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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dominion Uses Virtual Hold Queue Management for Customer Satisfaction
Utility Company Allows Customers to “Hang Up on Hold Time”
Akron, OH – June 23, 2004 – Virtual Hold Technology® LLC (VHT), the leading provider of intelligent queue management solutions, is proud to have been chosen by Dominion, one of the nation’s largest energy producers, to improve service efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Dominion, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, provides natural gas and electric energy to over 5 million customers in 9 states. Because Dominion values its customers’ time and realizes how frustrating long hold times can be, the company has implemented Virtual Hold to give callers the option of remaining on hold or receiving a return call without the inconvenience of waiting on hold.
When customer service agents are not immediately available to answer billing or service questions, the Virtual Hold system enables callers to hang up but keep their place in line.
Callers are informed of their estimated wait time and given the callback option. When customers select a callback and enter their phone number, they are then free to go about their business as the system holds their place in the queue. Virtual Hold places a return call to the customer when he is next in line to speak with an agent, providing the customer with a high level of service and convenience.
Dominion is using the Virtual Hold system at its call centers in Akron, Ohio and Richmond and Norfolk, Virginia. The system has been in place since December 2003 and has been well received by customers. Virtual Hold is integrated into Dominion’s existing call center environment, which includes Edify IVRs and Rockwell FirstPoint Contact ACDs, allowing
Dominion to fully leverage existing technology investments.
“Virtual Hold provides Dominion the technology needed to improve efficiency and increase customer satisfaction,” said Jay Johnson, Dominion Delivery president and chief executive officer.
Carrie Fannelly, director of call center operations for Dominion, stated, “The Virtual Hold project has proved successful not only from a customer service standpoint but also from a technical integration view. The VHT team worked with us to design a solution that was the right fit for our call center environment and our business needs.” Ms. Fannelly also noted
that since the implementation of Virtual Hold, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has not received any complaints from consumers regarding long hold times or busy signals. This reflects a significant improvement in the level of service Dominion provides to customers and is directly attributed to Virtual Hold.
“We’re very happy to add Dominion to our prestigious list of utility clients,” said Mark Williams, president and founder of VHT. “In today’s competitive market, technology solutions like Virtual Hold that improve both the customer experience and our clients’ operations are clearly a winning proposition.”
Virtual Hold system enhancements have added new features and conveniences for customers, such as the ability to schedule a callback for up to seven days in the future. Other planned updates to Dominion’s automated voice messaging system include eliminating the need for customers to repeat their account numbers to agents after entering the digits on their telephones and allowing customers to request duplicate bills or account summaries listing recent transactions.
About Virtual Hold Technology
Virtual Hold Technology (VHT) is the leading developer of virtual queuing solutions for Fortune 1000 clients. Since its inception in 1995, VHT's patented, award-winning virtual queuing technology has provided return call solutions focused on enhancing the customer experience for financial services, energy/utility, insurance, telecommunications, cable, wireless, and retail corporations such as IBM, Bank of America, T-Mobile, Aflac, AT&T, Banco Popular, Verizon, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Time Warner Cable, and AVON. To learn how Virtual Hold virtual queuing solutions can help increase customer satisfaction and reduce contact center costs, visit www.virtualhold.com or call 877-886-8187.
To experience a demonstration of a Virtual Hold call, dial 1-888-412-2214 (or 330-670-2214).
Contact Info: Adrienna M. Frazer
About Dominion
Dominion (NYSE: D) is one of the nation's largest producers of energy, with an energy portfolio of more than 24,000 megawatts of generation, 6.4 trillion cubic feet equivalent of proved natural gas reserves and 7,900 miles of natural gas transmission pipeline. Dominion also operates the nation's largest underground natural gas storage system with more than
960 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves 5.3 million retail energy customers in nine states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at www.dom.com.
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