Overview
Most companies are satisfied if they break even on their technology investments. But RightNow client Continental Tire is saving almost five times what it cost to deploy RightNow in labor reductions alone—resulting in a 484 percent annual return on investment. At the same time, the company is delivering a level of service across its phone, email and web channels that drives real competitive advantages.
Continental Tire's labor savings have resulted from two primary factors. First, the company is now able to answer a tremendous number of customer questions via the web. In one year its RightNow knowledge base handled over 78,000 sessions, with less than three percent of those sessions requiring escalation to a customer service agent. That has reduced call volume by about 40 percent and email volume by about 90 percent.
Second, RightNow enabled Continental Tire to create a "blended" contact center where agents can handle both phone and email inquiries—and view customer contact histories across all channels from a single console. This has increased agent efficiency and enhanced the customer experience.
As a result, Continental has been able to reduce its agent headcount by 25 percent, providing an annual savings in excess of $200,000, according to consumer relations supervisor Karen Duncan.
Greg Gianforte