“The volume of inquiries to IntelliResponse by Scotiabank staff has been consistent, with over 5,000 questions registered per month. And IntelliResponse successfully answers over 98% of them.

We knew the average staff search time for information in the pre-intranet era was 10 to 15 minutes per inquiry. We expected that having all of the relevant information available online via the intranet site would decrease the average search to 3 to 5 minutes. And now we believe IntelliResponse has reduced the search to 20 to 30 seconds. That’s a dramatic staff productivity gain. Rather than having our small business bankers spend valuable time searching for information, they now have more time to sell and provide customer service.”

“Considering all of the benefits – some hard and some soft, the IntelliResponse system paid for itself in its first month of operation.

But the ‘sleeper’ benefit for Scotiabank management was understanding the types of questions being asked by our bankers. What topics were difficult to understand? What questions didn’t we expect? By reviewing IntelliResponse’s question log, we’ve been able to identify ways to improve internal processes, and how we deliver our services to our customers.

As we got more familiar with it, we found the added benefits of tracking the type of questions so we can tailor our web site and other channels to meet their needs quickly”

“A major factor” in their improved customer service is their ability to give customers instant answers to about 95 per cent of questions they ask online by deploying IntelliResponse software from Comtext Systems Inc. of Kitchener, Ont. The email volume has dropped about 20 per cent, saving the cost of replying and freeing service reps to focus on more complex service calls.

It helps us as a bank get to know customers better and make sure we’re tailoring our content on the Web site and the services we offer to meet their needs.

Since Scotiabank can see all the questions asked, Ask Scotia is also like an ongoing customer survey with an unbiased, 100 per cent response rate.”

“In June, VIA Rail Canada received its millionth online query to its Web site since 2001. Remarkably, only 1.5 per cent of these queries required a personal response.

Ask VIA cut emails from 200 per day to 25 per day, with a significant reduction in telephone calls as well. Costs have gone down and customer service has gone up. We had six people answering e-mails, now we’re down to two even with a five-fold increase in questions and sales coming through the Web site.

…online sales increased more than 100 per cent.

It is good for productivity, it improves customer service drastically and I think it gives customers what they’re looking for in terms of product.

IntelliResponse allows you to provide a better response by providing an answer now, rather than waiting for a reply,” he says. He adds that it also facilitates cross-selling and the subsequent software reporting helps optimize the Web site.

…within six days of use on the VIA Rail site, it became clear that the fourth most common request was regarding renting private rail cars. The VIA Rail marketing department saw an opportunity and seized it.”

“Budget Truck’s Web site visitors immediately embraced the new IntelliResponse feature which now handles an average of 3,000 questions a day.

IntelliResponse now answers 98.5% of online questions instantly - 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.

Our agents now spend less time responding to routine inquiries and more time helping customers with more complex needs”.
“IntelliResponse provided terrific ROI, paying for itself within the first month or two of operation.

Since launch, daily email inquiry volumes have decreased 74%, telephone call volumes are down 28% and online bookings increased a remarkable 35% in the first 45 days. In total, Budget Truck has generated combined cost savings and online revenue gains of $875,000 in the first 7 months of operation.

But the most significant business benefit of IntelliResponse is that it increased our Web booking close rate – by a remarkable 35% in the first 45 days. We have fine tuned responses to the point where customers only ask one or two questions before placing a reservation. Customers are more confident they are making informed decisions because detailed information that used to be delivered at the point of sale is now available on our Web site at the reservation stage of the cycle. The result is increased online bookings.”