than a peer or acquaintance in the center.
“The idea was, let’s take the people at the center of this – agents – who are taking the calls. How can we make their lives productive, help them handle the calls better?” said Devanahalli.
SpeedSolve also has a video component designed to improve the work of field technicians who may call into operational centers with questions. In that case, agents can send a video to the technician to more effectively provide the necessary information.
AT&T has used SpeedSolve since 2010 to streamline and improve its own customer service operations, and the company said in a statement that it has realized millions of dollars in annualized savings. SpeedSolve is deployed at more than 200 AT&T centers around the world, with adoption by more than 70% of the company’s agents, according to Infosys.
“It’s got wide usage within AT&T,” said Devanahalli.
“SpeedSolve leverages communication channels to improve collaboration for a better user experience, and features smarter and streamlined customer relationship management strategies to achieve more cost-effective and efficient procedures,” said Derek Walker, executive director of intellectual property technology licensing at AT&T.
Devanahalli said that the company plans to offer SpeedSolve not just to wireless operators, but to any companies with large call centers, such as utilities and financial services firms.
