It is now crucial for helpline charities to have multiple channels of communication. Patrick Nash, chief executive of Connect Assist, looks at the problems this can have for data analytics.
When the Royal British Legion looked at how its members and users were accessing support, it noticed a steady change in customer behavior.
It soon recognised that a phone-based helpline service was no longer enough; a service offering multiple points of contact was needed. Following the introduction of live chat and email in late 2013, the charity’s helpline is now receiving up to 10,800 calls, 300 live chat sessions and 2,600 emails every month – a 5 times increase in enquiries. To manage the vast amount of information received across these different platforms, data from all phone calls and records of instant chats and emails are all saved in one database.
This system allows for contact centre staff to instantly access a detailed record of each individual’s experience across all communication platforms. With this valuable data to hand, staff are able to tailor their support and advice to fit the specific needs of service users when they get in touch, without the need for stressful questioning. Most importantly however, it can reveal vital information and behavioural patterns, highlighting the most vulnerable and at-risk users.
When a person makes the decision to use a helpline such as that of the Royal British Legion, they are more often than not in a very vulnerable situation. Whether they feel more comfortable speaking on the phone or sending an instant message, that individual needs to know they will receive reassurance and support in whatever format works best for them.
Their journey of support starts the moment they make that first contact, and from then on, their experience should be a seamless and consistent one. They need to know that the people on the end of the line are prepared and ready to help them however and wherever in whatever way they can.
For this seamless journey to be possible, a multi-platform approach to data analytics must be in place. It is a vital part of service provision, and forms the key foundation for an intuitive network of support.
Charities are increasingly evolving the way they deliver support to service users, and this is only a positive thing for those in need of help. From face-to-face conversations to emails or text messages, people have different needs and preferences when it comes to communicating stressful and personal difficulties. To ensure support is as accessible as possible for them is important, particularly when today’s culture of multi-device communication creates an expectation for it.
However, when an individual service user contacts a helpline through multiple formats and devices, it undoubtedly presents a challenge to the way their data is handled. But by accepting this move towards cross-platform services as an inevitable prospect, charities can begin to build a deeper and more insightful understanding of their service user journey. To achieve this, a more sophisticated way of collecting and analysing data must be introduced.
Multi-platform helplines may present a logistical challenge to contact centre staff in how support is provided, but they also present an opportunity to build a more intelligent and sophisticated level of understanding. The goal of every helpline is to support those who need help, present them with solutions where possible and ultimately improve their lives in some way. And from the moment a service user picks up the phone or types an instant message asking for help, their journey should be a seamless and positive one.
By taking the time to analyse data collected across multiple platforms, charities will not only build a clearer picture of how service users are being supported, but they will be able to identify important patterns and warning signs.