Reimagining compassionate care

From the very first call to comprehensive aftercare support, MSI Reproductive Choices UK (MSI UK) is committed to compassionate, high-quality services for all.

With rising call volumes, the charity’s on-premise telephony system was struggling to keep pace and lacked the resilience of a cloud solution. To ensure services could continue operating in a crisis, MSI UK was compelled to pay for a second disaster recovery site, which is now no longer required, resulting in a considerable saving for the organisation.

“Before 2021, our contact centre technology was all on-premises and limited in terms of features, integration and ability to leverage client data,” said Steph Canavan, Executive Director, Digital and Transformation at MSI UK. “We also experienced resilience and scalability issues with some incoming calls dropping out once volumes exceeded a certain number.”

“Our client care coordinators support and navigate critical and time sensitive access into our services, by scheduling appointments and completing assessments,” added Clare Aldridge, Head of UK Business Performance at MSI UK. “This is the first contact a client would have with our contact centre across all channels. Our aftercare team which provides post-operative support via a 24-hour phone line also forms a critical channel within our contact centre.”

Unlocking possibilities

With a firm digital-first approach, MSI UK scouted the market for a new cloud-based omnichannel solution. That search led to the Genesys Cloud platform and partnership with IP Integration.

“As a healthcare provider, we’re strictly regulated,” said Canavan. “So, knowing Genesys adhered to strict standards like ISO 27001 and was hosted from highly resilient AWS data centres in the UK was a win-win.”

Crucially, moving to the cloud smoothed the transition to remote working during lockdown when the MSI UK contact centre was operating out of one main site in Bristol and finding it challenging to recruit client care coordinators.

“We had phone lines and interactive voice response up and running within six weeks,” said Abigail Lippiatt, Transformation Manager at MSI UK. “The solution was completely tailored to us, and it was great having knowledgeable experts on calls bringing to life the art of the possible.”

Finding work flexibility

Eighteen months later, Genesys Cloud supports 700 users, not only within the contact centre but across the organisation. Now 86% of contact centre staff are hybrid workers thanks to the extra data protection MSI UK has been able to put in place.

“We can be so much more flexible with shifts and work locations,” said Canavan. “As a result, our contact centre has a low attrition rate. When we recruit, we can select from a much larger catchment area. We could not have transformed and responded to the unprecedented demand for our services without Genesys.”

Calls, emails and outbound text messages are efficiently managed from a single pane of glass within Genesys. For example, a client might book an appointment on the phone, which can be confirmed by SMS, enabling clients to cancel or rebook if required without the need to call.

All conversations are captured through easy-to-retrieve call and screen recordings that form part of clients’ medical records. Any calls from clients making payments are automatically paused by a secure payment solution from IP Integration called “Pausable”, ensuring safe and compliant handling of client payment card data in line with PCI-DSS regulations. Genesys Communicate simplifies collaboration across the wider organisation with internal calls that do not have any additional cost as they would have with traditional phone lines.

“We deal with a wide range of contacts and emotionally charged situations,” said Aldridge. “It’s vital our technology is simple for staff to use and easy for clients to get the advice and services they need. Genesys allows us to do that with fewer touchpoints.”

Enhancing workforce management

Having Genesys Workforce Engagement Management natively embedded in one platform has enhanced forecasting, scheduling, quality assurance and reporting.

“We’ll shortly be introducing the Tempo app, enabling staff to receive overtime alerts, request leave and trade shifts from their mobiles,” said Lippiatt. “MSI UK is also interested in looking into gamification from the perspective of enabling client care coordinators to see their personal stats rather than competing against each other.”

“We do all our evaluations from Workforce Management and can search for keywords when topic spotting as well,” added Aldridge.

Innovation and integration

MSI UK has replaced its Freshchat solution with live Genesys Web Messaging supported by client care coordinators, reducing licencing costs. Its roadmap will also develop improved self-service opportunities for clients with the potential development of bots to help direct enquiries via chat more efficiently.

“Our contact centre is still really busy, so we’re keen to ensure calls are directed to the most appropriate channels to deliver an outstanding experience,” said Aldridge.

In the longer term, MSI is planning to implement artificial intelligence-powered tools like Genesys Agent Assist, which will reduce the time client care coordinators spend searching for information by suggesting helpful content to steer conversations.

Genesys open APIs will enable MSI UK to integrate with other core products, such as IMS MAXIMS, the electronic patient records system and the data warehouse for management information. Other plans include introducing Genesys Predictive Engagement to improve insight and engagement of website visitors, along with a client portal so clients can book appointments directly.

“There are so many more integration and innovation opportunities, which will allow MSI UK to enable easier access to service through the digital service improvements we’ve already made and still plan to make,” concluded Canavan.