XACT

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm VP of operations and client services for a third party administrator for insurance companies. We answer phones for people reporting homeowner or automobile losses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xact Telesolutions?

Our competition had 24-hour call centers and we didn’t. We needed to find someone who could handle our phone calls after hours in order to compete with the rest of the industry.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Two representatives came to our office to train with our trainers on our software. They were responsible for then going back and training the rest of their staff. They created their own training documents, which we signed off on. Their trainees had to pass an exam before they began answering calls. Throughout the engagement, they sent weekly reports on service level agreement (SLA), call times, average pick up, speed of answer, and abandonment rate.

What is the team composition?

I had one main contact who served as the account manager.

How did you come to work with Xact Telesolutions?

I looked at three companies. I liked the fact that they had at-home representatives as well as an office. I felt secure that there wouldn't be any downtime.

How much have you invested with them?

They charged us a flat fee for up to 12 minutes, and then there was an additional charge for every minute over. I don’t know what the total cost was over the life of the engagement.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from 2004–2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don't remember any issues or big problems. I don't recall people complaining about wait times. I just remember it being a good experience.

How did Xact Telesolutions perform from a project management standpoint?

The integration of their team was very smooth. They were really good about sending me the weekly reports. If there were any problems. I would email or call the account manager. They also recorded all of the calls so if there ever was an issue, she would send me those recordings within 24 hours.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I really appreciated the professionalism of the two representatives that came out to our facility. They sat with our team and really absorbed what we do. They did a great job.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m associate VP of the branch campuses of a culinary-education organization. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xact Telesolutions?

We needed a third-party call management team, as it was much more efficient and effective than trying to manage it ourselves.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have specific proprietary systems that we use for our registration. It’s more complex than just a word office suite. Xact’s team visited our campus to get trained on how to use our systems. Using our feedback, they helped create FAQ training guides and compiled any customer service questions that might come up. 

Currently, their team autonomously handles most calls and makes sure they don't escalate to where we need to intervene. They offer more than a basic call service, as they handle the whole registration process as well. They understand our business well and grow our trust more and more over the years.

What is the team composition?

For the initial implementation, we worked with a project manager and two other employees. Their project manager still works with us on an ongoing basis.

How did you come to work with Xact Telesolutions?

We looked at around nine different vendors. We went through formal demos and a long process to find the right one. We needed a vendor that could provide 24/7 service and a variety of resources to accommodate our needs. Xact Telesolutions fit our criteria. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $1 million thus far. We’re billed per hour and receive bulk discounts.

What is the status of this engagement?

We start in 2011 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When we were doing call services in-house, customers complained that they were getting suboptimal and rude service. We now never receive those complaints, and Xact assures quality standards are met. Their services save us a lot of money as well, and they help us cut down on unnecessary costs.

How did Xact Telesolutions perform from a project management standpoint?

We update each other on an as-needed basis. For example, they recently helped with a major update to our registration system, and we communicated more often. On an ongoing basis, they make it seem like autopilot, and they're always attentive to our needs. Our project manager responds to our emails or calls within minutes, and their face-to-face meetings are critical to our success. We have an excellent relationship with them, and they feel like an extension of our company.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We have only a few issues, and they respond extremely quickly to fix them. We really have a fantastic partnership.

Any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you cultivate a good relationship with their customer service lead. It's the best way to make sure your project is successful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the vice chancellor of a public university.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xact Telesolutions?

We were launching our online system of course offerings. As an early adopter of the technology, the online courses took off and we soon had students all over the world that would operate outside of our time zone. We didn't have the internal resources necessary to handle the number of student inquiries 24/7. We needed an experienced call center management vendor to help scale our growth. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We asked Xact Telesolutions to provide phone screening and triage support services for our students. They fielded all issues associated with student services and functioned as a filter for the campus staff. Their directive was to either help the inquiring student within one phone call or forward them to the appropriate faculty member. We also requested that they act and sound as if they were answering from an on-campus phone. To accomplish this effort, we initiated a detailed and methodic entry plan that consolidated 70 call sites into one. This process involved scripts and a lot of training so that their personnel could function as surrogate student services advisers. They fielded thousands of calls on weekends and after regular business hours. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with their director of business development while a subordinate of mine primarily interacted with their team lead. They allocated a team of call handlers, but the number of which fluctuated throughout the engagement.

How did you come to work with Xact Telesolutions?

Went sent out an RFP and got a lot of responses. We interviewed four service providers but ultimately hired Xact Telesolutions.

How much have you invested with them?

They charged us via monthly invoices. We likely spent between $50,000 and $70,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from 1999–2002.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our online enrollments grew each year that we worked with them. We launched academic teaching locations in 17 states and our online presence for students rose significantly. We had double-digit growth every year. In total, they increased by around 20%. Xact Telesolutions mirrored our customer service practices so well that the students never knew they were being forwarded to a call center. As a result, we were able to devote more resources to second- and third-tier calls, which enhanced the overall quality of our service levels. The team also provided responsive follow-ups and short wait times.

How did Xact Telesolutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They were terrific and always stayed ahead of us in terms of addressing issues. We always thought they were the leading edge of problem-solving for us. We felt comfortable with their team and would rarely need to retrain resources. Their team leader made sure they understood our catalog and were mostly self-sustaining.

They also made an effort to stay in constant communication with us. We’d have a meeting over the phone every morning where they’d give us a sense of what type of calls they’ve received through the night. In addition to merely notifying us when the site went down, they’d outline potential patterns like what areas of the site were confusing to students, what programs were frequently asked about, or what complaints were made about professors.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We had nothing but the fondest regards and greatest respect for Xact. We were blown away by how great they performed during the partnership. They were able to spot trends and warn us of potential problems before they became significant issues. We’ve contracted larger companies for the same service and have never been as satisfied as we were with Xact Telesolutions.

Most call center operations approach tasks with the mechanics of a call center. Xact Telesolutions focused on replicating our university when interacting with students. Their team knew as much about our policies as our internal staff and they even decorated their office with pennants and banners from our school. They embraced their role and felt more like an extension of our faculty than a third-party service provider.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, because we experienced learning curves together as we collaborated on weekly service refinements. In fact, I rue the day we lost their business.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The team was sophisticated, but most universities aren't familiar with their service lines because academia is a different population and business model. Xact will learn your business to give valuable advice and counsel. They work one step removed but also study internal processes. This gives them a unique perspective that should be utilized. They’re willing to assist process improvement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the director of production support at a medical company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xact Telesolutions?

We're a very high volume call center, so we take about 30,000 calls a month. After a certain amount of time on hold, we give callers an option to have a ticket created for them as opposed to waiting for a tech person to pick up. We needed a company to handle the flow of the calls coming into the helpdesk.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided them with scripts, which are templates for gathering information that is necessary to create a ticket. The template depends on the issue a caller is experiencing. Xact had to answer the calls in a particular way, identify themselves, and explain that they're there to create a ticket.

What is the team composition?

They had a dedicated team of about 20 agents and a backup team of another 20 agents. We also had an account manager, with whom we worked on a daily basis.

How did you come to work with them?

We already had a contract with them when I came on board two years ago. We also had an internal team that was trying to handle the overflow, so we were paying two groups to do the same thing. Since Xact had very affordable rates, I removed the other team and sent more work to Xact. I basically re-wrote the contract and got Xact more involved.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $500,000 a year. They billed us per hour, so the amount depended on the number of their hours that we used.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2011 and the relationship ended in May 2018. They were doing an excellent job, but we moved to another company that could resolve the tickets as opposed to just taking calls.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They definitely helped us keep our hold times reasonable and improved our capacity to take calls quickly. Our goal was to pick up the call within 30 seconds and to work the call in less than three minutes. They always did an outstanding job.

We also measured the quality of their work to make sure they used the right templates and there were no HIPAA violations (for example, we couldn't record patient's data within the body of the ticket). Xact did very well on that front as well.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

We had a weekly meeting where we reviewed some of the tickets they created. They were responsive and dealt with the day-to-day operational issues very well. We used email, phone, and IM to communicate. We didn't have any issues with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They knew what they do well and didn't try to sell me on the things they couldn't do. They're an answering service and have a lot of clients, but they're not an IT company. They didn't try to sell that they could resolve the tickets, but they were very good at picking up the call, taking the customer's issue, and making sure it got sent to the right place.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. They did a very good job for me.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be in constant communication and make sure you enable them correctly and measure them correctly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of customer service for a recreational events company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xact Telesolutions?

The customer service representatives that we contracted weren’t sufficient, so we decided to replace them with a company that could improve our customer satisfaction.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Whereas most have a simple approach when hiring for customer service, we have a seasonal business that requires extensive planning to handle our fluctuating demands. Xact Telesolutions met with us to get an understanding of our company and implement the best staffing model to make their services useful for our goals. After the onboarding process, they make an effort to maintain efficiency by hosting regular training sessions for their representatives and alerting us on necessary updates. They’re also proactive in revisiting their techniques and making modifications according to product and policy changes.

What is the team composition?

Our account manager manages a team of 20 representatives and acts as a liaison for both of our companies. We also have two individuals who manage the onboarding and training process.

How did you come to work with Xact Telesolutions?

This was the second instance that Xact Telesolutions entered our RFP process, so we felt comfortable with their abilities. They were receptive to our goals and interested in providing personalized services to meet our needs.

What is the status of this engagement?

They’ve provided ongoing customer relations services for three seasons.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our customer service satisfaction has increased to more than 80%, which was nearly impossible to accomplish with our previous team and workflow. Whereas our former representatives simply provided human interaction with our customers, Xact is attentive to our customers’ needs finds resolutions fast. They provide consistently great services, whether our business is slow or thriving. Whether we’re in a slow

How did Xact Telesolutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They understand that every business is unique, so they actively listen to our needs and work diligently to meet our expectations. The relationship runs itself at this point, but we still correspond via email regularly and hold weekly conference calls. Their representatives are great at escalating customer issues and never overstep their permissions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We presented them with the difficult task of improving our CRM, but they were eager to come on board and build a staffing model that’s conducive to our business environment. Now, our patrons perceive our customer experience in a favorable light due to Xact’s customized approach.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’re always working to improve our workflow and reduce call resolution time.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Openly express your needs and firmly set your expectations so they can provide a custom solution for your unique business goal.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the customer care director for a home improvement company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xact Telesolutions?

We are a seasonal or weather-driven company with a variable call volume. We needed a call center to help us during our busy season.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They offer a traditional answering service when we’re out of the office or when a customer is on hold too long. In both cases, calls are transferred to their call center. They have access to our CRM platform and can book appointments for the clients they speak to. They are trained on our procedures and were with us when we changed to new CRM software. Their trainer joined us to learn our new processes. If we ever change our policies, we alert them to it. They’re always very responsive.

What is the team composition?

We have about 25 agents that handle our calls and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Xact Telesolutions?

They were already a fixture when I joined the company.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started with the company about four years ago. As I mentioned, they were already a partner at that time. They still support us and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I can review CRM reports to see the appointments they set for us. Every day, the value they bring to our company is obvious. We’re happy with the quality of their service and customer feedback is positive. Because our business is flexible, it works well to have this kind of partnership.

How did Xact Telesolutions perform from a project management standpoint?

Our project manager is very responsive and timely. She responds to emails within a few hours and is attentive to our questions, concerns, and any additional needs. We’ve established an effective chain of command and we rarely see repeat issues. We usually communicate via email. If something urgent arises, I can reach our project manager directly by phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their responsiveness and their ability to assist our customers is seamless. We’re very pleased with their process, especially when our volume increases.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would recommend they continue the training and monitoring they already do and keep their quality high.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open and go to them when you need help. They’re willing to work with clients’ needs and encourage an open, positive relationship.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Service Desk Manager of FHI

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Logistics

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• MSP / After Hours Support

SOLUTION

How did you find XACT?

• Online Search
• Other

Why did you select XACT over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from XACT were assigned to this project?

15-20

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

Full Service Desk phone coverage on weekends, late evenings and holidays, escalating important time sensitive issues to on call staff.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Weekly meetings to dicsuss any issues, changes in the FHI environment, scheduling challenges and coverage needs.

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

Often pretty timely with notifications to all staff.  Documentation updates take longer to get updated.

What was your primary form of communication with XACT?

Virtual Meeting

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

XACT's bilingual support for internal and external use stood out.

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

Agents seem flustered/rushed to meet all criteria for logging things internally and to meet our requirements, or perhaps a lack of involvement per agent as some are better than others in this aspect.  This leads to mistakes in details and capturing accurate information from end users.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Executive of The Management Group Associates, Inc.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Residential HOA Property Mangement

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Reduce time accounting staff spent on phone providing service
• More productivity with extra time

SOLUTION

How did you find XACT?

Unknown

Why did you select XACT over others?

Others contracted with XACT I do not have enough information to answer

How many teammates from XACT were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

All customer service phone calls relating to accounting were handeld by the XACT team. The team used company database to answer questions and solve customer issues. Team escalated events electronically that the XACT team could not close.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We gained approximately 60 hours of time that could be spent in more productive ways. Additionally, morale for the accounting team improved dramatically

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

Always responsive, always available.

What was your primary form of communication with XACT?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

We were impressed with their flexibility and ability to design a program specific to our needs. A commitment to ongoing learning to improve quality of service

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

We still struggle connecting to some of the technology featurs including reports and shared files.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Call Center Manager of VENU+

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

From games, rides and souvenirs to storage, mobility and turnkey tech, our unmatched offerings cater to high-traffic areas, ensuring timeless experiences for visitors and risk-free revenue for you – all without you lifting a finger.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Answer calls when our Call Center staff is busy
• Capture reservations / Document Escalations
• Provide Excellent Customer Service

SOLUTION

How did you find XACT?

Online Search

Why did you select XACT over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from XACT were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

XACT is our 3rd party call center. XACT takes care of our customers when our staff is busy helping other customers. XACT help our guest with reservations, providing information on our equipment. They also use our system to take payments notify our operations to have equipment delivered to customer locations.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Communication has been great. Whenever we have any concerns, they are addressed in a timely manner and updated right away. This has formed a great partnership.

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

Yes, they were very professional and had everything set up on time. They kept in constant contact during the set up process.

What was your primary form of communication with XACT?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They have a excellent training set up for their agents and they use top of the line systems to ensure we are getting the very best service possible..

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

NO

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the manager of the Client Experience team. I currently manage 5 in-house Client Experience Advocates that handle over 60 clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire XACT, and what were your goals??

We have a client that required 24x7x365 client support. Additionally, this client required chat and SMS capabilities. We could not support the hours/times the client was looking for with our in-house staff. Additionally, we do not currently have the technology to support chat and SMS in-house. We were also looking for a solution that could easily ramp up or down based on client volume. We also were looking for a domestic supplier as we were not interested in going overseas to provide service.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We searched for a company that could provide all of the services were were looking for domestically. We narrowed it down to 3 organizations and interviewed each company and compared the 3. We also reviewed the reviews of each company. We decided after speaking with XACT that they were the best for us. They were able to offer up solutions to help overcome the obstacles that we had regarding our project. Additionally, they were able to easily pivot with us as the scope of the project changed and have been working with us to ensure that we are spending our money wisely.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package, including any calling tools used.

They provide 24/7/365 support to one of our key clients. The agents work closely with our supplier to provide website support and order management. Their agents utilize FreshDesk to track and monitor the emails that come in either through the website portal or directly into a designated customer service email. We are provided weekly reporting regarding our usage and reasons for contact. We also have a bi-weekly call with our reps at XACT to talk about any issues and to plan for upcoming volume.

Who did you work with and what was the feedback process like?

• Angela - she is great, she is extremely responsive.
• Debbie - when it comes to providing updates to the agents Debbie is on it. She provides the coaching and feedback to the team to help improve the process
• Will - he is extremely knowlegeable about his company's offerings and was able to help mold a solution that works best for both XACT and us

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the service?

Our client has been happy with the our support levels and the service that they are receiving from XACT on our behalf. Speaking with others in our industry, they are looking to utilize XACT's services based on our positive experience.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Everybody is extremely open to feedback. We meet bi-weekly to go over the project and provide any feedback that either team has. If there are ever any questions about any issue - service or billing related it is handled in an timely fashion.

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

They are able to hear the needs of their clients and able to offer up solutions. Additionally, they provide ways to help cut down on costs while still maintaining service.

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

We've had a few billing hiccups but they were resolved timely