Customer Service 2.0

In the online world it seems all the excitement about the next generation of web development is focused on social networking. Very little thought is given to the potential for simply making life easier for people.

However, the Beta team at BT is achieving some success in finding ways to increase customer convenience by using the power of web 2.0. It does this by creating straightforward online applications that mean fewer customers need to contact a call centre for help by phone.

Chris Hall from the Beta team explains: "The applications we have created are designed to allow customers to self-serve online at their convenience. This helps to reduce call processing and administration costs but most significantly it means customers benefit from an enhanced experience."

Letting the net take the strain

Under the broad banner of 'Serve Yourself', the Beta team has created three new applications:

Tell us you’ve paid your bill - If a customer’s bill payment crosses with a payment reminder, they previously had to contact the call centre just to say they have paid. By informing BT online it saves a call and automatically prevents any further posted reminders.

Request a duplicate bill - Although customers already have an online option to reduce or remove their posted paper bill, sometimes they need an extra copy. This application automatically orders a copy, levies the fee on the customer’s bill and directs them to online billing registration, which allows them to print their own bills in future.

Query a call - Customers frequently want to query a specific call on their bill, which can sometimes be a complex enquiry. This application uses a set of questions to collect data on the enquiry then reviews it using statistical analysis to assess if it is appropriate to offer a refund.

Linking the applications to the existing BT.com online billing service enables automation of the outcome of these enquiries where appropriate, such as a call refund or cancelling a bill reminder.

In addition, the latest web technology enables sophisticated usage tracking. The Serve Yourself applications include web analytics for measuring how customers use them and the team also measures daily usage and customer satisfaction.

Chris Hall adds: "It's very important that we can identify the proportion of customers having a successful experience online and therefore not needing to make a call to BT. We want to grow this number by increasing the prominence and familiarity of these applications. As we get the ball rolling, we think the impact on customer satisfaction will be highly tangible."