Key results

• Davies Callback solution helped Halifax make around £0.5 million more in premium income
• 75% of callers embraced the call-back option
• Lost sales have fallen, as the ability for customers to transition between online and agent contact has reduced transaction abandonment

Background

When Halifax began selling regulated products via direct channels it was determined to take an integrated approach. The bank wanted a ‘joined up’ channel strategy that would allow customers to pass seamlessly between the internet and telephone-based sales teams.  

How we helped

Davies Callback is an intelligent freephone service that connects the bank’s website visitors to its contact centre with one simple click. Giving customers the freedom to speak to an agent immediately, or at a time that suits them. When the call is made, information about the caller is provided directly to the call centre agent, so they’re armed and ready to have a personalised conversation.  

Providing a fully customisable agent and customer experience, Davies Callback is scalable to suit even the very largest implementations – limited only by agent availability. Fully integrated with SMS, email and chat, the system allows calls to be routed to specific agents or teams based on the customer or the nature of the call, allowing for the fastest and best customer experience. While ‘single click’ outcomes enable agents to easily generate follow-up actions and capture information for enhanced insight and reporting. And real-time performance dashboards and historical MI always keep managers in the loop.  

Results

‘It has proved invaluable,’ says Simon Wassell, Head of Regulated Telephone Sales at Halifax.  ‘Before its introduction we were aware that sales opportunities were being lost because people failed to complete their transactions online. The option to connect directly to an agent via Callback sidesteps that failure and gives us the opportunity to save the sale.’ 

In addition to the income boost, Davies Callback has helped Halifax achieve impressively high conversion rates. The system was first introduced to support Halifax’s Guaranteed Growth Bond, before being rolled out to its equity-based ISAs. Since adoption, Callback has delivered sales conversion rates of over 40%, a figure similar to the results achieved through the bank’s telephone channel for existing ISA holders.  

The ability to schedule calls is one of Callback’s greatest assets for Halifax. The contact centre is open from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 1pm on Saturday, but careful use of Callback’s scheduling facility means that Halifax’s sales window remains open even when its contact centre is closed. ‘We’ve designed the call request form so that, if someone is surfing our site outside of hours and requests a call back, they’ll be invited to schedule it for a time when we’re open. The sales opportunity is firmly secured, and the customer’s expectations are managed from the outset,” explains Simon. A worthwhile outcome has been achieved for all.