La Capitol Federal Credit Union is a member-owned, not-for-profit financial co-operative. Founded in 1961, La Capitol provides a wide range of financial services to 55,000 members statewide. La Capitol is one of the largest credit unions in Louisiana and is headquartered in Baton Rouge. The credit union has 13 branch locations and receives more than 25,000 calls every month.
For the credit union, serving its members is the top priority, and it relies on Voice over IP (VoIP) technology to enhance its customer service and internal communications. When seeking a Toshiba VoIP business communication solution, the credit union turned to Authorized Toshiba Dealer Gage Telephone Systems, Inc., based in Baton Rouge, La.
Mission: Use VoIP to Maximize Customer Service and Connect Branches
Greg Wood, Jr., operations manager of Gage Telephone Systems Inc., recommended that La Capitol utilize Toshiba’s Strata® CIXTM IP business communication system to meet its goals of maximizing customer service and improving internal communications.
Bert Callender, assistant vice president of Operations for La Capitol who oversees the credit union’s communications and technology efforts, said, “We are a long-time Toshiba user and have always been happy with Toshiba’s unbeatable reliability, durability and ease-of-use, so when we decided to move to a Voice over IP communications platform, we chose Toshiba and Gage Telephone Systems.”
Among the goals Callender had for the new VoIP system was to network all the branches together, provide centralized voice mail and the ability to transfer callers to any of the branches across the entire statewide network, facilitate unified messaging, and expand call center and ACD capabilities.
Solution: Toshiba Networks 13 Credit Union Locations
Installed by Gage Telephone Systems, La
Capitol has a Strata CIX670 at its Baton Rouge headquarters, along with a Strata ACD Call Center system, TASKE call center reporting/supervision, Strata CIX iES32 Voice Processing, Unified Messaging, and Call Accounting with Strata Net Networking to connect the 13 locations. Eleven of the branches have Strata CIX IP business communication systems, except for the New Orleans branch, which also has a Strata CIX670. Altogether, the system has 296 ports with a mix of PRI, T1 and IP lines. The endpoints include a mix of IP desk telephones, soft IP phones on laptops, and some digital and analog telephones that migrated from a previous Toshiba system.
By networking the 13 locations, Gage Telephone Systems was able to provide direct extension dialing between employees at all locations and facilitate easy call transfers between all the branches.
Result #1: Improved Customer Service and Internal Communication
With the Toshiba Strata CIX IP system, both internal and external communication has improved, according to Callender. “Both incoming calls and call transfers are easily made by direct extension dialing regardless of the branch location,” he said. “Voice mail messages can be forwarded or copied to anyone at any of the branches, either as voice messages or as emails via our unified communications.”
“Communication with our members and between our employees is our business,” Callender said. “By using the Toshiba Strata CIX IP system, we are able to serve our 55,000 members just like they are dealing with a single location. When members call the toll-free number, they can punch in the extension of the people they are calling and be transferred or can reach a live person who can transfer them to other branches, the headquarters or other departments, such as the Call Center ACD groups, without having to hang up and re-dial.
Result #2: All 13 Locations Are Networked
By connecting all 13 credit union locations via IP, its nearly 200 employees are part of the Toshiba Strata CIX IP business communication system, which includes centralized voice mail and direct extension dialing to all other employees at the main location. Callers can be transferred to each branch, the headquarters or into any of the Call Center’s ACD groups. As well, voice mail messages can be forwarded or copied between employees, regardless of location, or sent as emails for those using unified messaging. Toshiba Dealer Greg Wood said, “VoIP allows us to affordably network all the branches with the headquarters across the entire state.”
Callender can also manage the entire system from his own office. He said, “With our old system, we had to set up a service call every time we wanted to make a change. Now, with the Toshiba VoIP system, I can use the administration program to perform tasks such as moves, adds and changes right from my computer. Not only does this save a lot of costs, it also allows me to make changes on the fly, a real time savings as well.”
Result #3: New Call Center ACD Maximizes Customer Service
La Capitol’s Strata ACD system has 40 agents and six supervisors that handle three ACD groups: Loans, Electronic Services, and the PALS (Personal Assistant Line Specialist) line. The ACD supervisors use the TASKE software to manage the ACD groups by reviewing usage reports that help them view call flow, including peak times, so they can better manage staffing. The system’s reporting capability also helps the credit union’s marketing team determine which services and promotions are getting the most customer response, so they can tailor future programs based on customer demand.
Callender said, “Members can dial right into the ACD group of choice, which saves them time. This helps us to better manage staffing, so queue times are shorter and members are happier. We can also track which services and promotions are getting our members’ attention.”
Result #4: Mobility and Unified Messaging Increase Efficiency
Using VoIP also has provided some new benefits for La Capitol’s management team, including the use of Toshiba’s SoftIPT softphones on their notebook computers. The softphone enables them to have their “desk telephones” on their notebook computers virtually anywhere there is Internet access. Wood explained, “The SoftIPT screen looks and acts just like a Toshiba desk telephone, so the users can make calls, answer calls, listen to voice mail, transfer calls, initiate conference calls, and more, all from their notebook computers using a plug-in headset.”
Some of La Capitol’s management team also utilize unified messaging to integrate their voice messages with email, allowing them to better manage customer service and internal communications. Callender said, “We can forward members’ voice mails via email to each other and discuss how we can improve customer service or add new products and promotions to take advantage of member requests. Having the ability to easily share voice messages across the email system has given us a whole new way of expanding and improving our customer service.” According to Callender, using unified messaging has also improved the speed in which he can retrieve his voice mails. He said, “By being able to listen to voice messages over my email, it takes less time on the phone and makes the entire process of reviewing voice mails faster and easier.”
Bottom Line: $20,000 Savings, Improved Member and Internal Communications
Toshiba’s Strata CIX IP business communication system with iES32 voice processing/unified messaging and the Strata ACD Call Center application has helped La Capitol Federal Credit Union meet its primary goal of improving customer service and internal communications while saving the company more than $20,000 in equipment costs. Using the Toshiba system, La Capitol can now manage its call center and 13 locations, resulting in increased efficiencies across the board. Callender summed it up by saying, “We give credit to Toshiba and Gage Telephone Systems for helping us maintain our lifeline to our members and employees, our IP business communication system.”