NewVoiceMedia wraps up deal with Parcelforce Worldwide

Intelligent network services vendor NewVoiceMedia has been selected by Parcelforce Worldwide to provide a network-based inbound call handler service to all of the company’s 53 depots across the United Kingdom.

The deal will improve Parcelforce Worldwide’s management of inbound calls by offering call queuing, overflow between depots, and by automating the handling of simple queries and transactions from customers, ensuring that Parcelforce Worldwide’s staff are more readily available to deal with complex issues.

Parcelforce Worldwide staff who currently answer calls at the depots are not call centre staff, but are involved in the core business of collecting, sorting and distributing parcels. This ensures that customers will speak to someone who is best placed to deal with their enquiry.

Under the deal, NewVoiceMedia will use its XML-based soft switch technology to provide an inbound call handling service to Parcelforce Worldwide. A key Parcelforce Worldwide requirement was that each of the company’s 53 depots will have its own 0870 number for inbound calls, with its own recorded greetings, but that calls should be able to overflow between depots ensuring that customers are not kept waiting for too long at busy times.

At the same time, NewVoiceMedia will provide Parcelforce Worldwide with a range of recorded messages to give customers quick answers to the most common straightforward questions, while freeing up depot staff to deal with more complex enquiries. In a future development NewVoiceMedia will also provide Parcelforce Worldwide with an automated telephone payment processing system to handle charges for customs duties, etc.

The NewVoiceMedia Call Handler solution also offers Parcelforce Worldwide a world-class centralised suite of call monitoring and performance measures allowing them to look for further improvements in customer service.

Emma Bailey, Parcelforce Worldwide’s customer service policy manager said, “We needed a network-based solution to inbound call handling because of the myriad of hardware solutions we had at our different premises. NewVoiceMedia were streets ahead of the competition, in terms of configurability of the solutions, and in terms of the support they have promised and delivered to us.”

Jonathan Grant, CEO of NewVoiceMedia said, “We are delighted to be working with Parcelforce Worldwide and to be a key partner in their plans for continuous improvement of customer service. We are committed to working with our customers to meet their individual business needs, and I think this deal is evidence of that.”