As the pandemic continues, BGL Group hopes that the cloud platform will help customers via a new virtual contact centre
BGL Group - the broker behind ComparetheMarket - has selected a cloud platform provider called Twilio to enhance customer engagement during the Covid-19 lockdown and beyond.
Twilio’s cloud-based contact solution, called Flex, has enabled BGL Group to build a new virtual contact centre, so that agents can work remotely.
This allowed 25 members of the BGL team to transition its operations to a Twilio cloud-based contact centre over the course of eight days.
Overall, 1,200 agents have become fully remote over the course of lockdown.
Jayne Lansdell, associate director of process and technology at BGL Group, said: “BGL’s customer experience is all about making it easy for our customers to interact with us.
”The test, learn and adapt approach that Twilio enables through its open platform makes the refinement of that experience far easier to achieve than it would otherwise be.
“Moreover, when lockdown restrictions came in, our priority was keeping colleagues safe and customers supported and our investment in Flex meant that this was achievable in a short space of time and without dropping a day of service.
”We were able to keep all channels of communication open and achieve or improve our customer satisfaction scores, and our teams adopted the new system with enthusiasm.”
BGL believes that while self-service is popular, talking to an advisor is vital for more complex queries, especially against the backdrop of the ongoing challenges arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Exploring automation
BGL Group began exploring how automation could benefit operations back in January 2019 by running an initial pilot with Twilio.
The firm is focused on enhancing its approach by looking to build on its use of artificial intelligence for effective routing and increasing automation in its voice channels.
Lansdell continued: “In the insurance industry, the level of automation is already extensive and growing, and the pandemic has accelerated that, having reinforced the need for businesses to simplify processes and enable more effective digital access.
”Thanks to the work we’ve done on our platforms and now with Twilio, we know that we are ready, no matter what Covid throws at us, and will have a more flexible model for the future as the shape of our workforce evolves to reflect the needs of the new normal.
“And, with a blueprint for ongoing development, we are able to continue to evolve and to bring online and voice channels together so that no matter where the customer starts, or what they find most easy to deal with, they get consistent responses and excellent services across all parts of BGL.”
Digital acceleration
Meanwhile David Parry-Jones, vice president, EMEA, at Twilio, said: “Companies have accelerated their digital communications strategy by an average of six years and the work done by the BGL team demonstrates the value of taking this approach.
“This isn’t simply about Covid. It’s about the future of customer engagement and moving quickly to re-architect and meaningfully improve every interaction every business has with every customer.
“At Twilio, we’ve witnessed first hand how the great digital acceleration has borne fruit in terms of customer engagement, with BGL being a great example of an organisation that has put customer experience and employee health at the heart of its strategy, with great effect.”
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