Grupo Noa International

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of the global service desk for an international Wi-Fi provider. Not only do we manage Wi-Fi networks across multiple countries, we collaborate with small companies to develop software solutions that manage their internal networks.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Grupo Noa International?

We previously outsourced our inbound customer support to a U.S. call center to meet our high call volumes. However, considering the recent decrease in calls and our limited budget, we could no longer justify their costs. As a result, we needed to consider more cost-efficient providers to handle our needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Using our CRM ticket system, they assign people to provide remote frontend user support. Because both teams experience fluctuations in resources, we coordinate with them to ensure that new hires receive consistent training to follow standard service guidelines. They currently take 30–35 calls every day from 9 a.m. until midnight.

What is the team composition?

We need at least one agent per hour as well as a team leader and QA manager. Typically, they rotate between three regular agents. If a member goes on holiday or leaves the center, the team leader acts at the agent. The QA manager serves as our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Grupo Noa International?

We researched over 40 companies to find a cost-efficient agency to handle the low number of calls we were receiving. However, most agencies exceeded our budget. Their CEO then contacted us with a feasible solution that satisfied our needs.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent €4,000 ($4,936 USD) per month for their account management team.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work began in February 2017 and is ongoing. We’re also considering expanding their role to new projects for other languages, based on their transparency and professionalism.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As part of our QA process, our ticketing system automatically generates reports on the quality of the service provided by their agents. We also track of various key performance indicators (KPI) including the number of calls handled, number of calls lost, and call duration. They proved themselves to be the best solution for us. They had the technology for handling and receiving our volume of calls. Unlike our previous vendor, we wouldn’t be disconnected from the ticket side. We could easily track the quality of the calls by retrieving tickets and listening to recordings.

In terms of the quality of the collaboration, we appreciated their QA manager and CEO’s efforts in providing and training resources on short notice. We’re currently in a transition period after some people left the project, and we’re building a new team with Grupo Noa International to have more consistency. In general, they’ve worked quickly to find quality call agents who meet all of our service standards.

How did Grupo Noa International perform from a project management standpoint?

Because I lead a number of teams in addition to this call center, I’m not directly involved in the engagement on a daily basis. We do have a team leader that coordinates with their account manager to enforce our quality control workflow, conducting biweekly follow-up reviews with call agents. If agents fail to meet our standards, we will retrain them or remove them from the call queue.

During the weekend, they manage the support flow independently and only contact us if they encounter problems. Their CEO is always willing to contact us and address any issues that arise. Their availability, flexibility, and general transparency are their most valuable qualities.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We appreciate the level of personalization they provide to client companies; we’ve felt that they cared about us since the beginning of the project. While the quality of their call agents depended on the person, Grupo Noa International endeavored to supply the right people. They’ve collaborated closely with us, kept an open mind, and strove to understand and deliver on our goals.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The issues we’ve had so far stemmed from individuals, not from the company dynamic. We’ve had some challenges at the agent or team-leader level, but they were all human problems. Noa Grupo International hasn’t had a problem understanding our requirements and desires. I contacted them yesterday to express my concerns, and they’re aware of the situation.

Having said that, while we appreciate their CEO’s efforts to personalize the relationship with client companies, the team may depend too much on his decisions and input. Their team could benefit from being more proactive and making independent decisions.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Customers should trust the CEO; he is definitely the face of the company.