Reader's Digest Improves Customer Service While Reducing IT Operating Costs

MEDFORD, MA - Parlance Corporation, a provider of speech-enabled telephone connections throughout corporate enterprises, announced it has implemented its NameConnector Service in the corporate headquarters of Reader's Digest Association Inc. (NYSE: RDA, RDB). The Service answers all incoming calls to the main number and handles internal employee-to-employee calls that were previously handled by operators. The NameConnector greets public callers by the second ring and prompts them to speak the name of a person or department they wish to reach. Callers also have the option of reaching an operator for personal assistance by saying the word "operator" or pressing the "0" key at any time. After hours, callers are greeted with a customized greeting and are transferred automatically, instead of going through security to be connected. Internally, Reader's Digest employees press the "0" button on their desk phones, are prompted to speak a name, and are connected automatically. This service is available to employees from any phone at any time of day. The NameConnector service has virtually eliminated the need to use employee directories and has successfully offloaded 95% of internal operator transfer requests. "Like so many of our existing customers, Reader's Digest initially implemented an internal solution. The immediate benefits and acceptance from their calling community prompted them to rollout the service to external callers who now also benefit from the improved level of service. Additional ports were added to handle the increased call volume and the new application was handling "public" calls within one day. Today, we connect over 13,000 callers per month for Reader's Digest," said Jack Reilly, Parlance Corporation's CEO. The NameConnector significantly reduced Reader's Digest existing operating expenses by lowering call duration times and reducing IT support costs. Today, operators handle callers who specifically ask for operator assistance, and can focus on more valued projects. "I've received extremely positive responses from our calling community. The NameConnector is much more efficient and costs less than operator assisted service. Today, we provide our clients and customers with an improved level of service and have seen an immediate ROI," said Terry Marganella, Director of IT Client Services at Reader's Digest. Parlance Corporation offers the NameConnector Service as a turnkey, fully managed service providing constant system monitoring to ensure 7/24 availability and caller satisfaction. "It was important to implement a turn-key service because we have limited staff for telecommunications support. We are very pleased with the level of service provided by Parlance Corporation," said Marganella.