Today Batteries Plus & DialogTech announced a new and innovative way for franchises to route phone calls based on geography. Here is the press release:
IFBYPHONE APPLICATION GIVES BATTERIES PLUS A JOLT
Store Locator Solution Helps Battery Retailer Improve Customer Service
CHICAGO, Jan. 27, 2009 — Batteries Plus, the nation’s leading retail outlet for batteries of all sorts, shapes and sizes, says its business received a boost from a toll-free Store Locator application developed by Internet telephony innovator DialogTech.
Batteries Plus wanted to improve service for customers who call its nationwide toll-free number, 1-800-MR-START. The goal was to find a solution that would satisfy callers’ specific needs, automate call handling, and drive traffic to retail stores.
DialogTech’s Store Locator application gave Batteries Plus a solution that routes callers based on their needs and location: customers are routed to the nearest retail store of their choice, product shoppers are given direct access to product support experts, and prospective franchisees are directly connected to the corporate franchising department.
Batteries Plus has demonstrated their retail leadership with two innovations: a marketing innovation in using one toll-free number to satisfy all constituents’ needs, and an operational innovation in relying on intelligent call routing to handle constituents’ calls efficiently and effectively, said Irv Shapiro, CEO of DialogTech. Our off-the-shelf technologies were chosen to provide the backbone of the operational component our IVR handles the initial customer choices, and our Store Locator application helps direct retail customers to their nearest store. We worked with Batteries Plus to optimize the implementation and customer experience, ensuring that customer wait times were low and call-handling effectiveness was optimal, Shapiro added. Batteries Plus has set a new standard for retail marketing and operations with this solution.
When a customer calls Batteries Plus, DialogTech’s solution asks the customer their intent, and if they are looking for a retail store, executes a reverse-lookup on the customer’s phone number to find their current location. The customer is then presented with the addresses of and distances to the 3 stores closest to their current location, and can conveniently choose the store to which they will be connected.
Russ Reynolds, CEO of Batteries Plus, said: We pride ourselves on being America’s Battery Experts, and we strive to continuously improve communication with our customers. The DialogTech Store Locator puts Batteries Plus customers in touch with the right person, who’ll have the right answers.
Reynolds added: It’s the call-routing solution we’ve been seeking to connect Batteries Plus customers all over the country to their nearest Battery Experts every time, all the time.
To learn more about DialogTech’s affordable suite of online telephony applications, including Store Locator, Hosted IVR, Voice Broadcasting, and Call Routing visit .