There is no denying that next generation communications capabilities are now essential to overall organizational success whether the entity is for-profit or not. At the end of the day every organization must deliver compelling customer experiences. Hence, having the right tools in place, key to providing quality customer care, is vital with the added value of enhancing, partnerships and the ability of ecosystems to work faster and better through improved collaboration amongst stakeholders. For companies focused on tackling customer issues as a priority, next generation communications speed orders and deliveries, and missing any calls is thus never acceptable. The good news is that with a robust call management solution in place, every opportunity is captured.
A recent Alcatel-Lucent (News 
- Alert) case study, AREG: Optimizing Recycling with Alcatel-Lucent OmniPCX Office Solution, illustrates how the waste-disposal company, AREG in Neubrug am Inn, Germany tackled the challenges of improving customer care. The company was facing a number of hurdles in its communications infrastructure, including disparate systems, an increase in sales orders and customer satisfaction issues in relation to customer care calls. AREG clearly needed a next generation call management solution.
AREG turned to Alcatel-Lucent to find a flexible solution for effectively combining fax, e-mails and telephone options into one integrated system. AREG also needed to reduce the pressure placed on its customer relationships team to cope with the increasing order volumes, and to solve communication issues that hinder the customer service strategy.
The solution implemented combined the Alcatel-Lucent OmniPCX Office telephone system with the company’s Extended Communication Server (ECS) unified communications solution to meet AREG’s objectives. The results have met or exceeded AREG expectations.
For instance, orders and confirmations on delivery are still sent and received via fax, but printing these documents has been eliminated. Today, the ECS digitizes the information and sends it virtually to the intended staff member. The staff member can then open the document in the ECS and add in notes before sending it on as an e-mail. Any voice recordings from the digital answering system can also be attached to the message.
The new call management solution allows AREG to eliminate communications bottlenecks for smoother operations. The order and delivery process has also been enhanced and productivity levels and staff moral have gotten a much-needed boost. Plus, the visibility of staff availability and status is enhanced, while call statistics help to effectively increase customer satisfaction.
The highly integrated, call management solution also delivered a great deal of flexibility to this organization. The hybrid system offered traditional TDM telephony, while also opening up the availability of IP telephony and the integration of all requested services. AREG received the call management solution they needed to immediately address their needs and communications challenges. "The solution from Alcatel-Lucent immediately allowed us to eliminate all the bottlenecks which had developed and to make our operations run smoothly again. Positive side-effects include the fact that our staff have become more motivated because the annoying intermediate steps are no longer necessary – and our customers are delighted," said an AREG representative.
As customer care is increasingly a key differentiator for companies in industries where services are commoditized, the available communications channels are key. AREG is now equipped with the robust capabilities necessary to focus on the high quality customer interaction, while promoting an efficient work environment.
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Edited by
Peter Bernstein
