“In the IT world, it is natural that people don’t like change – but this is probably the first time deploying a new IT product that we have had stores hearing about the implementation and contacting us to ask if they can be put up the priority list to be changed over to RingCentral,” said Polisena.
“Our stores have a lot of moving parts, so it’s important that we have a triage system to provide a more organised and responsive service for customers who call us. We have pharmacy, optical and prestige beauty enquiries all coming in on the one line – which are all completely different areas and staff. With RingCentral, we can deploy a lot more handsets in store and, with IVR upfront, which we can reconfigure ourselves, when we answer calls, we already know what the enquiry is about and can direct it to the right person,” said Bill Lelas, Business Operations Manager, National Pharmacies.
With the onset of the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, National Pharmacies has experienced higher call volumes and far greater demand for pharmaceutical advice and clarity on restrictions and store opening hours. Those stores that had already transitioned to RingCentral were able to handle the increased demand more effectively, ensuring a very positive customer experience both via the phone and in-store.
“The initial planning support we received from RingCentral was very good and they were really accommodating in revising the initial IVR designs after feedback from our pilot stores. The hardware deployment and training in the use of the system for our staff and other users in stores ensured the transition was almost seamless,” said Lelas.
One of the early signs of success was in the reduction of calls to the helpdesk from stores with telephone issues, which dropped by 25% in the first few months of operation compared to the same period the previous year. The additional benefit is that National Pharmacies can make any changes needed in-house, rather than relying on and waiting for a third-party service provider.