Johannesburg, 05 Dec 2003
Wimpy, one of South Africa`s leading fast food brands, with over 370 restaurants across Southern Africa, has outsourced its National Call Centre to Solutional, a local software development company with steeped experience in Customer Relationship Management solutions. Solutional has recently announced the opening of its Managed Services division with Solutional`s flagship product, Radical, being the software implemented in servicing this division.
"Wimpy were looking for a solution that would allow Wimpy to effectively engage with its customers - in a way that allows for the full tracking of all interactions with customers, from cradle to grave" says Charmaine Ellis, Marketing Manager at Wimpy.
Ellis adds: "We were looking for an outsourcing company that would have the technical expertise as well as the passion and enthusiasm to embrace our business. We looked for a company with whom we could partner. One of the reasons that we decided to partner with Solutional was because they are small and dynamic, with a strong technical understanding."
When asked "Why outsource?" Ellis responded: "The most logical solution for Wimpy was outsourcing as it offers a full strategic view of the process and of client relationships - without having to get bogged down in the logistical operation of the client interface..."
"Outsourcing its Customer Call Centre will give Wimpy the opportunity to nurture and develop its relationships with customers and to engage effectively with customers from a brand perspective in the long term. Brand relationships are a critical point of differentiation - the Call Centre will allow Wimpy to strategically manage these relationships and to gain brand insight into these relationships." Says Ellis.
The Wimpy Sizzle Line (did we Sizzle or Fizzle?) has been in operation since 1st November and has already proven itself invaluable to Wimpy in terms of the reports that Solutional have been able to generate about the Calls that are received - sizzles and fizzles! Problem areas are easily identified and the Wimpy Area Managers are alerted via e-mail and SMS whenever a call gets logged for their area. They are then able to respond to the call and update the call remotely, as the Radical software is constantly monitoring response times to the calls that are logged in order to ensure a high level of customer satisfaction and to make sure that nothing "falls through the cracks". The Franchisees are also notified and Wimpy top Management are notified when serious situations are reported. The caller gets regular automated e-mails, keeping them constantly up to date regarding the status of their call and its resolution.
Says Paula Hocking, Business Development Manager at Solutional: "Solutional has been involved in implementing Radical in Call Centre and CRM environments nation-wide. As individuals in the organisation we have many years of experience around best practices in the industry. The next logical step for us was to practice what we preach!"
Solutional is well positioned to offer a cost-effective Oustourced Call Centre solution to SME`s in South Africa due to the fact that it owns the technology and the intellectual capital.
"We were able to offer Wimpy a far more cost effective solution than competitive outsourcing companies as a result of this. We will continue to target smaller companies who are currently only receiving about 20 - 30 calls per day, which does not warrant the investment in infrastructure that would have to be made if they didn`t go the outsourcing route. The reason we are planning to target this market, is because we are one of the few companies that are able to, given our competitive pricing structure. We are able to offer these companies a solution that has thus far been something that they could not even consider. What we are finding though, is that the calls are increasing dramatically as the number becomes publicised which is wonderful for the customer interaction, feedback and statistics that we can promote and foster."
Our call centre agents undergo intensive training from Solutional and from the customer that they are servicing, and so far have received wonderful accolades from callers in the manner in which they are handling the complaints.
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