All Posts By

michael

May 19
0
The beauty of an onbrand event

The beauty of an OnBrand event

By | Case Study, Events

The Challenge

When Beauty Magazine wanted to create a “Wow!” factor for its annual awards ceremony, they turned to us. Their partnership with OK! had elevated The Beauty Awards to the most prestigious date in the beauty calendar, bringing consumers, retailers, celebrities and beauty advisors together with top brands to determine the industry’s greatest product innovations over the previous 12 months. Our main challenge was figuring out how to deliver an event in a royal venue with a protected official throne that couldn’t be touched or moved, and a weak balcony meant we had no established areas where we could fix our specialist lighting.

Enter OnBrand

Our experience in running awards dinners has varied from Beauty & Cosmetics, Airlines, Call Centres, and Retail Properties, so we’ve learnt how to create events for multiple sectors. With these events, preparation is everything, and we created a project plan that was approved by all stakeholders in advance to make for a smooth process on the day. We took on a wide remit beyond the delivery of the full audio and visual production (set design, stage, sound and lighting), including running the floor during the event, as well as managing the security team, the paparazzi, and the (many) needs of the A-list celebrities, as well as the delivery of the awards.

Key Wins

  • Full event management
  • High quality AV production
  • Sourced and supplied well known presenters
  • Managed VIP’s
  • Full event logistics in historic and protected building
  • Contractor management
  • 100% Client satisfaction

What They Say

“We simply couldn’t have achieved what we did without OnBrand. They provided peace of mind to our management team before, during and after what was a special night. It was key for us to deliver because our new high profile commercial partners had drastically increased the profile of the event, and OnBrand went above and beyond, so we look forward to their help again next year!”

Tim Langford, GM – Communications International Group

May 19
0
Using shopping centre radio to raise cash for kids

Using shopping centre radio to raise cash for kids

By | Audio, Case Study, Shopping Centres

The Challenge

Beaumont, Leicester – a 300,000 sq ft Shopping Centre based within the East Midlands – wished to run a fundraising initiative supporting local families. With as many as 1 in 3 children in the East Midlands region considered as living in poverty, the aim was to encourage the donation of toys from their visitors. These toys were then distributed to  local families. However, even with the support of their local radio station Gem 106, the first weekend saw a donation of just a dozen gifts, making it hard to see how the incentive could grow to its potential.

Enter OnBrand

Given that we believed in the campaign and always support good causes where possible, we took the 50-second audio file the centre had played on air and uploaded it to the centre’s internal radio system at no extra cost, allowing the message to reach 100% of shoppers in the mall. This saw a significant increase in donations, with 58 gifts being donated the next weekend and over 400 toys being donated by the end of a successful campaign.

Key Wins

  • Enhanced awareness of the campaign
  • Raised kudos of the incentive
  • Created a community spirit within the mall
  • Delivered quantifiable results at a quick turnaround

What They Say

“When running an incentive for charity, you always want to get the best results possible. No child should wake up on Christmas morning without a present to open and hopefully the “Cash for kids” campaign, and the generosity of our shoppers, has helped with this. OnBrand used their knowledge of shopper behaviour to help ensure the campaign saw a significant spike in results, and we’re incredibly grateful for their help.”
Simon Revill, Centre Manager – The Beaumont Shopping Centre

May 19
0
Europcar phone strategy

Driving customers to the right destination at Europcar

By | Call Centres, Case Study

The Challenge

Europcar are one of the biggest car rental companies in the UK, so when they decided to move to a “one phone number” strategy, they needed to develop their own call routing system. At first, their self-designed call flow confused customers and resulted in thousands of calls being miss-routed and needlessly transferred every week, which naturally led to a significant increase in customer complaints.

Enter OnBrand

We discussed the issues with all relevant stakeholders and analysed the call flow as it was. After listening to live calls, speaking to the call agents and analysing Europcar’s stats, we highlighted that a number of tasks had been moved away from local branches to contact centres, yet this hadn’t been communicated to callers. This meant they were calling local branches, being placed on hold, and finally being routed to an offshore centre without understanding why.

With patience, understanding, and a little creative magic, we redesigned the entire call flow to fix the routing issue, reducing the overall number of options by 60%. We also introduced a brand new Tone of Voice and scripted the messages in a style that customers trusted and understood, helping them remain engaged and choose the right option at the first attempt.

Key Wins

  • An immediate decrease of 36% in mis-directed calls
  • Neutralised complaints to “normal” levels after just 1 month
  • Educated customers to business changes with on hold messaging
  • Reduced on-hold times
  • Successful deflection of calls onto contact centre, freeing up time in local branches

What They Say

“The pre-agent phone experience has a huge impact on the success of the call, and the retention of that customer. Getting it right is integral to influencing caller behaviour, and although the brand’s needs are different with every project, our experience has helped us build a strong methodology that achieves positive results – in both the short and long term aims of the business.”
Daniel Graham, Managing Director – OnBrand Group

May 19
0
Hacking crisis requires a good customer message

HACKING CRISIS AT TESCO’S: WHO YOU GONNA CALL?

By | Call Centres, Case Study

The Challenge

In November 2016, Tesco Bank announced the news that an incredible £2.5 million had been stolen from its accounts by a group of cyber-thieves. With 9,000 bank accounts hacked and widespread panic set to filter through the brand’s customers, they were under pressure to minimise the damage to their reputation.

Enter OnBrand

Tesco is a brand we rate highly and we wanted to help them navigate their way through the crisis. With an inevitable wave of concerned and angry callers set to contact Tesco Bank, we pro-actively approached the company and asked if they’d like us to record a number of key messages that would help them cope with demand.

Key Wins

We helped Tesco:

  • Communicate calmly
  • Assure affected customers that refunds would be issued
  • Lay out clear directions so callers could self-serve
  • Reaffirm that customers remained Tesco’s priority
  • Achieve a big impact with a quick turnaround

What They Say

“When our name hit the headlines, we needed to act fast. OnBrand contacted us as soon as the story broke and offered a much needed solution. They were ready, willing and able to help, and their key communication messages helped reduce caller frustration greatly within just a few hours.”
Pauline Wilson, Telephony Manager – Tesco Bank

May 19
0
Exceeding expectations for Expedia

Exceeding expectations for Expedia

By | Call Centres, Case Study

The Challenge

Expedia is a staple travel reservation company, running localised sites for 18 countries. It books airline tickets, hotel reservations, car rentals, cruises, vacation packages, and other various attractions and services via telephone travel agents. Needless to say, telephony is a touchpoint of paramount importance for a company such as this, yet the need to create hundreds of high quality messages, in several languages, at speed – all the while maintaining their brand reputation – wasn’t a task for the faint-hearted.

Enter OnBrand

We first focused on Expedia’s existing telephony scripts, raising the quality of the prompts so we could ensure routing callers to the right place on the first attempt, all the while projecting Expedia’s professionalism to the customer. We performed all work within a 5 day turnaround, delighting the brand with both the pace we can work at, as well as the quality of our product. Our expertise allowed us to cut average handling times, and use on hold messaging to educate callers in ways they could self-serve should they want to.

Key Wins

    • Reviewed IVR Structure
    • Generated precise translations
    • Achieved a quick turnaround
    • Sourced voice artist that matched brand’s identity
    • Maintained great project management throughout

What They Say

“When we rolled out our telecoms platform across many European countries, we required a complete set of new recordings for our IVR structure and messages – and in many native languages. Being extremely customer focused, we required a company that could provide a good selection of voices along with the understanding of how important our relationship is with the customers. OnBrand got it right first time, meeting and exceeding expectations with a great blend of creativity and professionalism.”
Adam Sugden, Technical Architect – Expedia

May 19
0
Change the bleeding record

Change the bleedin’ record

By | Audio, Call Centres, Case Study

The Challenge

The National Blood and Transplant is an independent arm of the NHS, and being that business relies so heavily on goodwill, they’re always seeking ways to improve their levels of service. Despite winning numerous customer service awards, they’re simply can’t answer all of their calls within the 3 rings that they aim for, and many callers need to be placed on hold while their agents deal with multiple queries.

Enter OnBrand

We immediately highlighted the repetitive loops of messaging that on-hold callers were forced to sit through and used our expert knowledge to create scripts that were relevant to the purpose of call, linking messages to other campaigns that ran within the business. Our aim was to bring the customer experience in line with the same high standards as National Blood’s other communication channels, as this consistency makes a huge difference to brand reputation.

Key Wins

    • Created a clear brand audio strategy
    • Decreased caller abandonment
    • Improved customer satisfaction
    • Reacted quickly to changes and emergencies

What They Say

“The work OnBrand did is outstanding and has been very well received across the service. Flexibility, commitment and pro-activity are qualities that I value highly, and they provided just that. It’s great that we can now accurately bring our telephone messaging in line with our latest communications and marketing efforts, and in a very engaging way, thanks to OnBrand.”
Ian Hamerton, NCC Manager – National Blood Service

May 19
0
Using Our Experience in IVR

Using our experience in IVR to achieve a rosy outcome

By | Call Centres, Case Study

The challenge: A major UK flower delivery company introduced a self-serve method on their telephony system that was losing the business money on an ongoing basis.

As a rule, integrating new technology into a company’s telephony system is a positive move that should be heralded. However, there is a science to people’s behaviour and unless your telephony journey is created with that in mind, there’s always a danger that callers won’t embrace it.

The problem with our client’s self-serve order tracking solution is that the uptake of callers was too low to generate a return on investment, so not only was it costing money to operate, but it was adding very little value to their customers.

We used the vast experience available to us to understand the brand and create a new tone of voice. In doing this, we were able to align the sound of their existing national TV ads with more natural wording. We structured the IVR in such a way that the effort needed to use the order tracking service was greatly reduced.

This made some impact, and within the first month, self-serve order tracking had risen from 42% to over 70%. This increased customer satisfaction greatly and reduced the overall call volumes reaching agents, allowing them to generate cost savings – precisely what you want from your IVR.

May 19
0
Harmonising History

Harmonising history whilst captivating customers with Fortnum & Mason

By | Audio, Case Study, Shopping Centres

The challenge: To retain the long established brand values of Fortnum & Mason and integrate a new sound system that would help captivate their customers, all within a listed historic building.

We had to be delicate when considering the existing period layout and décor because the design and deployment of this particular sound system offered several challenges. Although there were many logistical and physical constraints, we knew we had a great opportunity to stretch boundaries with our design.

The project commenced in the early summer of 2013 and our brief was to provide floor by floor sound coverage across all five trading floors, with each floor being unique in its requirements. With the entire system controlled from the sixth floor, overnight installation works were required from 9pm until 10am each working day.

When matching the brand with a manufacturer whose quality and heritage complimented that of Fortnum & Mason, we decided to opt for the Bose Pro specification because, for more than four decades, Bose have developed speakers and electronics to meet the demanding requirements of professional audio applications.

The design incorporates an existing set of external speakers and two wireless microphone systems, ensuring each floor and zone within the floor had its own music source and volume control selectors. This gave the music profiling team total flexibility on playlists and soundscape.

Throughout the project, we worked to retain all that was marvellous about the building’s Georgian past, yet created a 21st-century shopping experience by deploying a high quality sound system that was amplified by our wealth of musical understanding. From Bizet to Vitamin String Quartet, the customers are treated to traditional classical tracks with a modern twist.

As the sweeping spiral staircase soars through the four-storey building and light floods down from a central glass dome, shoppers receive both a visual and an aural treat. So the next time you visit Fortum & Mason, remember that the audio feast you’re sure to enjoy is part of the OnBrand experience.

“The sound lures customers’ attention to the merchandise
and makes the store a harmonious and creative experience,
while stunning the senses with artistic drama.”
– Paul Symes, Fortnum & Mason

May 08
0

Dogs Die In Hot Cars

By | Campaigns
#DogsDieInHotCars

As the summer months approach, the number of animals who suffer severe fatal cases of dehydration increases greatly as the temperatures inside a car are similar to that of an oven. Therefore, to support National Pet Month, we’ve created the following message should you want to use it.

As we approach the summer months, we would like to remind customers not to leave dogs and other pets parked in hot cars, even with the window down or parked in the shade. The car’s interior temperature can increase rapidly and animals can suffer from heatstroke, which can be fatal. Dogs die in hot cars, so be kind and leave your pets behind. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter to be part of the team. Search: Team Otis UK! – Safety Message

Hear Audio

 

Simply reminding your shoppers of the dangers of leaving their pets in hot cars can make a great difference and save a lot of distress, so we encourage you to consider playing this.

To play the message, simply click the button below, enter your login, then click the Dogs Die In Hot Cars button, allowing you to choose the dates and times you’d like the message to play.

If you like what you hear then please take a moment to schedule them in your client area.

Update my Messages

Got a question? Simply sayhello@onbrand.co.uk or give us a call on 03333 220 022 to find out how we can help your business.

May 03
0
Music and messaging in a mall

The importance of sound in your mall

By | Blog

If there’s one thing our experience tells us, it’s that sound matters. To your shoppers, it matters because it can make them feel welcome. To retailers, it matters because it can help drive footfall to their shops. To staff, it can improve the atmosphere in the workplace. And to the centre as a whole, it can be used to establish a brand that is evident throughout the entire mall.

However, there are a number of common mistakes made on a daily basis that nullify the impact of what good sound can offer.

These are by far the most common:

1. Uneven distribution

Often when wanting to spread sound through the centre, people use one or two speakers and crank the volume up for maximum effect. In reality though, clear sound can only travel so far, and excess volume is likely to distort the quality of the sound from your speakers. As skilled PA Installers, we know that in order to get a message out in a way that is calm and effective, your speakers will ideally be situated at several key points throughout the venue.

2. A lack of understanding

Each retailer is likely to have slightly different needs. For example, the manager of a café may feel too much sound as a distraction for their customers, whereas other managers may view in-mall radio as a great way to drive traffic to their store. The good news is the right PA system will allow you to choose different sound levels for different areas of the mall, creating a win-win environment between centre staff.

3. Timing and delivery

Our technology allows full control of your music and messaging, meaning you can schedule important announcements to go out at the right time. If centre staff are expected to make announcements manually, there’s no guarantee they won’t be busy or distracted when the moment comes. Also, manual messages often suffer from sound interference, meaning your shoppers don’t take in the full message anyway – all of which can be avoided with our professionally recorded messages.

4. Don’t switch off

Every now and then, we hear of centre management switching off their sound altogether. However, it is a legal requirement to have your PA System set up and ready should you need to make a health and safety announcement. And as you need to have the system installed, it really makes sense to make the most of it.

5. Understanding music

We’ve done a great deal of research into how music influences behavior, and the pace of the track can have a huge influence on how people move through your centre. On a quiet day, you might want to play something calm to slow shoppers down and increase dwell time, keeping your mall as full as possible. Likewise, when you get busy on a weekend, a nice quick beat can keep customers moving and improve the flow throughout the mall. This is a simple example of how music gets misused all the time.

Want to know more about how our knowledge of music, messaging or PA Systems can help send great vibes through your centre? Simply sayhello@onbrand.co.uk.