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And while Suddenlink is always trying to upsell, cross-sell or promote products to its customers, because Dow says that "the more vested customers are with us, the less likely they are to churn out," this tool teaches call-center agents to take time to thank customers, too.
For instance, Dow says, Suddenlink's best customers have "triple-play" bundles of TV, phone and Internet service. So when an agent is speaking with a high-value customer, the system suggests that she "thank this customer for being a VIP."
Not only is Suddenlink helping its customer service reps give callers a warm and fuzzy feeling, it's also handing its call-center staff a sense of accomplishment. So the tool supports Suddenlink's direct marketing efforts in another way—helping agents become so skillful about the offers that they might one day decide to close the pop-up windows and handle the calls themselves.
"Our agents are most susceptible early on in their tenure, when they're learning the systems, when they're learning the customers, when they're learning the offers," he says. "And one of the tangential benefits of this tool has been to build self-confidence. And I'm sure it's probably helping us retain some employees, as well."
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The Business of Database Marketing