Sony Network Communications Inc.
Telecommunications CC
So-net and transcosmos joint non-voice project team propelled So-net’s customer services shift to non-voice (chat agent and AI chatbot). Achieved a sharp increase in non-voice service ratio.
Challenge
- Given the labor shortage due to the declining working population and the need to put BCP in place under the Covid-19 crisis, securing stable customer service staff has become increasingly difficult.
- Voice of the Customer shows that customers want their problems resolved swiftly.
⇒ Pressing needs to transfer to non-voice-centric customer services from voice-centric.
Service
Non-voice customer services
- With the aim of increasing the use of non-voice services (chat agent and AI chatbot), Sony Network Communications and transcosmos kicked off a joint project.
- transcosmos assigned a dedicated project manager, leveraged accumulated expertise, and proactively led the project from identifying to solving challenges.
- Sony Network Communications worked on areas associated with overall design, AI, and systems whilst transcosmos managed and streamlined contact center operations. The joint team drove the double-axis project powerfully and swiftly.
Benefits
The 1.5-year project successfully realized non-voice-centric (chat agent and AI chatbot) customer services.
- AI chatbot: Built a service framework that handles more than half of customer enquiries via AI chatbot.
- Chat agent: After the launch of the project, agent’s service productivity almost doubled.
Looking back at our roughly 1.5-year project, I realize it was the passion of transcosmos members, and our shared future vision and objectives that made a difference to this joint-project. We believe that the leading success factor of this project was that we took a joint approach with transcosmos, with clear roles and responsibilities in mind, and each team executed them accordingly. Under the Covid-19 crisis, we have again recognized the social role that fixed-line telecommunication network services play. As a member of the Sony Group, we will continue to aim at making “a bit new, more fun, and user-friendly internet for all.”
Mr. Yoshihiro Aita
Corporate Vice President,
Member of the Board
of Directors
* The comment, position and other information above are at the time of interview conducted in December 2020.
Support image for So-net
Transform from the call-centric customer services
Sony Network Communications Inc. (So-net) provides IT/telecommunications services as the telecommunications carrier under Sony Group. Centered on NURO, the world’s fastest FTTH service, So-net provides both direct and support services to its customers.
Given the labor shortage due to a decreasing working population and other factors, securing stable customer service members has become increasingly difficult. In addition, voice of the customer shows that customers want their problems resolved swiftly. Against this backdrop, So-net has been facing a pressing task of transforming its customer services to non-voice-centric from the call-centric. To achieve the goal, So-net kicked off a non-voice project to promote its non-voice customer services.
* transcosmos research also found that lengthy resolution time makes customers feel troubled and burdened. Companies can increase customer loyalty by shortening the time.
Reference (Japanese only): https://www.trans-cosmos.co.jp/data/2020dec/
So-net and transcosmos joint team
propelled the non-voice transformation at speed
For this non-voice project, transcosmos assigned a contact center operations specialist as a dedicated project promotion manager.
Then, transcosmos team listed up all the case studies related to non-voice services that transcosmos has worked on, gathered common successful know-how and leveraged them for the project. transcosmos worked proactively throughout the project, visualizing the team’s progress, and identifying and solving challenges, whilst retaining frequent communication with So-net team via a seamless framework.
With the aim of increasing contact center productivity, transcosmos team first renovated each individual agent’s mindset. At the same time, to equip the agents with required skills for chat services, such as serving multiple customers simultaneously, the team shared various know-how with the agents including “how to reduce handling time per customer” and “how to serve as many customers as possible simultaneously” in round table discussions. As a result, all agents successfully mastered their own service style.
So-net first enhanced every customer service channel, renovated its existing IVR system, websites and other materials. After completing the process, So-net succeeded in drawing customers from call services to AI-chatbot, customer service webpage, and to chat agent services seamlessly, thereby driving the shift to non-voice services.
In addition, to extend the scope of unmanned operations even further, So-net deployed RPA for administrative tasks required after serving customers. On top of this, with the power of the CX platform “KARTE,” So-net launched additional initiatives such as making AI chatbot actively start conversation with customers according to their action taken on the customer service page, and using AI for preventing unsubscribes.
So-net and transcosmos acted as an organic collaborative team, powerfully propelling the project with two axis, So-net working on overall design and transcosmos on contact center operations.
Transforming to
non-voice-centric customer support services
After completing about a 1.5-year project, So-net transformed its customer services to non-voice-centric. Although it was the call that worked as the primary source of customer services before the project, today, AI chatbot serves more than half of customer enquiries.
Combined with chat agent services, So-net has transformed its customer services to non-voice centric.
Besides, chat agents’ average customers per hour (CPH) - one of the performance indicators for productivity – has almost doubled from the time So-net kicked off the project.
Driving the transformation to non-voice from voice is extremely valuable for strengthening the continuity of customer service operations, particularly for BCP under the Covid-19 crisis. transcosmos will continue to help So-net offer quality customer services.