Until recently, customer-service hotlines at Yamaha Corporation of America were so congested that more than a third of callers gave up before getting through. Yamaha decided to purchase software that would help support customer service. Today, when a call comes in, the software in Yamaha’s computer-telephone system recognizes the incoming call and immediately transfers it to an engineer, along with detailed data on the customer’s previous questions and complaints.
The software also tracks each customer interaction. This tracking process gathers data that can help Yamaha spot problems, improve products, and generate sales leads. The company can check recurring calls, measure how long it takes to get back to a customer, and track defects to a single product.
How does this software work? First, a customer call comes into the help desk. As the customer talks, the Yamaha engineer creates a file that describes the problem. A screen on the engineer’s desktop has already identified the caller. Second, if the engineer cannot solve the problem within a specified time, his computer alerts the team leader, who can call up the case on his computer. When the problem is solved and the team leader has entered an evaluation of the case, a record of it is stored on a database. Finally, the next time the customer calls, any engineer who answers the phone can pull up the case and add to it. A separate program monitors the database for patterns in incoming calls and reports recurring problems to Yamaha’s quality control team.
Why were the hotlines congested?
What advantages does this software offer to Yamaha’s customers?
If this software was not purchased, what do you think might have happened to Yamaha today?
