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Blinds.com Deploys Interactive Intelligence IP Communications Software Solution to Boost Sales Revenue

August 24, 2011

By deploying the Interactive Intelligence (ININ) all-in-one IP communications software solution from Customer Interaction Center (CIC), Blinds.com, online provider of custom window treatments, has reported an increase in its sales revenue. The company decided to deploy CIC's communication software solution because it has been developed on a single-platform software structure.


In a release, Steve Riddell, COO and VP for Blinds.com said that, “CIC has helped us increase customer conversion rates from 18 to 36 percent, which has contributed to an increase in revenue from just under $42 million to more than $70 million. CIC has helped us increase these conversion rates through a number of flexible features, including its skills-based multichannel routing and customer feedback surveys. CIC's IVR application has helped us reduce live agent service calls by 30 percent. This is especially impressive given that we've simultaneously increased sales by 50 percent.”

Another vital area of improvement for the company, brought about by the implementation of CIC’s performance monitoring capabilities, has been in the effective monitoring and evaluation of its contact center agents.

Riddell added, “Of our total employee base, 80 percent are contact center agents who play a key role in driving revenue for our company. The better trained these agents are, the fewer customer problems we have. CIC's call recording and reporting features have enabled us to easily monitor and evaluate performance so we can constantly improve agent skills.”

CIC's multichannel routing and queuing capabilities has also helped Blinds.com enhance its service offerings.

To ensure that business is not affected during natural disasters, Blinds.com now offers its agents working from remote locations, with a work-from-home option supported by CIC. 

Additionally, to improve and better manage assigning of workflow tasks for its employees, the company has created multiple automated business processes. Riddell said that, “CIC has enabled us to go beyond the management of communications to structure, automate, and monitor tasks, which has resulted in increased operational efficiencies and improved customer satisfaction.”

Before it decided to switch to CIC, Blinds.com was using an Avaya system. However, the company was looking for a system which could provide the required support for enhancing and improving its business process. CIC's Interactive Intelligence IP Communication Software which has been designed with specific capabilities to enable and facilitate easy management has proven to be a perfect match.

Riddell said, “At the time, we were forced to run six different websites from two locations and two phone systems. The Avaya system gave us no way to transfer calls between locations, no way to listen in on calls, and no way to add queues to respond to call volume. In addition, anytime we wanted to make changes we had to involve IT.”

To avail the new software solution from CIC, Blinds.com approached Automated Voice & Data Solutions (AVDS), CIC's Interactive Intelligence reseller. AVDS sold the software to Blinds.com and helped it in deploying the software. 

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO West 2011, taking place Sept. 13-15, 2011, in Austin, Texas. ITEXPO offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. To register, click here.



Calvin Azuri is a contributing editor for ContactCenterSolutions. To read more of Calvin’s articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Jennifer Russell



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