Do you ever wish you had more hours in the day to connect with your debtors? With so many people working 8 to 10 hour days, it's not always easy to make contact and collect on accounts. But Interactive Voice Response technology can help you do just that--even after your collectors have gone home!

In general terms, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is a system that automatically manages incoming calls, allowing callers to use a touchtone phone to access a computer database. By calling into an IVR system, a person can, in most cases, get the information they need quickly, at their convenience. IVR gives callers greater control over their transactions and interactions.

Now your customers can have more control too. CU·INTERACT is an IVR system that automates access to The Collector System®. With CU·INTERACT, debtors can call anytime to set up a payment plan, hear recent account history information, leave a message, transfer to a representative and more.

Interaction Made Easy
Let's say one of your debtors is working on his household budget at nine o'clock in the evening. He decides he wants to pay off his account as soon as possible. Rather than having to wait until the next day to speak with an agent, he can call your customer service number, follow the prompts that you've established and set up a payment promise on the spot. CU·INTERACT takes that information and enters it into The Collector System automatically, in real time. No collector required!

With CU·INTERACT, you can take better care of your debtors by:

• Giving them the option to interact with you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
• Providing instant account information such as balance, recent transactions, current status, next due date and amount.
• Letting them create payment plans on their own, which are automatically entered into The Collector System.
• Allowing them to transfer to a specific extension or leave a voice message, rather than having to go through a receptionist or sit on hold.

When your customers have easy access to the information they need, they can do some of the work for you.

Simplify Your Collections
You want to make it easier for debtors to manage and settle their debt, but what else can CU·INTERACT deliver that will give your collections business a boost?

›› More Flexibility
Configure the system to meet your needs. For example, if you're a smaller company, you may want to use CU·INTERACT as a voice mail system. Customers can call in to get information on an account and debtors can call to speak with an agent or make a payment. If you have multiple lines, you can assign each line a specific job: one may screen calls and send the caller to an agent; another may offer automated account information through voice prompts. It's up to you to define the actions and call paths for your customers.

›› Greater Productivity
With CU·INTERACT, you can free up your staff to perform other tasks. When debtors enter data through the IVR, the information is input into The Collector System automatically. Account data is always current, without requiring additional data entry from your collectors.

›› Ease of Use
CU·INTERACT's graphical interface makes changing call paths and modifying call actions simple tasks. Create pre-recorded, human-speech messages for voice prompts and messages. A voice file recording and playback utility is provided so you can customize call path messages as you wish.

›› Detailed Reporting
CU·INTERACT maintains accurate and detailed call logs for each day's activities. Reports can help you analyze Call History, Actions and Line Usage. You can even create your own reports with any Microsoft® Access compatible reporting tool (i.e. Crystal Reports®), or display reports graphically.

The Technology Inside
CU·INTERACT relies on user-defined call actions to walk customers through calls. These call actions can be linked together sequentially through a menu and can perform a number of tasks, such as:

• Provide callers with detailed account information.
• Play a message or phrase of pre-recorded messages or text-to-speech (TTS) using information retrieved from the appropriate database fields or on-the-fly calculations.
• Transfer calls to an extension in the office.
• Set up a payment plan using predefined minimums and payment criteria.
• Automatically branch to another call action based on account criteria or a menu offered to the caller.

You'll set up your flowcharts using a graphical interface, which makes it easy to see where each decision by the caller will lead and how the parts of the tree interact in the flexible call path.

CU·INTERACT runs on Windows® 2000 or XP using Intel® Dialogic® telephony cards and software and connects to analog lines from your existing phone system, or directly to outside telephone lines. CU·INTERACT can take advantage of most of your PBX or phone system's capabilities, including automatic call distribution (ACD) and call transfer via flash-hook. The system can also be set up to run independently from, or complimentary to, your existing call center environment.

The Total Package

Columbia Ultimate's The Collector System, coupled with Call Center Solutions including CU·INTERACT, can help you increase your contact rate and reduce your operating expenses. Add-on modules provide even more opportunities to collect. To round out your IVR system, the following optional IVR modules or additional products are available:

• Spanish Language Module
• Voice mail and Automated Attendant Module
• CU·REMIT
• CU·CONVERSE with Interactive Messaging

As the provider of both core collection software and call center solutions, Columbia Ultimate has a thorough understanding of how all your systems interact with each other. That means it's easier to get technical and application support when you need it--straight from one source.

If you're ready to ramp up productivity and deliver more opportunities to collect from your debtors, let us know. We'll help you put CU·INTERACT and other telephony solutions to work for your business. Contact your Client Relations Executive today at 1-800-488-4420, option 2.