Customizable Unified Communications: Two Use Cases That Show the Power of Smart Numbers

As customer expectations change, the need to adequately meet them grows ever more important. That's the idea behind Smart Numbers, an emerging solution designed to help organizations with unique workflow requirements that can't be met from off the shelf UC solutions. The customizable unified communications (UC) product, which conveniently sits inside an organization's existing UC environment, skips the one-size-fits-all philosophy common to many communication tools. It gives companies the power and flexibility to customize their cloud-based phone numbers and tools.

Here are two use cases that present just a sampling of the product's capabilities.

1. Exceeding Customer Expectations With Real-Time Transcription

Consider the following situation: Jane is dealing with a complicated billing issue with a cable company. The first representative she speaks to doesn't understand the full complexity of the problem, leaving her with little faith that he will resolve the matter; she gives the company 48 hours, then calls back, only to find she has to explain the same problem in full detail a second time.

This a sadly common situation that can irritate even the most patient customer. Fortunately, it's also an issue Smart Numbers was designed to address. Consider the difference between the above scenario and the solution below:

"Hi, Jane. I see you're concerned with the amount of this month's bill. Let's resolve this right away." Here, the second company rep is able to review a transcription of Jane's previous calls, which are recorded and stored via a third-party transcription AI customized to the needs of the company. Accessing these transcriptions allows the rep to provide the most up-to-date, relevant service possible, without putting the burden of explanation on the caller.

The Smart Numbers real-time transcription capability benefits both the company and its customers in a number of ways:

• The company's UC platform, integrated with the transcription engine of their choosing via Vonage's advanced APIs, presents the new rep with a transcription of the previous call; both sides of the call can be separately transcribed as well, allowing the rep to analyze each party's individual needs and sentiment.
• The solution sits within Vonage's unified communications platform, freeing the company from signing with yet another vendor for transcription service outside the UC. What's more, the company can use this capability from any sector of the business, even if they don't have a contact center.
• The transcription sits inside the company's existing CRM platform alongside any other call information, allowing the rep to mine past conversations for better insight or more context.
• If the organization is bound by regulations such as HIPAA, the solution can be configured to remain compliant — the company could use this feature to present the call and its resolution as part of a training regimen.
• The entire process is automated and a la carte. Thus, the organization doesn't pay for any more than they use and can turn transcription capability on and off according to their needs.

Because the solution works within the company's existing UC platform, they don't have to employ dedicated customer service personnel for it to work. This provides a far better outcome for both parties: The company saves on the financial costs and the effects of multiple callbacks, while Jane feels much better knowing her issue has been quickly resolved.

If problems like repeat calls or manual routing are harming your organizational efficiency, these examples show how a customizable unified communications platform and the Smart Numbers capability can help.

2. Engaging Customers With Dynamic Geographic Routing

Resolving major paint points is an important part of providing a better customer experience, but so is addressing small problems that can accumulate over time like pebbles in the customer's shoe.

Say a company with offices in multiple locations uses manual routing techniques to send customers to the closest office. This could be a nationwide company with a multi-state routing problem or a regional organization needing to ensure customers with a given ZIP code get forwarded to the right branch. The customer calls the 1-800 number, tells the rep where they're located, and waits while the rep transfers them to an appropriate regional resource.

This is an inefficiency that Smart Numbers — combined with a customizable unified communications platform — can immediately address. Using dynamic geographic routing, companies can rest easy knowing calls are automatically carried to the right location right away. Customers call in, select the services they need from a voicebot-operated menu, and are immediately routed to the closest branch based on the caller's location. Alternatively, the company could set up their dynamic routing to automatically route any callers within a particular ZIP code to a particular office. It's all handled on the back end, with minimal or no work needed on the customer's end.

Customers no longer have to do their own research — looking up which branch offers which service, for instance — since the company's customizable unified communications solutions can be programmed to help them based on data such as open hours, available services, or facility location. A patient looking for blood tests at an urgent care facility, for example, can be routed directly to the nearest organization that offers that service, while a shopper can be directed to the closest open retail store.

It's a solution that allows a company to establish a local presence, with none of the confusion, frustration, or hassle of having to speak to a person for manual routing at the top of a call. It provides the extra-mile service customers expect today, all automated through Vonage's powerful selection of APIs and UC tools.

Putting the Smart in Smart Numbers

If problems like repeat calls or manual routing are harming your organizational efficiency, these examples show how a customizable unified communications platform and the Smart Numbers capability can help. Better communications mean happier customers, and happier customers mean an improved bottom line.