The Phillips Upgrade

Phillips Publishing Inc. has expanded its database marketing capacity at its 50-station inbound call center in Potomac, MD, as part of a three-year automation project.

Thanks to software from IMA, Shelton, CT, Phillips can now track all call center activity and media, including e-mail and faxes, in addition to automatically generating scripts for agents based on the customer’s purchasing history.

Three years ago, phone reps at Phillips flipped through two-pound binders with pages of information to assist customers calling to place orders or ask questions.

Now the newsletter publisher uses online data to track customer service inquiries, purchasing patterns and customer interests, as well the performance of phone agents measured against direct mail response rates, according to Mike Burroughs, vice president of operations at Phillips. Phone response is generally at least 15% higher than mail response, Burroughs says.

Established customers are automatically tracked by their phone numbers, with the database generating appropriate computer screens for agents as calls are received. The records include subscription expiration dates and purchasing history, so even if a customer phones for another reason, agents will have an opportunity to renew a subscription, upsell or pitch another product.

Automatic call distribution features of the software allow Phillips to route calls to a specific phone agent or group of agents, using employee identification numbers. The publisher maintains 60 separate 800 numbers.

New Web sites for personal finance-investment and health newsletters are scheduled for launch in April and May. The Web pages will include an e-mail option as well as an 800 number for generating inbound calls. Presently the bulk of all inbound calls for subscriptions are generated by direct mail.

Phillips started tracking e-mail communications to and from customers in January. “We want to see what effect e-mail has on inbound call volume,” Burroughs says. “I don’t see inbound call volumes dropping as a result of e-mail or Web pages, but I do think the nature and purpose of inbound calls may change.”

Another benefit of automation is that Phillips has reduced the amount of time for phone agent training by about 25%-time that is being reinvested by training agents on how to use the web-based media for subscription marketing and customer service.

From a customer service standpoint, Burroughs believes it’s a mistake for companies to cut costs by not including an 800 number on promotions distributed via the Internet. “If you expect someone to buy a