No matter if you are a service provider, application developer or a consumer, customer service is one process that you are all too familiar with. Depending on which side of the spectrum you reside, the requirements of a quality customer service experience are likely to differ; however, when it comes to customer relationship management (CRM) one constant remains, it is imperative to be utilizing the latest technologies to remain ahead of the curve.
Hold-Free Networks, for example, takes a different kind of approach to social CRM with aspirations of improving the process with relevant platforms that customers utilize every day, or as Hold-Free CEO Lance Fried and the rest of his team refer to the company’s objective, “putting a pretty face on customer service.”
Founded in 2009, Hold-Free provides a SaaS (News - Alert)-based carrier grade hosted solution that is built on various modules that serve as enhancers, not substitutions, to an enterprise’s existing call center infrastructure.
Earlier this year at ITEXPO East 2012, Fried elaborated on the four modules Hold-Free’s social CRM and mobile care solution focus on when he sat down with TMC’s (News - Alert) Carrie Schmelkin, which include service, sales, social and security.
Hold-Free’s overall vision is clear, to provide a superior customer service experience that expands on the CRM technologies that have proved successful in the past while integrating the latest tools that enterprises and consumers immerse themselves in today such as social and mobile platforms.
Fried explained that the history of the customer service space began with point solutions and transitioned to be integrated into contact center solutions. Today many customer service providers are offering SMS or call back options to keep up with the times, however, he doesn’t believe that is enough. Hold-Free’s concept of social integration provides customers with a platform to provide and receive consistent feedback while shortening the time on hold with a more interactive experience.
Simply put, “Happier customers equal happier retention,” according to Fried, a notion Hold-Free plans to continue to build on in the months to come. So what’s next for the social CRM and mobile care experts? Plan to hear from them again as they utilize ITEXPO (News - Alert) West in Austin in October as a platform for updates on newer modules the company currently has in development to improve its SaaS-based solution.
Edited by Juliana Kenny