Category Archives: Industry News & Insight

Alumni fundraising: challenges and best practices

Alumni fundraising: challenges and best practices

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In a constantly evolving sector, the expectations on the outcomes of alumni fundraising strategies have changed. Universities are facing new challenges and need new tools to help convert alumni into active donors. 

Alumni fundraising: a new necessity for universities

With universities struggling to stay on top of their game due to increasing expenses and pressures to constantly offer the best equipment and education to their students, fundraising is of growing importance to these institutions. Universities are completely in charge of their fundraising, no other external agencies interfere, leaving them in complete autonomy to organise their fundraising and choose the best practices specific to their needs.

Over the past few years, the total amount of donors and money raised increased significantly – universities now receive more donations per year than any charitable sector. The majority of donors typically are alumni, but parents, current students, faculty members, associations, staff and other people of interest sometimes donate too.

Alongside financial donations, universities benefit from donor’s advice and gain from their networks and connections. Overall, fundraising adds value, increases academic excellence and accelerates initiatives and projects. 

University fundraising in the digital era

Previously, most best practices for alumni engagement revolved around direct mail campaigns, phone calls and student conferences. Nowadays, the possibilities are endless.  Over the years, universities have been able to increasingly engage with their alumni more consistently and the internet and its different tools have become an interactive way to increase alumni engagement.

To maintain healthy and consistent relationships with alumni, universities need to use technology to their benefit. Among other things, they can organise regular update calls, webinars, and regularly post news and engaging content on their social media platforms. Universities ultimately need to do more with less to make sure their alumni relations are maintained.

What alumni fundraising can bring to universities

  • With current government cuts, money brought in through fundraising can help universities manage their current budget shortfalls, as well as allow them to maintain innovation, excellence and competitiveness.
  • Alumni participation creates a broad and diverse base of support and this extended network works as an external point of view that will be able to advise the university on the changes and innovations that need to be done.
  • Consistent giving by alumni, including smaller donations, in the years following their graduation, increases the likelihood that they will become major donors later in life.
  • High levels of alumni participation can inspire other major donors (such as companies, associations or foundations) to start participating or increase their own support. When a university is and looks successful, other people want to be part of its success and will be more willing to invest.
  • Fundraising focuses the university on a clear articulation of its strategy and gives it a precise overview of its projects and objectives for the years to come.
  • Success is excellent for morale. When a fundraising campaign works and brings a lot of donations, staff and students feel that their institution is worthwhile, which tends to boost productivity and engagement towards the university. 

What are some best practices for fundraising?

  • Finding international ambassadors. Use LinkedIn to find alumni in leadership positions around the world. This can enhance international philanthropy and benefit your university more broadly by inspiring young students to study abroad. I can also help with outreach and gaining international influence.
  • Collect information about your alumni to better engage with them. In order to do this, monitor hashtags and keywords students or alumni are using when speaking about your university. Track the type of content alumni interact the most with, and use alumni surveys to uncover demographics data.
  • Use social media for research. Many applicants are now using social media as an important tool for their job searches. Use LinkedIn to promote networking and learning, it is a very efficient way to show former students you still care about their progress. 
  • Mind your communication. Focus on your donor, be clear and establish a logical fundraising strategy. Potential benefactors, even former students, are not going to invest their money in an organisation that doesn’t have a clear vision of what they want to achieve. When presenting your plan, focus on the excellence and the strengths of your institution. Alumni want to see their university preserve its excellence, with a clear idea of the projects they want to uptake to stay on top of their game.
  • Offer multiple ways to donate. By making the whole process easier and stress-free, your alumni will appreciate your flexibility and will be more willing to freely participate. With multiple options, alumni can donate immediately or over time with recurring gifts or regular payroll deductions etc. Offering many different ways to donate lets everyone decide what is the right fit for them and shows great adaptability.
  • Do not lose contact after the first donation. Every donor, regardless of the size of their gift, should be well taken care of. Keeping in touch leaves a good impression on the donor, making them likely to give again and give more. In order to leave a positive and lasting impression on your donors: efficiently process their donations, thank them or publicly recognise them, invite them to events, send them progress updates etc.
  • Show the impact donations have on the university. To be sure they have made the right investment, donors want to know where their money goes. Donors want their donation to have a direct and beneficial impact on university research, on the academic performance and well-being of students. There is a choice of formats available to highlight this progress and the successes accomplished thanks to these donations, including conferences, videos, infographics or blogs. 

C3 can help you overcome fundraising challenges

Donors will be more willing to give money if the whole donation process is made easy,  stress-free and secure at all times. Our Secure Assist solution allows university staff to guide donors through the whole process, for a smooth and quick experience. Our platform can take payments via telephone, SMS and a white-labelled online portal. Our solution also provides universities with a PCI DSS compliant telephone payment platform that allows alumni to make donations completely safely, and even sign up securely for regular donations.

Our university customer base includes Cambridge and Oxford universities, so whatever the unique challenges you’re facing with alumni fundraising, we have a solution for you. We have extensive experience in and knowledge of the education sector, so do not hesitate to contact us. 

Why is PCI compliance essential to building customers’ trust?

Why is PCI compliance essential to building customers’ trust?

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Developed by the PCI Security Standards Council, the PCI DSS compliance aims to reduce card payment fraud. Any organisation that handles credit or debit card data is required to comply with it. Compliance is validated by a certified security assessor, or for companies that process smaller volumes of data, by a self-assessment questionnaire. 

These standards were established to ensure the protection of data and personal information, to help prevent credit card fraud and to avoid costly data breaches. Compliance with PCI DSS standards does not mean that you will not have a data breach, but that in the event of one, credit card companies will support you.

To be PCI compliant, companies must consider these regular activities: 

– Building and maintaining a secure computer network

– Protecting customer data

– Maintaining a vulnerability management program

– Reinforcing access controls

– Regular testing and monitoring networks

– Keeping an open security and information policy

If you accept credit card payments, the payment card industry’s security standard must be fully integrated with your e-commerce service. That’s why issuers and acquirers are responsible for ensuring that all of their service providers and merchants comply with PCI DSS standards.

What would you risk in the event of non-compliance?

By applying the PCI DSS standard, your company is letting its customers know that it is taking the necessary measures to protect their credit card data against theft and any fraudulent use on the Internet. The consequences of a cyber-attack do not only fall on users but also on the company in question: loss of customer trust, fines, loss of revenue and a significant negative impact on a company’s brand image.

Moreover, in case of non-compliance, your ability to accept credit card payments may be suspended or revoked. Failure to comply with this e-commerce requirement may result in data breaches, loss of trust and even termination of the agreement that allows you to receive card payments.

PCI compliance is getting increasingly relevant with the rise of digital payments

With digital payments, authentication and security are essential criteria. In fact, the possibility of fraud is way higher with digital payments than with in-store card payments. Companies are therefore required to have fraud detection systems and effective tools to validate and authenticate cards.

Consumer vigilance has been particularly important in recent years, and sellers have had to keep up with nowadays expectations and requirements in order to maintain their consumers’ trust. This increased vigilance has prompted sellers to take the necessary measures to ensure the security of their remote payment method. 

This has been made possible above all by the introduction of new security features that strengthen user confidence, such as removing customer card details from your network, e-wallets and online portals payment solutions. These solutions enable organisations to encourage long-term relationships, with features such as repeated automated payments and avoid refunds by offering e-wallet top-ups to customers. These modern features improve customer experience whilst ensuring the absolute security of the payments.

Other methods have been implemented to reinforce payment security:

  • Visa and Mastercard have developed the 3-d security protocol which adds an additional step in the authentication procedure. Your bank then decides its format; it could be a text sent to your mobile number, an automated call from your bank to your personal number, a private password set-up in advance, etc.
  • A new type of card was created, these cards have a changing three-digit card verification value. After each use, this innovative card will produce a new CVV to protect the user from any card fraud.
  • Sellers can also use of a third-party website that requires a password, such as HiPay and PayPal. The advantage of these systems is that users’ payment data won’t be known by the merchant.

Every business handling payment data must prioritise PCI DSS compliance, in order to make their customers feel that their financial information is being fully protected. 

C3 is known to be one of the UK’s leading PCI specialists. C3’s effective PCI-DSS compliant solutions are simple to implement and ensure complete security for your customers, preventing any possibility of fraud. Do not hesitate to contact us to find out more, we’ll be happy to help you with your specific project.

The Importance of Clearing for Universities

The importance of clearing for universities

Industry News & Insight,

With the A-Levels exams and results fast approaching, it is important to shed light on one of the key processes students use to get into undergraduate university courses: the clearing process. In 2018, a little over 60,000 students found a place on a university course after applying through clearing, which is a new record for this process. Until recently, clearing was seen as a “last chance” for students that didn’t perform well on their A-Levels, but now it’s also about choice. So, let’s have a look at the clearing process and its increasing relevance for both universities and students.

Things you should know about the clearing process

The clearing process offers to match students with the remaining undergraduate spots at universities that are yet to be filled. The clearing process, organised by UCAS, Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, opens for those who didn’t meet the necessary requirements to get into the course of their choice. It’s also for those who desire to apply for another course and for those who didn’t apply to any course at all and got better results than expected. 

When can you apply through the clearing process in 2019? 

If UCAS receives your application after 30th June 2019, it will be considered too late to enter the main scheme and it will directly enter the clearing process. Thus, you are allowed to complete an application to get a place through clearing, from the 1st of July until the 29th of September 2019.  

Some key clearing statistics: 

  • 1 in 8 people accepted on a full-time university undergraduate course were accepted through the clearing process.
  • Clearing is also available for students outside the UK. Over 5,500 EU and international applicants enter the clearing process each year.
  • 83% of students who went through clearing last year said they were satisfied with their choice.

University clearing: a consolation prize or an opportunity?

Following changes to admission rules that now allow universities to recruit as many students as they can, the image of clearing has progressively changed. Russell Group universities have proved clearing is no longer the consolation prize it once was. Last year, most Russell Group universities had vacancies available to students, such as the University of Leeds, Bristol, Sheffield and more. Now a vast range of courses is offered, including some of the most popular ones like biology, English literature, nursing, economics, and law.

With an increasing number of students using the service to bag a better university, now they also use the process to their advantage and apply for places for many different reasons – they may have had a change of heart or circumstances, and they see the clearing process has an opportunity to apply for a different course or a better institution. 

What challenges are universities facing during the clearing period?

Clearing can be a stressful period for both students and universities. Thousands of students will be nervously calling on results day expecting to be dealt with quickly and efficiently. In order to leave a positive impression on potential future students, universities need to answer enquiries and connect students to available courses efficiently.

During the clearing period, universities see a substantial increase in enquiries coming in through different channels. It can be difficult to manage each enquiry in a timely manner, so many students are often left feeling frustrated and ignored, leading them to approach another university.

It is crucial that universities engage with as many prospective students as possible and quickly provide them with the right information. Dealing with this spike in calls can quickly become a challenge. To solve this issue, universities have traditionally hired additional temporary staff. However, this is a costly approach. Some universities have also experimented with outsourcing but, with thousands of calls from potential students coming in, they can be understandably nervous about relinquishing control to unproven third-party providers.

What solutions can C3 offer universities to help them better handle clearing?

At C3, we offer a range of solutions to cover universities’ different needs during the clearing process. We help them provide a better experience, whilst staying professional and efficient at all times. 

Our multi-channel contact centre solution can help universities scale up and expand their communication efforts to allow them to efficiently tackle all of the enquiries that they receive. They will never miss an enquiry again, as the innovative queuing system sorts and deals with all messages chronologically while assigning enquiries to agents. Additionally, complementary applications, such as voice recognition, call recording and PCI compliant payment processing, can be added to the platform on an incremental basis to suit the unique requirements of each institution.

Universities need to keep in mind that this new generation of students expect to be able to interact with universities via SMS, email or even social media. Universities need to prove their adaptability and ability to use new and modern communication methods efficiently. 

C3 offers a cost-effective, flexible and on-demand service to manage the clearing process. Our solutions can be deployed directly on university networks giving them additional capacity and call control for the duration of the clearing period, so institutions only have to pay for what they use. Alternatively, C3 can handle incoming call queues, removing them from the university infrastructure and delivering them to the agents when they become available.

At C3, we have extensive, proven experience and knowledge of the education sector, so do not hesitate to contact us. We will be happy to create a bespoke solution to help you handle the specific challenges your university encounters during the clearing process. 

Using social media, a must for contact centres?

Industry News & Insight

Traditionally, contact centres only required phones and operators to answer the various calls. But since the 1980s, the world of contact centres has seen several waves of technological innovation, with, for example, the ACD (automatic call distribution) and IVR (interactive voice server) platforms, which improved call waiting and processing times.  

Today, customer service has drastically changed with the arrival of new communication tools. Now, it is no longer just about phone calls, but also about reviews on company websites, discussion on forums and especially messages on social networks.

The ICM (Customer Management Institute) states that 90% of people with an account on a social network have already contacted a brand via this channel, and 63% of these people believe that companies should offer customer service on social networks.

Why is using social media essential for contact centres?

First, you must understand that social networks are the media most used by new generations, for whom communication must be immediate and brief. These new generations often prefer to use web applications, with messages and chats rather than having to make a call.

With half of the world’s population using social media platforms, their integration is now a necessity for contact centres if they wish to stay relevant and efficient. When social media is used well, with CRM tools, customer queries can be handled more efficiently, professionally and in a timely manner. For example, you’ll be able to track previous interactions on different channels, so the customers won’t have to repeat information, making you and your customers gain time, generating less frustration and improving their overall satisfaction.

Using social media will allow your employees to handle multiple interactions at the same time, between 2 to 5, which considerably enhances the productivity of your contact centres, whilst significantly reducing waiting times.

Finally, it will also help you to measure your contact centre performance and efficiency. You’ll be able to compare your interaction performance to other channels and understand which areas of your service work and which ones need improvement, especially as social media users are often very keen to get their opinion heard.

How to integrate social media efficiently

Social media channels have their own rules, which is why they require new working methods. Here are some tips to help you implement a successful social media strategy in your contact centres:

  • Familiarize yourself with the audience. Learning how they communicate and what interests them most will help you plan communication strategies. Social media calls for more familiar and direct language. However, as you’re still dealing with customers, make sure to always be respectful and have a perfect command of your grammar.
  • Even though most of us use social media daily, it is essential that you train your agents to perfectly understand the social platforms you’re going to integrate into your contact centre strategy. It is not only a question of responding, if your agents do not know the characteristics of each platform and its dynamic, your service might become counterproductive.
  • Always monitor the communications, so you can help your customers more quickly. For that, you can monitor screens or use CRM tracking tools. It will allow you to check the volume of queries you are receiving, know what time your contact centre needs to have more operators available, etc. Your CRM tracking tools will give you lots of precious data that will help you review your performance and increase your productivity.
  • Create rules. It is important that the agents in charge of responding through social networks have manuals, scripts or customizable templates that serve as a guide.
  • Be available and act fast. On social media, content is easy to share and can become viral in seconds, you must have a protocol for managing and preventing communication crises in the event of any incident or misunderstanding.

Social media channels are fundamental to providing a quality service in contact centres, as they have the power to transform any work environment by making most tasks easier and more effective.

Here at C3, we are always up-to-date on the newest technologies, so get in touch with our team on 01223 427700 or email info@c3.co.uk to find out more about our multi-channel contact centre solutions.

How AI can transform your contact centre’s performance

How AI can transform your contact centre’s performance

Industry News & Insight

In an increasingly competitive sector where the customer is king, call and contact centres now use new technologies, especially artificial intelligence, to support their agents, reduce costs and above all provide an ever-better customer experience.

Why use AI in call/contact centres? 

AI is a set of software solutions, software agents and bots of a formidable efficiency. Any company will be able to benefit and although the initial costs associated with adding AI and automatic learning in contact centres may seem high, the return on investment can make it worthwhile.

Of course, human contact and interactions remain absolutely necessary to ensure customer satisfaction. That’s why it’s essential to combine artificial and human intelligence.

AI’s objective is, therefore, to virtualise the most systematic and basic tasks in order to enhance the roles and performance of agents. It helps your agents to minimise errors and speed up processes and response times. You can also combine your agents’ abilities with intelligent assistance in order to reduce the number of calls directed to the after-sales service, ultimately significantly decreasing the waiting times for callers. 

The chatbot, a new tool to improve customer experience

AI will revolutionise customer experience during the whole buying process, before, during and after-sale, if the customer needs support or information. The chatbot allows the customer to find more personalised answers to their questions almost immediately, 24/7. By creating a climate of trust and easy dialogue between a brand and a customer, the chatbot is the ideal replacement of an FAQ section on a website.

Chatbots can provide both technical information and personalised support. This tool, generated by artificial intelligence, creates thousands of automatic response combinations based on the words used in the question. It allows chatbots to carry out a real conversation with a customer on the Internet, often directly on a company or retailer website. The answers are automated, but the relationship is very real and the benefits for the brand, the customers and contact centres are very positive.  

An improved performance, beneficial for both the customer and the agent

AI optimizes agent tasks and performance

AI can simplify flows in contact centres. It collects information, provides context for better and swift interactions, and allows agents to know what the call is about and how to resolve it. This context provided by AI allows calls to be routed to available agents who have the skills required to resolve this issue quickly. This tool significantly reduces stress and boosts the agents’ confidence, as they only get assigned calls and questions to which they are qualified to reply. It also significantly reduces call times and call transfers between agents, ensuring an easier and more satisfying customer experience

Task automation allowing faster work

AI can now play an important role in the experience and retention of agents. For young people, interacting with a sophisticated chatbot is natural and sometimes even preferred to having to call someone. Chatbots, as seen above, can, therefore, relieve agents, allowing them to focus on more complex issues. AI can also automatically complete forms after calls to reduce the administrative burden on agents, allowing them more time to speak to customers. Thanks to this tool, call centres agents will feel less anxious, happier and will be stronger and more loyal elements in a company.

Recommendations to help agents even in the most delicate situations

The analysis of data sets allows AI to refine estimates of the number of calls in a future period. It is, therefore, possible to better assign agents to the most appropriate tasks. AI can considerably improve the centre’s performance by analysing agent interactions and making recommendations. Through voice analysis, AI can determine if a client is stressed and provide language elements and advice to the agent in order to better manage the call.

Thanks to AI, call centres can comb through all their call data and identify which interactions have been the most effective. This tool can help implement new tactics and practices throughout the whole contact centre, leading to better and more satisfying customer experience.

How 5G could impact your business

How 5G could impact your business

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Following the official launch of the 5G service by EE and Vodafone, here at C3, we thought it would be interesting to shed light on this new technology. From a telecommunications company perspective, this news is exciting and should bring a lot of changes in the industry.

This new generation of wireless network technology is set to change the way businesses communicate with consumers, analyse large data and integrate new technologies. Almost one billion consumers worldwide will be able to access 5G network speeds in the next few years, creating a large market that businesses will be able to benefit from. 

The benefits of the 5G for businesses:

·         High speed

Speed is expected to be one of the most relevant benefits of the new 5G technology. The 5G devices will be able to send and receive larger amounts of data than the 4G, allowing users to download and share games, movies and large files faster than ever.

·         Faster connection

Whenever they download photos or watch movies, people consume a lot of data. When using 4G, every consumer uses the same bands of the radio frequency spectrum, so any download or share slows down the whole connection for everyone. With the introduction of 5G, new antennas will be added onto existing cell towers and new utility poles will allow faster connections. Therefore, the networks will have a greater capacity to cope with high demand applications such as simultaneous HD video streaming. 

·         Internet of Things

When this technology is fully rolled out, it will lead to seamless integration and a substantial increase in the Internet of Things. The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to all the web-enabled gadgets with the capacity to act on the data acquired from the environment using processors, sensors and other communication devices. Often called ‘connected’ devices, they generate large amounts of internet traffic which make our homes and offices responsive more controllable.

·         Latency

Reduced communication delays will be one of the most consequent improvements brought by 5G technology. Latency is the amount of time it takes for data to travel from one point to another. Reduced latency periods will be beneficial for businesses, especially those that rely on the Internet of Things technology because it will give them greater insight into their business operations and enhance their ability to transmit data. 5G technology also ensures that there will be no connectivity failures, which implies that critical cases such as digital health will have a more reliable connection. 

·         Network slicing

Network slicing is a type of virtual network architecture that enables multiple virtual networks to be created and customised to the specific needs of customers and operators. 5G technology makes it possible for a single physical network to be sliced into multiple virtual networks. Not only will this enable a business to practically have their own private 5G network, but it will also enhance their ability to set it up according to their specific business needs.

How will 5G impact different business industries?

The initial impact in the UK will be on the telecommunications industry.  Wireless network providers will be able to provide newer, more powerful, high-speed broadband. In turn, 5G will also benefit the tech industry, increasing automation and enhancing the ability to perform critical operations through the use of artificial intelligence. Finally, the use of physical hardware will become less frequent as more companies will move their IT infrastructure to cloud computing.

As a B2B telecommunication’ solutions company, 5G could definitely help us to provide our customers with increasingly seamless and fast communication solutions and products. Here at C3, we think the 5G can make a lot of difference to how UK businesses work and connect with customers. Depending on the type of business you run, it will be very rewarding to start planning on how to improve your business by investing in this new technology. 5G is promising and we are looking forward to exploiting its potential and seeing its impact on our business.