Ec3

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Executive Head: Marketing of Atlas Finance

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Atlas Finance is a registered credit provider in South Africa offering microfinance and other ancillary financial products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Ec3 to accomplish?

• Convert Online Leads to Loans
• Convert Closed Leads to Loans
• Convert Flash Leads to Loans

SOLUTION

How did you find Ec3?

Worked with the owners before

Why did you select Ec3 over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned
• Entrepreneurial spirit

How many teammates from Ec3 were assigned to this project?

15

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

EC3 pitched for the role of outsourced call centre for Atlas Finance with the goal of contacting leads, with the intention of converting them to loans.

There were various lead types provided which had different scripts, and processes.

We integrated our loan management system into their CRM system to push leads through for contacting.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Conversion to loans. 

We are achieving our objectives on most lead types.

Atlas Finance is still in the process of improving the technical side so that the lead tracking is more accurate, but this is still a work in progress. 

EC3 have gone over and above what is required in terms of supporting our objectives

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Yes most definitely.

They exceeded our expectations and always delivered ahead of time

What was your primary form of communication with Ec3?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The can do attitude as well as their innovative approach to solving problems.

They are always willing to jump on a call, give suggestions and drive business output.

Everyone in the company from the CEO to the agents are incredible people and are a pleasure to work with.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Ec3 could have done differently?

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Sr. VP global programs of EIMS Global

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We offer offshoring services for any type of role, fast and hassle free

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Ec3 to accomplish?

• Exceptional Professionals to deliver world class results
• To Satisfy ur clients requirements and goals

SOLUTION

How did you find Ec3?

Online Search

Why did you select Ec3 over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Ec3 were assigned to this project?

20

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

EC3 provided high end Sales an dMarketing services for our clients in both the US and UK market, consisting of Lead generation, channel programs and inside sales. Deliverables were based on appointment setting and closed revenue for Tech solutions across those markets

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Ec3 achieved great results for us in all regions, with high productivity, performance, and quality of results. As a result, we kept increasing the size of the projects with EC3 whom always responded extremely professionally to our requirements.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

EC3 always delivered ahead of time. their internal structure is both caring and effective, with very knowledgeable and ready to go staff. They responded to our needs perfectly

What was your primary form of communication with Ec3?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Many things impressed us about EC3. How welcoming they´re, how well they understood our requirements and needs but also how ready they were to deliver. Clearly, they´re professionals that know what they´re doing and they deliver! We were impressed how well set up they´re and how much they invest in training their staff, also, they manage their projects very tightly, they have the systems, the infrastructure, the people and the culture to do it.

Equally, we found the executive team to be very welcoming and warm, very easy to deal with and very aligned culturally with us. As a comparison, we tried other partners in the region and we did not feel the same easiness to do business with as we did with EC3. for us it was a clear choice and they didn´t disapoint.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Ec3 could have done differently?

We think they are world-class at what they do and they dominate in their market. they´re always things to fine tune in a business of this type but overall, they score extremely high and they should write a book about how to do things well on this space.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Beevo

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Beevo helps small businesses to setup utilities when they move and look after their utilities ongoing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Ec3 to accomplish?

• Position the Beevo service to small businesses in Australia
• Onboard Australian small businesses to the Beevo service
• Be compliant and professional when dealing with our customers

SOLUTION

How did you find Ec3?

Online Search

Why did you select Ec3 over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Ec3 were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

1. To contact a database (Beevo Partner) to position the Beevo services 
2. where appropriate to on board customers onto the Beevo service
3. provide daily reporting and analytics as needed 
4. recruit, train and manage suitable agents to support and execute the campaign 
5. work with Beevo to refine and adjust the campaign as required
6. ensure the campaign and activities were compliant (privacy, data security, local and Australian regulations and laws)

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

1. number of contacts made 
2. on boarded clients 
3. client rejections 
4. complaint ratio 

As expected, the KPIs outlined above improved at a better than expected rate and achieved the best outcome we could have hoped for.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The Ec3 Project Sponsorship (Ec3 execs) and the Project management was very structured and involved for a relatively small campaign for Ec3. The Beevo and Ec3 management personnel worked very well together and Ec3 was very accomodating of our requests and very prompt to introduce necessary changes.

What was your primary form of communication with Ec3?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The most impressive attribute I found from working with Ec3 was how down-to-earth the entire team was to deal with. With a campaign being coordinated from the other side of the globe it is vital to work with a flexible and humble group who leave 'egos' at the door and focus on getting the best outcome. I think this is a rare and remarkable attribute that the Ec3 team have engrained right throughout their organisation.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Ec3 could have done differently?

As in all campaigns when they start, each day provides a learning and improvement from the previous day as we experienced with this campaign however nothing other than the expected teething issues were experienced.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former director of operations at Mix Telematics for the African continent. We’re a global leader in vehicle-tracking communications. We have a consumer and a B2B brand.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ec3?

We were trying to close the gap between our market in the consumer space. By upselling existing customer contracts, we offered our customers either existing benefits at a reduced price or increased benefits at the same price. This was a win-win situation for both our business and the customers. We retained our customers, and our customers benefited from cheaper premiums or increased value.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ec3 provided call center services directly to customers. From a consumer and B2B perspective, it was a retention strategy to add value to our customers. We refocused on cancellations to ensure we arrested churn rates, which is inevitable in today's day and age.

Ec3 farmed the data by speaking to our customers daily and giving them a description of the tracking unit and recovery device they initially installed. The reengagement allowed MiX to initiate a new contract and upsell them into a new device. This would allow an extended contract and engagement with the customer as well as reinitiated debit orders.

What is the team composition?

We had two structures within the teams — retention and cancellation. We had six seats on the retention team and five on the cancellation side, so we were a team of eleven agents in total.

How did you come to work with Ec3?

They’ve won a couple of awards and are the number one call center in the African continent. We studied them and decided to go with Ec3 as our retention and cancellation supplier.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent 14.4 million rands (approximately $1,000,000 USD) annually, so about 1.2 million rands (approximately $85,000 USD) a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June 2017. I left Mix Telematics in May 2021, but I’ve kept in contact with them because I’m looking to upscale and train my customers into new products. I’ll probably strike a partnership with Ec3 again.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They used their own call center software, which we integrated into our CRM system to give both teams the best possible view of what was expected, produced, and delivered. A moving dashboard kept both teams honest in our commitments. Essentially, they would get the customer details and have them as a subscriber or a cancellation. We managed them, and they had to achieve about 50% of the retentions. For cancellations, they had to re-engage 65% of our customers on a contactable basis.

Those were the metrics we had in place for them, and they actually smashed them out of the park.

How did Ec3 perform from a project management standpoint?

The execution was their biggest attribute. Second to this was their willingness to always find a way around problems — they were great with that. Basically, it was their dedication and execution. I already mentioned execution, but that’s just how good they were. You could never fault them for what you gave them; they always got things done.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Execution was their top point. Then, I’d say it was their willingness to find a way around problems — they were great with that. Basically, it was their dedication and execution. I already mentioned execution, but that’s just how good they were. You could never fault them on what you gave them; they always shoot it out the park.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Working with corporate requirements such as GDPR and property compliance, I think they could sharpen up on those things — like disregarding customer information and making sure there aren’t any data leaks. It wasn’t the case, but it was always a concern.

Also, the final quality control on the billing side always lifted a couple of questions. However, it was more a timing issue than anything else.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s a little bit blunt, but give them a try. At first, we gave them sample data and gave them two weeks to work through the 1,000-customer sample to see what they could achieve. Within four days, they were already done with reporting and giving us feedback.

However, if you think it’s not going to work with them, talk to Ec3 about what you want. They always find a way; they're extremely flexible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

At the time, I was the executive for direct sales at Cell C, a large telecommunications organization. I was the head of all direct selling done via our website and call center.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ec3?

We wanted to distribute our call center activity to external partners so that we didn’t have it all in-house.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ec3 is tasked with dialing a book of customers that are eligible for renewal. We have some scripts, but Ec3 is a very adept retention and service partner. We were comfortable with adaptation and having Ec3’s agents use their selling skills to close the deal, inside of the legal requirements to bind the customer to another contract.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with Juan (Shareholder) and Clint (Shareholder & CMO).

How did you come to work with Ec3?

They were an incumbent supplier when I joined the business in 2013. They were appointed by a tender process.

How much have you invested with them?

Their remuneration was around $450 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

Cell C started working with Ec3 in October 2013, and their engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Ec3 was involved in what we call a “champion/challenger” with two other vendors, who worked on equivalent books. Ec3 was the best performer on that book. We measured their success in accordance with the percentage conversion of the data leads they received.

Ec3 is a boutique call center and quite unique in the BPO space in that they don’t take on any other types of work. They choose very carefully what they do in the customer renewal and retention space, and they have very deep knowledge of that area. They stick with what they do well, and it’s why they’re so successful.

Ec3 is also an owner-led and -managed company, which is often not the case in other big organizations. The reason why they’re so successful is that they have a personal relationship at a very senior level with each and every customer.

How did Ec3 perform from a project management standpoint?

They have standard reporting in place, as per the requirements of the service-level agreement. They’re exceptional — we couldn’t have those kinds of conversions without planning a very tight approach.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Ec3 has an almost unending level of energy. Most people get fatigued by problems, but Juan and Clint seem to be energized by them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Customers in South Africa aren’t always able to renew on the handset of their choice, but that’s something I can’t put on Ec3. Everybody wants an iPhone, but very few people have the economical capacity to buy one. Ec3 is limited by the credit score that each customer has assigned, so they can’t sell higher than that.

They’re also limited by the stock available and the deals and promotions the company has to offer. Ec3 performs exceptionally well within those constraints.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

They should listen to Juan’s experience and Clint's entrepreneurial spirit They bring small, entrepreneurial company thinking to big-company problems.