Who We Support
This client is a worldwide wholesaler of building and construction supplies, including tools, machines, installation materials, and automotive hardware. Known as the world market leader in its core business – the sales of assembly and fastening materials.
Arema Connect began its relationship with the wholesaler’s UK and Irish branches in June 2021 by providing a frontline team to manage incoming call queries. Initially, the Arema Connect team was responsible for providing telephone support, yet as time went on the client also required Live Chat and Email support from our team.
Challenge Faced by our Client
The client required a partner to support their in-house departments to manage both customer and trade queries for their UK and Ireland markets. Due to the high volume of transactions, it was difficult for the client’s in-house team to handle such queries in real-time while also carrying out their day-to-day responsibilities.
Bespoke Solution
Arema Connect was contracted to support the client’s Irish and UK customer base through a multichannel solution including telephone, email, and live chat. Due to the fluctuating volumes of transactions, the wholesale retailer currently accesses our Shared Agent support model to effectively deal with peaks in a cost-effective manner.
Prior to the project going live in June 2021, our Client Development Manager travelled to the client’s offices in Limerick to receive training in line with their brand values and the in-house team’s way of working. This greatly strengthened the integration of both teams from the get-go. A train-the-trainer approach was deployed to get our team up to speed prior to going live with the service.
Our Management team worked closely with the client’s Irish & UK Group Manager, Financial Director, and IT Department to develop a bespoke solution to best suit their needs. During the initial stages of the project going live, our Client Development Manager provided their team with a detailed breakdown of queries on a daily basis. The aim of this exercise was to help identify bottlenecks in the customer journey and come up with new solutions to streamline different processes.
Our team currently manages the following functions on behalf of the client:
- Product information;
- Logistical queries;
- Payment and billing requests;
- Recruitment;
- Escalations to sales representatives nationwide;
- Technical queries including account setups;
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) including store opening times and locations.
The client accesses our in-house Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system for logging call transactions. All call logs are sent to the relevant groups (Accounts, Customer Service and Sales) in real-time for follow-ups by the in-house team. In addition to this, each department can access its call logs via a secure login on the Arema Connect website. On a weekly basis, the client’s team is furnished with a call report on the breakdown of the different types of queries (Product Information, Accounts, Trade Queries etc).Our team additionally uses the client’s in-house system, Zendesk, to manage all incoming live chats. Our team uses the client website to answer any Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) such as store opening times and locations to increase First Contact Resolution (FCR) rates. Any queries such as product stock levels that require a follow-up from a client representative are escalated in real-time, ensuring that customer queries are resolved in a timely manner to enhance satisfaction rates.
Additional services
Outbound Lead Generation: In August 2021, the UK Sales and Marketing team contracted Arema Connect to support their outbound lead generation process. The process involved reaching out to > 3500 cold and warm leads from the client’s database with the hope of engaging or re-engaging potential leads. We assigned 4 team members to complete the project over a 3 week period. All viable leads were contacted 3 times to increase the overall conversion rate, ensuring a high level of lead generation for our client.Inbound Telephone line for recruitment campaign: In August 2021, Arema Connect set up a 1800 telephone number to support a once-off nationwide recruitment campaign on behalf of the wholesale retailer. All calls were logged for the client’s Human Resources Department which enabled them to follow up with candidates in real-time while also allowing them to track the success of the promotional aspect of the recruitment campaign.
Benefits for the client
- Our team has worked closely with key client stakeholders to deploy a more unified Customer Experience (CX);
- Our Management team developed a bespoke solution to address areas of concern highlighted by the client’s in-house team;
- Arema Connect has provided a blended approach to using both our own systems and the client’s in-house system;
- Using a Shared Agent Model has been a cost-effective way for the client to deal with fluctuating volumes of transactions across all channels;
- The Arema Connect team has been able to manage Ad hoc projects on behalf of the client to meet tight deadlines with maximum flexibility;
- Arema Connect operates on a 24x7x365 basis, enabling the client company to support its customers during weekends and on public holidays.
Results
As a result of partnering with Arema Connect, the wholesale retail company has reduced the administrative burden on their in-house team and operations. The response time to both customer and trade queries has more than halved.
Conclusion
Since the establishment of this contract, Arema Connect has continuously evolved its service offering based on our client’s ever-changing needs. Our Management team has developed a close working relationship with several key stakeholders within the client group. We are looking forward to continuously developing a stronger partnership.
