Improving International Call Management with Location-Based CTI Functionality

Worldwide retailer Polar required an unusual but critical software function when it was time to implement a CRM-telephony integration (CTI) making an out-of-the-box solution impossible.

OBJECTIVE

To provide a CRM-telephony integration solution that would deliver phone number-based insights via screen pop for international calls.

HOW WE DID IT

Polar, a manufacturer of heart rate monitoring devices and accessories for athletic training and fitness, is based in Finland but manages multiple contact centers to handle calls to and from customers around the globe. The company first engaged with CDC Software in January 2016 looking to integrate their Cisco telephony system with their CRM, Zendesk. But their requirements included a unique must-have: the CTI solution would need to determine a caller’s location solely based on the phone number at hand for over forty international countries.

Call Management, by the Numbers
To meet the needs of Polar’s influx of international calls, CDC created a unique connector to integrate and support worldwide telephone number formatting, using standardized E.164 number formats.

The specialized solution included dynamic settings that enabled information to be stored in a database and changed while the CDC platform was running. From there, the CDC platform could use the number format to identify where a caller was calling from. Similarly, the platform created outbound dialing rules for more than 40 countries using data including country codes and calling plans.

Click-2-Call
Once the rules had been established within the CTI platform, CDC implemented a softphone app that integrates with CRM Zendesk. The softphone app allows agents to make, pick up, transfer, and otherwise manage calls just as they would from within their telephony system or physical desk phone, all from within their CRM.

With the softphone app obtaining dialing rules from the CDC platform, outbound international calls could now be made by simply clicking on the phone number from within the ticket (Click-2-Call functionality), saving time and cutting down on errors.

“CDC Software has been extremely flexible in understanding and quickly implementing our changing needs. The ability to provide this personalized support makes all the difference to our overall customer experience.”

RESULTS

Polar was CDC’s first customer to employ Click-2-Call with international outbound dialing rules and, thanks to this specialized solution, has transformed their contact center operations to more efficiently handle international calls. No more juggling between databases and asking the customer where they are calling from. The platform’s screen pops allow the agent to take quick stock of the caller’s location and unique profile, enabling them to personalize their interaction.

  • Enhanced workflow and call personalization, based on location
  • Improved call efficiency, through Click-2-Call functionality
  • Better customer experience