Mobile retailer transforms operations with an all-in-one cloud platform

Round Room migrated to the Genesys Cloud™ platform, eliminating its need for multiple systems to do one job and, ultimately, boosting productivity by 35%. In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the cloud platform meant agents were safely relocated to home working within 48 hours, ensuring customers had access to mobile communications.

Investment offset by old system retirements

90% of changes handled without involving specialists

48-hour migration to home working

35% increase in productivity

Record-breaking sales quarter

Closed email leads in one to three hours

Genesys Cloud means we no longer need three or four systems to do one job. Consequently, we’ve seen a 35% leap in productivity.

— Ryan Ervin, Senior Director, Customers for Life, TCC Round Room

Dragged down by disparate systems

Round Room leads and invests in companies serving the wireless industry. With its nationally recognised “Culture of Good” movement to give back to the community and its positive work environment, Round Room has been named one of Indiana’s top workplaces in 2020. The group’s first venture, TCC, evolved to become the leading Verizon authorised retailer in the US, with a flourishing network of stores in over 1,200 locations.

Along with the retail stores, more than 40 agents based at the TCC contact centre in Indianapolis manage the customer experience. For outbound sales and promotions, the company relied on Zultys telephony, HubSpot webchat, Salesforce CRM and other standalone systems.

“Our fragmented IT model, which failed to incorporate SMS integration, made it hard to plan, execute and track campaigns,” said Ryan Ervin, Senior Director, Customers for Life, TCC Round Room. “Without a clear omnichannel roadmap, there was little scope for innovation.”

Migrating with ease

From a shortlist of three vendors, TCC chose the Genesys Cloud platform for its agility, simplicity and security. “Our goal is to continually create amazing experiences, so customers return to buy in store,” said Ervin. “Not only by flagging fantastic offers to upgrade or save money, but also by making life easier and more convenient. To do that, we needed a proven all-in-one solution like Genesys Cloud.”

Carefully planned with a phased approach, the migration was seamless — and costs were offset by savings from old system retirements. Users were trained and up-to-speed within a couple of days. Now, the contact centre has greater control and more opportunities for innovation. Previously, three IT specialists provided support. Now, 90% of tasks are handled internally; specialists are only called in to help with complex changes. Outbound is a good example of this.

“By adapting the preview dialer in Genesys Cloud, we eliminated the need to hang onto calls to leave messages,” said Ervin. “Now, the system automatically steps in right before the call goes to voicemail, releasing the advisor for the next call. This has been massive for us. We’ve achieved a 20% performance improvement with 10% less agents.”

By adapting the preview dialer in Genesys Cloud, we eliminated the need to hang onto calls to leave messages. This has been massive for us. We’ve achieved a 20% performance improvement with 10% less agents.

— Ryan Ervin, Senior Director, Customers for Life, TCC Round Room

Coping with the unexpected

TCC was one of the few Verizon resellers and phone retailers to stay open during the pandemic. It was quick to upgrade all stores in line with new safety measures, while protecting agents.

“As a company, we felt our customers needed communications more than ever to check on friends and loved ones,” added Ervin. “Within 48 hours, we switched our agents to home working. They keep in touch and support each other via Genesys Chat. We could never have done that before. The technology just wasn’t there.”

That agile response resulted in a record-breaking sales quarter. It was fueled by a sudden shift in channels as demand for inbound calls, email, webchat and SMS exploded during lockdown. Sometimes simple changes have the biggest effect.

“Email with Genesys has been another revelation,” said Ervin. “We weren’t really doing inbound before. Our agents worked out of shared folders — reaching out to customers who had visited our stores in the past. Now, all incoming emails are correctly prioritised and routed. We normally call the customer, close the sale within one to three hours, and ship their purchase straight to their door.”

Intelligent data use and innovation

Previously, managers and team leaders had to listen through hours of recordings. Now, using native Genesys Cloud quality management tools, they can quickly pinpoint moments where agents excelled or could have done better and offer immediate feedback.

“Genesys Cloud means we no longer need three or four systems to do one job,” concluded Ervin. “Consequently, we’ve seen a 35% leap in productivity.”

The future looks a lot brighter, too. With greater flexibility, the contact centre can field calls at busy periods and relieve pressure on stores. Artificial intelligence (AI) and the introduction of bots is another possibility. TCC also plans further integrations to improve business intelligence through live contact centre data feeds.

At a glance

Customer: Round Room

Industry: Retail

Location: US

Company size: Around 40 agents

Challenges

  • Improve sales and customer service
  • Increase business agility and productivity