Why OnProcess Went All-In On Automation

By Replicant
January 23, 2023

Why OnProcess Went All-In On Automation

Contact Center Automation’s ability to transform customer service operations, improve the agent experience, and boost bottom lines is making a huge impact at companies across industries.

But how organizations approach an automation deployment varies greatly. Some take a gradual approach, starting by automating a single process like Routing or Customer Authentication.

Others leverage automation to start offering after hours support or as an overflow option when demand spikes. Others implement around a more robust use case, like automating 100% of Appointments or Dispatch Requests.

In each scenario, the goal is the same: test the impact of Contact Center Automation and, eventually, realize enough value that the business case of going all-in becomes clear.

This was the case for OnProcess, a supply chain business focused on equipment recovery.

At Resolve 2022 Mark Oldani, COO of OnProcess, shared why his team decided to dive head first into Contact Center Automation after understanding its benefits. Their partnership with Replicant has transformed their ability to interact with customers while adding significant value for their agents.

OnProcess manages the circular supply chain for companies that require moving hardware and equipment around, processing some 20 million service orders and returns a year in over 110 countries.

The recovery of inventory is the largest part of OnProcess’ business, according to Oldani, but it’s also a very straightforward job dependent on the repetition of fairly simple tasks.

“When you look at the agents that we had on some of our most routine programs, those are the ones that had the highest attrition rates,” said Oldani. He said the attrition rate for agents in these entry-level roles was in the 9-11% range on a monthly basis because the job “was not complex, it was super routine and redundant.”

Oldani explained that when OnProcess started moving their agents out of jobs with “routine and mundane work” and into roles with more complex responsibilities, the company saw “a huge difference in their satisfaction level and their retention level.” In fact, the attrition rate for employees with enhanced responsibilities dropped to 1-3% per month.

Attrition dipped for entry-level agents, too, down to 4-6% per month, “Because we don’t need to hire as many people at that first level,” Oldani said. “And even the ones on the first level jobs can see what we’re doing. And they can see how [automation] is benefiting them in their jobs.”

But Contact Center Automation didn’t just help create a greater purpose for OnProcess agents. It also improved the company’s capacity to resolve many common customer requests by providing automated support across a variety of channels. “We want to be available any way and every way,” said Oldani.

For the more complicated customer support requests that still require the expertise of a live agent, “we want them to engage with that customer with the data in hand,” said Oldani. Indeed, Contact Center Automation provides agents with knowledge and information about customers that helps inform the response and potential resolution before the interaction even begins.

Oldani called the implementation and success of their Replicant partnership an “absolute home run” for OnProcess – and he has the metrics to back it up:

11% improvement in equipment return rates
CSAT improved by 40%
500% increase in outbound volume
70% reduction in average hold time
35% net monthly savings

Alongside these impressive figures that demonstrate the value Contact Center Automation has brought to OnProcess, Oldani also highlighted another key fact. “We haven’t laid off anybody associated with this,” he said. The changes have actually allowed the company to win new business faster by freeing up nearly 40 agents and transitioning them to help out with new clients. “The great news is people are going into new jobs, these digital services and automation jobs,” he said.

“It’s a constant effort to keep building energy around a digital transformation. And going all in on automation is not a one-time thing, it’s a constant thing,” said Oldani. “We don’t know what’s coming next. This world is changing quickly. Technology’s changing quickly. But if you’re all in, you’re going to be positioned to take advantage of the next wave of whatever it is when it comes.”

Check out Resolve Rewind to access a trove of insightful presentations from contact center leaders and customer service innovators, and learn more about how Contact Center Automation is changing the way companies engage with their customers.