Riadaa maximizes contact centre efficiency with Altitude Software

Since the Altitude uCI suite was deployed in November 2004, Riadaa has experienced a 60% reduction of waiting times, a boost in first call resolution rates from 42% to 89%, and a significant decrease in call abandonment levels from 29% to under 4%. Altitude uCI is a platform independent contact centre solution with a universal queue and full blended support for voice (inbound, preview, power and predictive dialling), IVR, email response management, Web collaboration, and Web chat.

Fast-growing call centre outsourcing services
Founded in 1998, the Riadaa Group is a major player in the GCC services industry, providing a comprehensive spectrum of services including mail tracking, loan & credit card selling, security, ATM care, warehouses distribution and maintenance services. In September 2004, Riadaa launched a new business unit called International Contact Company (Etisal), specialized in the provision of call centre outsourcing services to various sectors including financial institutions, manufacturers, and retailers. The company provides customer acquisition and customer care services such as telesales, market research, help desk, debt-collection and satisfaction surveys in addition to taking orders and handling complaints. Ahmed Moharrak, Riadaa's General Manager, underlined the strategic importance of Etisal's recent launch: "with this new call centre outsourcing unit, we are now able to meet our clients´ CRM requirements in all areas, and from this strong platform our objective is to grow rapidly and be one of the leading outsourcers in the GCC region". Established in Saudi Arabia, Riadaa serves prestigious customers through its offices in Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dammam. "To meet our aggressive objectives in terms of services and revenue, we needed a reliable and flexible solution capable of handling multiple CRM campaigns in real-time, as well as enhancing the quality and productivity of our recently-launched call centre outsourcing operations," added Mohammed Al Sager, CEO of Riadaa.

The Altitude uCI Selection
Commenting on Etisal's contact centre vendor selection, Mohamed Eissa, Riadaa Business Development Director said: "we constantly strive to deliver world-class service and we knew Altitude's technology was the clear choice to help us maintain that level of service." He also stated: "The solution had to be flexible and modular, enabling us to easily and cost-effectively add additional functionality, such as Web chat and Web collaboration capabilities, as our contact centre needs evolve."

The Jeddah-based CRM outsourcer chose Altitude Software for their innovative solution in addition to the following:

The flexibility to modify front office applications, as it was rather difficult to make such changes and to have agents duly trained with the changes.

The comprehensive CTI (computer telephony integration) feature that intelligently manages interactions by integrating data from switches and computers.

The natively pre-integrated IVR module (interactive voice response) which enables customer self service via voice menus and touch-tone phone controls.

The open design, which supports all major PABXs and a wide range of third-party solutions, including the Etisal Cisco IP switch and ebusiness applications, such as Siebel or SAP.

A very important issue for Etisal was the implementation time, as they had to be up and running in less than 2 weeks. Electronic Solution House, a certified Altitude Software partner in the GCC, worked closely with Altitude Software to meet the challenge and the Altitude uCI solution was implemented on schedule and within the defined budget. A specific integration with Cisco's IP switch has been carried out in this project. The Jeddah-based contact centre is equipped to host 100 agents with expansion capabilities of up to 400 seats.

"We were looking for a scalable yet stable system that could handle various communication channels to accommodate our present and future aggressive growth plans," said Ashraf El-Tanbouly, Etisal Business Development Manager. "Our clients are always under market pressure to quickly start inbound or outbound CRM operations. Thus, the system had to be easy to implement and administer in order to accommodate our clients strong requirements."

Developing competitive advantage
Altitude uCI provides Etisal with the latest capabilities in computer telephony integration (CTI), skills-based routing, outbound/inbound call handling, agent front office applications, IVR, and real-time monitoring and reporting. Altitude uCI uses CTI and skills-based routing to display real-time caller information at agent workstations, streamlining customer interactions and significantly reducing average call times. IVR technology specifically enables Etisal to offer improved self-service to customers in the financial services sector. "We are proud to be part of Etisal's commitment to provide the highest levels of customer service," stated Riadh Boukhris, Altitude Software vice-president Middle East, Africa and South Asia. "By partnering with a key systems integrator, such as Electronic Solution House, to provide enhanced local implementation and support, Altitude Software reinforces its position as the premier contact centre solutions provider in the GCC."

"We are pleased to have handled the Altitude uCI implementation at Etisal in only 2 weeks. There is a strong need amongst organizations in the GCC region for such cost-effective, easy-to-install contact centre solutions that are tailored to each company's business processes," concluded Yasser Aoudi, ESH General Manager. "Electronic Solution House and Altitude Software have formed a powerful partnership which has already delivered major contact centre solutions to a large number of customers in the region."