Improving cash flow, reducing costs, freeing up agents, experiencing an immediate return on investment: These are what it’s all about, right? Since 1992, TeleVox has been at the forefront of customer communication, offering best-of-breed communication technology. More than 14,000 clients rely on TeleVox each and every day to efficiently and effectively contact their customers. Why? Because the subscription-based HouseCalls automated messaging system has proven to meet all their objectives for only pennies per call.
There’s no denying the positive impact of clear, dependable communication between a utility and its customers. Over the years, however, this has presented an increasingly difficult challenge. Utilities are being asked to communicate with growing customer bases with fewer resources. To help reverse this trend, automated messaging technologies, such as TeleVox’s HouseCalls, have emerged to play an important role in customer contact. As other messaging providers have battled rigid pricing structures, limited calling capacity and functionality challenges, HouseCalls has consistently performed as a cost-effective solution that meets the needs of each individual client.
COLLECTIONS
Nowhere are the benefits of automated messaging technology more apparent than in collections. HouseCalls delivers payment reminders personalized with names, dates, amounts due and other information. Messages also employ multiple levels of right-party verification to protect the customer. Once the message is delivered, the customer can take advantage of response options to speak with a live agent or transfer to an automated third-party credit card acceptance company. When matched with a third-party collector, HouseCalls automates the entire collections process without manual intervention from the utility.
Utilities can determine their own strategy when integrating automated messaging into the collections process. The messages sent to customers can vary in tone and content based on internal credit ratings and scores. Many TeleVox clients use HouseCalls to contact large volumes of newly delinquent accounts (30 to 60 days), hoping to resolve them before they age further. This frees agents to focus on more difficult accounts.
The immediate ROI of automated messaging in collections has made it a widely embraced practice among the nation’s leading utilities for reducing Accounts Receivable. Some utilities have estimated as much as $200 in return for every dollar spent. The technology’s flexibility facilitates quicker, less expensive collections efforts. It also decreases expensive mailings, costly disconnects and truck rolls that become necessary as delinquencies progress.
MARKETING CAMPAIGNS
From billing to usage issues, the range of programs utilities offer to customers has become increasingly broad. Automated calls have experienced phenomenal response rates from customers eager to take advantage of new offerings.
Common marketing campaigns include:
- Budget billing
- Low-income housing assistance
- Meter replacement
- Demand conservation
Why do automated calls produce greater results than direct-mail pieces, bill stuffers or Emails? One factor is audience attention. Since HouseCalls outbound messages can be recorded using 100 percent human voices and feature the Caller ID number of the utility, customers are more likely to listen to the telephone message than read an extra piece of mail. During the message, many utilities give customers the opportunity to transfer to live agents to learn more about the particular program, enroll during the call or be directed to a website for more information.
Calls cost pennies to deliver, far less than the soaring printing and postage costs associated with mailed media. Whether employed as a stand-alone marketing strategy or combined with direct mail, automated messaging proves to be a cost-effective promotional tool.
OUTAGE AND RESTORATION NOTIFICATIONS
In the utility industry, the old saying holds true: Expect the unexpected. A little preparation goes a long way toward instilling customer confidence, and this certainly applies to service outages. It’s inevitable that at some point customers are going to experience unavoidable interruptions in their service.
When that happens, leading utilities can proactively communicate with customers and keep them informed of the progress being made to restore service in the area. Automated messaging is ideal for such situations, covering large service territories (able to reach as many as 300,000 customers per hour) while maintaining a high capability of customer interaction. Messages can be created and delivered in as little as five minutes.
During outages, customers will often receive messages from their utilities reassuring them that technicians are working to restore service. Providing important contact numbers and information can also be helpful to customers during this period.
As restoration efforts progress, utilities can deliver messages to each customer to determine if service has been restored. Automated messages allow for immediate customer feedback and significantly reduce inbound traffic to the utility’s call center.
In some situations, utilities contact their customer base before a planned outage. This approach is especially appreciated when working with critical-care customers.
HOUSECALLS BENEFITS
Since HouseCalls is a subscription-based ASP (Application Service Provider) solution hosted by TeleVox, there are no hardware purchases or capital investments for the utility. Rather than requiring large expenditures for on-site equipment, utilities are charged on a per-call basis for completed calls – with no cost for undeliverables.
NEXT STEPS
To begin harnessing the power of HouseCalls for your customer communication, you are encouraged to contact a TeleVox representative at 1-800-644-4266 or info@televox.com. You may also visit TeleVox online at www.televox.com.