The Brief

As part of its remit to maximise revenue for good causes, the lottery operator targeted new communication channels - web, digital TV and text messaging. The client had limited expertise in the technology and the personnel needed to make their games work in a digital environment. So, they decided to outsource the task to a company that did.

RESPONSE's experience in dealing with customers in a multi-channel environment gave us the expertise the client needed in order to support and grow its dynamic new channels.

The Solution

We created a scalable, flexible operation that enabled the lottery operator to have a one-to-one relationship with its customers. Working in close partnership with the client, we created a seamless operation that focused resources on three key areas: technology, people and security.

For technology, we gave the client access to our contact management system, deliver up-to-the-minute accurate reporting and provide full management of the IVR and telephony.

On the people side, we offer a consistent management team, dedicated multi-skilled staff and the benefits of our overall knowledge and expertise. We also provide strong brand reinforcement for the client by distributing all press releases, creating product and organisational updates and by ensuring agents work in a dedicated, branded area.

To meet strict security requirements, we have a three month staff vetting procedure, meet all compliance regulations and provide a secure area for agents to work in.

The Results

In winning a high profile award for its customer service, the lottery operator and RESPONSE have shown just how effective a progressive partnership can be. Our client has been able to reach a whole new market, gaining invaluable feedback that allows continual improvements to be made to the customer experience. There has been a dramatic increase in both the number of people playing the games, and in the revenues this has created:

• 600% increase in interactive business
• interactive lottery sales have risen to £87.5m, making it the most successful interactive lottery in the world with 1.2m registered players
• customer queries down from 25% in 2003 to 4% in 2004
• average handling times of emails and calls dramatically reduced

Crucially, this has been achieved without any real increase in the size of the contact centre team, thanks to our ability to dramatically reduce the player contact ratio and the average handling times of emails and calls.

Put simply, a satisfied player means less cost and greater income for our client.