2. Move customers away from the call center and toward self-help options

EBPP and self-help applications have their personal education curve; still, these tools will be vital when getting ready for VoIP. Be sure your call center has these tools quickly accessible and the education process for customers is well in progress.

Customer self-care is no longer just having them change addresses and pay bills. Pleasing applications can give customers the ability to advance services, select new service packages, and take care of fundamental account upholding tasks.

Think about more ways to offer EBPP and self-care applications. The majority of consumers are retrieving these services through email or the internet. The digital set-top box is an additional means that allows consumers to interact with their service provider on their terms. The set-top box also has another means available in addition to the call center operator to present new promotions, discounts, or service upgrades.

3. Simplify the process that call center operators use behind the scenes

Though broadband and DBS operators might have available advanced services over advanced networks, frequently the call center is using manual or outdated processes to serve the customer. When call center operators aren't always worrying so much about the procedure behind an upgrade to new services, they can focus better on providing the customer care that they are compensated to provide.

Present a collective vision of all lines of business whenever doable. When CSRs can pull up a customer account that contains all lines of business, order activation, and provisioning information down to simple details like felony status, they can concentrate on supplying service, not process. Some steps to achieve this are:

-If telephony, video and data services are controlled across numerous applications, add an integrated graphical user interface (GUI) across applications so that each service screen looks and feels the same.
-Make it doable for CSRs to offer packages, pricing by itself, and price cuts across all lines of business in self-explanatory customary packages. Mold this information to each individual customer -- know that they already must make sure a new proposal is suitable.
-Include the details. Make call detail records (CDRs) accessible in real time inside the customer record screens; allow options like selecting the number of outlets a customer needs. Fit telephony services and features to as little number of screens as possible.

Before broadband and DBS providers try to develop profits from voice services, the call center needs to be ready for the test. By thinking of the call center as the first customer of VoIP service, providers will obtain an upper hand over the rivalry and get a customer base that is more dependable and content in the process.