SA`s home-grown DigitalMall has achieved a 60% customer retention rate using its multi-channel live help facility, driven by the Avaya customer contact suite of products. This represents a 500% premium over customer retention levels at similar e-commerce portals in the US, where retention levels hover around 12%.
DigitalMall`s Avaya suite was supplied by eContact Solutions, a CRM business solution provider, and the sole representative of Avaya (formerly Quintus) in SA.
"E-commerce needs a CRM package which provides media-independent, multi-channel capability," says Yaron Assabi, CEO of DigitalMall. "Avaya does this: it handles fax, e-mail, Web transactions and voice, and it is so open-ended that we were able to write a home-grown WAP application for it."
The browse-to-buy ratio - the number of impressions versus the number of actual purchases made - is a critical factor in determining the success of an e-commerce venture.
"The live help functionality which Avaya provides us through its Web Centre application has significantly reduced our browse-to-buy ratio," says Assabi. The live help feature is linked to the Hanna personal shopping assistant, for which DigitalMall has become famous. Through Hanna, DigitalMall`s agents use Avaya proactively to contact a browser if a Web page is inactive for more than two minutes.
"Hanna will pop up and ask the browser if they wish to chat live or make contact though any channel they might wish," says Assabi.
The live help allows Internet browsers to request help from an agent while online, either through live Web chat, or via telephone, fax, or e-mail. "The Call Me, Fax Me, E-mail me features of the Digitalmall.com Web site are all Avaya applications," Assabi says. "Our next focus will be on rolling out the business model worldwide."
Safe in the knowledge that Avaya has an international presence and that support would be assured across the globe, iTouch, DigitalMall`s international owner, is confident that the technological model developed in SA can safely be rolled out globally.
Having live interactions humanises the e-commerce shopping experience, and helps to reduce the number of dropped shopping carts - those browsers who buy online but then fail to complete the transaction. "We have found that once personal contact is made between a browser-based user and an operator, there is a reduced chance of the cart being dropped," says Assabi.
"Avaya had off-the-shelf integration with our e-commerce platform, MS Commerce, and our Nortel PBX 8/ACD - with the result that it was up and running with minimal integration issues."
When a browser-based user requests live help though any channel, an agent can view a central response library which contains all past interactions and a client profile. A supervisor who has barge-in functionality can monitor the interactions.
Increased customer retention levels translate into increased profitability levels for e-tailers, based on the adage that it is more profitable to do business with existing customers than it is to generate new ones.
"Additionally, DigitalMall can offer live help on all e-tail sites in its stable, even if the company in question would not have that capability on their original website, making DigitalMall the e-commerce hosting site of choice," continues Assabi.
"Important for eContact Solutions, as provider of Avaya, is that Digital Mall is a CSP, or commerce service provider, to a number of leading retailers," says Peter Flanagan, director at eContact Solutions. "Through DigitalMall`s using Avaya, our solution is being used by retail giants such as Incredible Connection and Reggies."
Because customer details appear on-screen as soon as they make a call, there is no longer a need for agents to ask for all details each time they call, boosting customer satisfaction levels. "Agent satisfaction is increased, since agents spend less time asking repetitive questions and more time providing high-value services," says Flanagan.
"DigitalMall`s ability to combine live assisted help, technological innovation and strong logistics backup has meant that with Avaya`s help, it has created the world`s finest online shopping experience, an achievement this country can rightly boast about," Flanagan concludes.
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Avaya Corporation International, acquired by Avaya Communications in mid-April, provides call centre products and services that help businesses develop, acquire and retain loyal customers.
Avaya`s award-winning, customer relationship management product, Call Center, and its integrated Web product, WebcenterQ, collect and manage customer information, activities, and relationships across communication channels, including e-mail, fax, Web, and advanced telephony systems. In addition, Avaya offers call centre consulting and analysis services, as well as QCTI, computer telephony integration software that qualifies and routes customer calls to the resource best able to answer them.
Avaya`s customers include the "who`s who" of corporate America, including 15 of the Fortune 50 companies. Avaya is represented in SA exclusively by eContact Solutions, a leading CRM business solution provider. eContact Solutions has been responsible for the IT solutions of over 10 major South African call centre installations.
DigitalMall
Based in Johannesburg, Digital Mallis owned by The Independent News & Media Group Worldwide through iTouch. It is one of SA`s best known retail internet portals, offering online marketing, Web development, call centre outsourcing, hosting and maintenance, e-commerce enablement, fulfilment and database mining to a number of major retailers, including grocery suppliers Click `n Pay, computer and peripherals retailer Incredible Connections, Liquor Online, Reggies Toys, Virtual Florist, Wordsworth and Yo Sushi.
DigitalMall`s virtual call centre serves all of the company`s tenants, offering the Web shopper the option to reach a live agent. DigitalMall`s Virtual Delivery Company fulfils all the shipping logistics issues of tenant companies, offering an end-to-end service for online shoppers and tenant companies.