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In this time of economic struggles, customer service and streamlined productivity can make the difference between profitability and simply staying afloat. For FirstCare Health Plans, Interactive Intelligence provided the tools necessary to improve customer service and increase productivity.

The all-in-one IP communications software suite from Interactive Intelligence (News - Alert), Customer Interaction Center, has provided FirstCare with the ability to support multichannel communications, in addition to new quality monitoring, recording and reporting applications. FirstCare replaced its Avaya system with CIC after evaluating systems from several other vendors, including Cisco (News - Alert) and Oracle.

 

“CIC has provided our customers with new ways of communicating with us, including the addition of e-mail and Web chat,” said FirstCare’s Vice President of Operations Sylvia Garcia, in a statement. “In addition, CIC’s unique single-platform architecture has given us real-time visibility into all interaction queues so we can quickly adjust our workgroup staffing to optimize customer service while maximizing productivity.”

The Interaction Recorder, a CIC add-on application, has also delivered value to FirstCare. Garcia noted that this app has enabled the company to easily measure the effectiveness of its contact center representatives. Interaction Recorder provides supervisors with the ability to listen to call recordings, score team member’s performance and coach them to increase their effectiveness and further improve service levels.

 

“Our Avaya (News - Alert) system was no longer supported and after reviewing alternative solutions, CIC proved to be the most flexible, feature-rich, and cost-effective option,” said FirstCare’s IT project manager, Maurice Barnett.

Automated Voice and Data Solutions served as the reseller of the CIC solution for FirstCare, providing the implementation services. AVDS is also responsible for the ongoing management of the system.

 

“AVDS’ knowledge and experience in deploying CIC proved invaluable in helping us configure the most effective work flows and, overall, ensuring a smooth installation from start to finish,” Barnett said. “With such a flexible product, this type of expertise was essential in maximizing our return on investment.”

FirstCare’s 50 contact center employees in Lubbock, Texas are supported by the CIC. As part of its disaster recovery strategy, FirstCare plans to deploy a redundant CIC configuration and is researching the use of CIC to take advantage of the product’s extensive remote capabilities.

 

“We’re optimistic about CIC’s ability to support our company values, which include excellence and a passion for service,” Garcia concluded.

In other Interactive Intelligence news, Partners Mutual Insurance also deployed Interactive Intelligence's CIC. The company had been using insurance solutions from AcroSoft – which Interactive Intelligence acquired in May – since 2005.