NCO Deploys Tool for Analyzing Why Customers Call

HORSHAM, Pa. – NCO Group, Inc. ("NCO"), a global provider of business process outsourcing services, announced the deployment of a proprietary, web-based software tool to track and analyze customer behavior patterns, leading to better, data-driven business decisions.

"uNCOver(SM)" is one in a set of analytical tools in NCO’s proprietary Insite call center management suite of applications, designed to improve performance in the call center.

NCO program managers use uNCOver as part of a structured analysis methodology to improve results for clients. uNCOver helps achieve goals such as:

• Enhancing the customer’s experience
• Reducing the incidence of repeat calls
• Increasing first-call resolution
• Identifying automation opportunities
• Decreasing misdirected calls
• Lowering overall account handle time
• Improving forecasting of call volumes by identifying volume drivers
• Tracking reasons why customers are contacting the call center
• Gathering data needed to support making the business case to drive process and system improvements

NCO’s clients benefit through more efficient call handling, stronger knowledge regarding customer behaviors, the ability to make strategic business decisions based on facts and data, higher customer satisfaction, decreased customer churn, and lower costs.

uNCOver features desktop data capture, which automatically gathers relevant data useful for analyzing call trends and patterns. Browser-based, uNCOver is easy to deploy, allows immediate updates, and tightly couples to host systems.

Importantly, NCO’s project team customizes uNCOver for each client engagement, based on each client’s unique processes, policies, and procedures.

"uNCOver is part of the way NCO works to improve results for our clients," commented COO Steve Leckerman. "We strive to add value to every customer interaction and every client relationship. uNCOver is one of the tools that helps us do that."

NCO agents use uNCOver’s drop-down menus to record the reason why each customer calls. For example, customized categories may include disputes, IVR dropouts, payments, misdirects, restorals, or to report or request information.

uNCOver also captures what action the customer took as a result of the call. In addition, it records what action was taken by the agent, such as redirecting the call to another department, escalating the call to a supervisor, or restoring service.

Using data gathered by uNCOver, NCO can identify "root causes" for specific customer behaviors. Based on analyses, NCO’s management team, in collaboration with the client, can identify, prioritize, and implement process and system improvements leading to greater efficiency, effectiveness, and quality.

For example, for one client, NCO was able to reduce annual call volume by 18 percent over an 18-month period, significantly reducing operational costs for the client.

In another case, NCO was able to reduce operating expense for a client by $4.6 million over two years by improving processes using data gathered by uNCOver.

uNCOver also aids in day-to-day call center management, quality assurance, and training efforts by providing immediate information to identify and quickly respond to any operational issues.

About NCO
NCO Group, Inc. is a leading global provider of business process outsourcing services, primarily focused on accounts receivable management and customer relationship management. NCO provides services through over 100 offices throughout North America, Asia, Europe and Australia.