When reliable, secure, and easy communication with clients is a must, technology plays a significant role. Keith Emery, Co-CEO of Credit Canada Debt Solutions, shares his experience transitioning from an on-premises call center infrastructure to a hosted solution. The drive to shift to a cloud-based solution was made more urgent by the COVID-19 pandemic. The missing piece was finding the right technology. The story of Credit Canada illustrates how companies can quickly remove the boundaries posed by an on-prem solution by switching to and deploying the virtual contact center that the cloud affords.
About Credit Canada
Credit Canada is a nonprofit debt counseling agency. Its credit counselor agents work with clients to help them obtain debt-free status. Constant communication and reviews are critical to every relationship. The demand for these services continues to grow. The company helps about 70,000 individuals each year.
They offer a variety of resources to promote financial literacy. Programs include debt consolidation, credit counseling, credit building, and financial coaching. To provide these services, agents depend greatly on their phone system. Keith said, “We work with many clients through our phone system to counsel and provide them with ongoing service. It’s a key tool for us.”
Existing Infrastructure Was a Barrier
The company, dependent on having an efficient call center to maximize effective and responsive client communications, found their existing on-prem infrastructure holding them back. In addition to restricting their agents’ ability to work outside of their central office, there were also issues with hardware support.
Compound this with the emergence and spread of COVID-19, and Keith knew the company had to transition to a more flexible solution that would allow remote work.
Managing a Contact Center During a Crisis
Keith knew that he needed a solution that benefitted all parties. Clients needed a consistent way to connect with agents. Agents would require a system that allowed them to work remotely. And, contact center managers wanted a means to manage those agents and understand real-time data.
With those requirements in mind, Keith looked to the experts at Intermedia and our Contact Center software. He commented, “We moved to a hosted, reliable voice solution because of the distribution of our team, and the need to have something to manage our growing call center (staff).”
With Intermedia Contact Center, he was able to do just that, especially as client anxiety grew along with the associated call volume.
Intermedia Contact Center ‘s omnichannel platform allows clients to connect with Credit Canada through a variety of convenient channels, including phone, email, and chat. Agents can work from anywhere since the system is web-based – they simply need an internet connection and a headset. Contact center managers find it easy as well. They can transition staff between queues when necessary, track real-time metrics, join calls to assist agents, and listen in to help train. They no longer have to physically be in the same location as an agent to manage or coach them. With access to real-time data, they are also able to increase efficiency and productivity
Keith shared, “Our managers are much happier now. They really like the better reporting and visibility.”
Deploying the new system was straightforward, as no on-premises hardware was necessary. Keith said, “We’ve had a great experience. The team at Intermedia was fantastic. We’re maintaining our SLAs, and the call quality is top-notch.”
Watch the complete story of Credit Canada in the video. And if Credit Canada’s challenges sound familiar, check out how you can use a hosted solution for your contact center.
The Intermedia Team
Intermedia helps businesses of all sizes connect better – through voice, video conferencing, chat, contact center, business email and productivity, file sharing and backup, security, archiving, and more – from wherever, whenever. And, as a partner-first company, Intermedia goes to work for our channel partners to help them grow their revenue and maximize their success.
July 22, 2020
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