GFM Services Ltd, one of the UK’s leading multi-service business agencies, has been using Apcentia, C3’s mass call handling platform, to provide bespoke IVR and call recording facilities for many different marketing projects for more than 10 years. C3’s IVR software is used primarily to support specialized campaigns such as telephone-based fund raisers, outbound telephone interviews and specialist automated surveys.
Apcentia is an enhanced mass call handling platform used by network operators, service providers, private companies and the Public Sector to provide automated services such as automated information services or data capture for brochure distribution. It includes many other supporting applications such as robust call recording and data storage facilities.
GFM Ltd manages a diverse range of campaigns on behalf of its customers, including interactive sports or holiday competitions for many of the UK’s National newspapers or bespoke projects for large corporates and blue chip companies.
Their marketing and project fulfillment campaigns embrace all communication channels and the open architecture of C3’s bespoke IVR software means it can be seamlessly integrated into web based applications, as Rob McLaughlin of GFM explains: The Apcentia platform is very flexible and because we have access to the source code, we are able to integrate its IVR capabilities into other software solutions we use to manage online and SMS campaigns, thus providing consumers with multiple entry points to competitions and quizzes.
More specialist projects GFM Ltd has been involved in include the provision of IVR and call recording facilities for Greater Manchester Police and automated pharmacy testing services for a leading healthcare media company.
For the latter, trained pharmacists tested their knowledge by using a number of pre-recorded examination modules, accessed by pressing different buttons on their phones. C3’s IVR call handling software collated all the information on its robust back-end database and participants were advised if they had passed and of their overall course performance to date.
GFM has also project managed many fund raising campaigns to help those effected by conflict or natural disaster. In 2005, they were invited by the BBCs Disasters Emergency Committee to compile and manage a telephone-based fund raising campaign following the Tsunami disaster of South East Asia. They were able to put appropriate infrastructure in place to manage the campaign within 24 hours and, using C3’s IVR software, they were able to handle in excess of 125K calls and process more than £3M in donations in the first three days of the campaign. GFM have run many other fund raising campaigns since then, including disaster appeals for Darfur, Asiaquake, Niger, Bangladesh, Burma and the Congo.
Tags: IVR software