e-conomic offers an almost 100% online service and support platform which is cost-effective, scalable and available 24/7.
e-conomic receives the same number of calls from its 32,000 customers as when the company had only 15,000 customers. e-conomic’s clear strategy of running its customer service and support through web 2.0 using YouTube videos, wikis and blogs is now paying off. With 80,000 customers, Multidata looks to e-conomic for inspiration on how to improve its support department.
One-to-many communication
- Our strategy for support and service is to communicate one-to-many. That's why we're working hard to change the perception that good service equals personal service. With personal service, we can only communicate within a limited period of time, and it's very time-consuming to give the same instructions to customers one by one, says Torben Frigaard Rasmussen, e-conomic CEO, and continues:
- Of course, we're still open to phone calls, but we have actually reduced the number of calls significantly. Today, we have 32,000 customers, but the number of calls is the same as when we had 15,000 customers. In comparison, we expect our 1,000 YouTube videos to be watched approx. 500,000 times this year. So our web 2.0 strategy is actually working in nine countries and 40 media overall when including each country's own versions.
Brave and fun
e-conomic’s service and support toolbox is based on an intense production of YouTube support videos, e-copedia articles (e-conomic’s wiki), frequent blog posts from both staff and customers, as well as webinars. The aim is not just to communicate the functionality of the accounting software, but also to involve customers.
- We've long given up the proprietary line of thought by which we own the documentation for the application and should handle everything through our own media. For one thing, it’s far cheaper to use social media because they are easily scalable – also to other countries. For another, it’s more fun and challenging to place ourselves in the hands of our customers. It’s a brave thing to do, and only a few companies do it to the same extent as us, says Kim Sneum Madsen, e-conomic Support Manager.
Inspiration to Multidata
A close partner to e-conomic, Multidata A/S has been greatly inspired by e-conomic’s online support tools.
- Over the years, we've built a large support department that services our 80,000 customers via phone, e-mail and an online request application. With the new social media, we can improve our support using e.g. YouTube support videos. Also, it’s important for us to keep up with the digital development and market trends in order to meet the needs of our customers, says Multidata CEO Helge Kaltoft.
According to Helge Kaltoft, e-conomic is the fastest growing accounting system in Denmark and has proven its merits in the market. That's why e-conomic serves as a source of inspiration to Multidata.
- e-conomic is very innovative with its fully web-based business model. The company has been digital from the outset and has established an integrated web 2.0 support platform from scratch. This is a great inspiration to us, even though Multidata is a larger and more mature company, says Helge Kaltoft.
Letting go of the reins
With the introduction of web 2.0 support and service tools, e-conomic has been very aware of the need to maintain a flat organizational structure.
- Our model requires a very skilled staff that is adaptable and ready to take on new technologies and support tools. If the same questions are raised over and over, the staff must be able to react quickly across different platforms and media because it may reflect a lack of information about how to use our services. Timing is all-important when your support is based on new media, says Torben Frigaard Rasmussen.
- It must be as natural to our staff to write wiki entries or create YouTube videos as answering phone calls, and our staff has done a great job of running and developing the social platform. In e-conomic, we have tried to let go of the reins and forget the notion that everything needs to be evaluated by a committee or approved by a superior.
Further information
Torben Frigaard Rasmussen, e-conomic CEO, +45 26 16 33 90
Helge Kaltoft, Multidata CEO, +45 72 27 90 00
Bent Jensen, Multidata Marketing Director, +45 72 27 90 00