The continuous partnership collaboration between Numeracle and Avantive Solutions recently found its way to one of PACE’s Community Insights on Rich Call Data (RCD) Technology. Hosted by Craig Sell of Professional Association for Customer Engagement (PACE), the conversation included Numeracle’s Rebekah Johnson and Avantive Solutions CEO Frank Pettinato, where they discussed what RCD is, how this solution is being deployed, early adoption results, and the benefits of implementing a branded calling solution.
We've summarized the highlights and comments from the interview below, but if you’re more of a listener, we also highly encourage you to hear it directly from the experts.
Rich call data (RCD) is displayable information that enhances and brings more information to the consumer. A branded call with RCD can include a Caller ID name only or up to a full branded experience with a brand logo, Caller ID name, call intent, and some verification info from STIR/SHAKEN signed calls, but this depends on the carrier and device capabilities.
While RCD is still in the early stages and currently has a limited reach to consumers, carriers and device manufacturers are constantly working to expand the reach. This technology is relatively new to the telecom industry, which itself is fragmented and cannot offer the same solution in a ubiquitous way. There are limitations to branded displays on the termination side based on the operating system of the device, carrier-specific differences, and the type of device display interface itself. As standards develop alongside the technology and market adoption, it is likely that a more uniform way to send, receive, and display this data will be developed.
So far, early branded calling solutions have been effectively deployed to targeted outbound telemarketing campaigns both to consumers and businesses, yielding slightly different results. There is also ongoing testing on inbound customer service care situations where a business is returning calls to customers who recognize that a brand they know is calling them back.
With mostly anecdotal data available so far, initial theories before its deployment suggested an increase in contact rates. What has been found so far is that the live answer rate is most greatly impacted by having the right offer presented at the right time in addition to having rich call data added to the call itself.
Calls targeting brand loyalists who are likely to answer and show interest in the content of the call showed increases in sales performance, conversion rates, higher rates of first call closed, a higher Transactional Net Promoter Score, a metric used to gauge customer loyalty and willingness to recommend the service to someone else, and ultimately, a positive ROI.
As a highly technical solution with complex integration that requires ongoing monitoring and updating, simplification of the roll-out within your organization can come from the expertise of a partner who is able to leverage the technology best.
It is also important to keep in mind that a branded calling solution will not solve all of your problems. Just because you add rich content to a call does not mean that everyone will pick it up, especially if it isn’t the right offer at the right time.
“You can’t buy into the idea that this is a silver bullet solution that will immediately turn all your contact rates around. It just isn’t.”
— Rebekah Johnson
In addition to positive conversion rates and ROI, implementing a branded calling solution adds a layer of trust back to the calling ecosystem. In a world where, despite regulatory updates, there are still a lot of spam and scam calls, branded calling brings trust back to the phone call. When customers know who is calling them, the initial barrier or resistance to the sales agent is minimized.
“Brands who want to get in touch with their customers or prospects are fighting an uphill battle to cut through the noise.”
— Frank Pettinato
Now that trust has been developed in knowing who the brand is, the person answering is predisposed to truly listen and understand the offer so the outcome is much more favorable. Combined with presenting the right offer at the right time, this approach sets a call up for success and helps remove the hurdle of reaching customers and starting the conversation.
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Catch the full interview, hosted by PACE, featuring Avantive Solutions and Numeracle on YouTube:
If you’re considering leveraging a branded calling solution, reach out to us at visibility@numeracle.com or visit our Branded Calling Solutions Page to learn more.
