Parcelforce Worldwide is introducing a new automated customer information line, that it says will allow customers to track and change delivery arrangements directly by telephone.
The service from Eckoh and BT Global, is thought to be the first of its kind in the UK express industry, and uses speech recognition and caller identification technology to anticipate requests and offer personalised information about their particular parcels.
Eckoh’s chief operating officer, Nik Philpot, said: “Companies sometimes assume that using an automated system rather than customer service agents involves compromise – gaining cost efficiency at the price of an impersonal customer service. However, as the Parcelforce Worldwide service illustrates, this needn’t be the case.”
He said: “Parcelforce expects to substantially reduce its costs while making access to information easier and its services faster and more responsive to individual customer needs, which has to be a positive step forward for all involved.”
During the three-year contract, Eckoh expects to manage in excess of 1 million calls per annum, related to the 46 million international and domestic parcels delivered by Parcelforce Worldwide every year. The service is expected to go-live this summer.
