SoundBite Launches Integrated Communications Platform

SoundBite Communications, Inc. today announced a new integrated platform that combines voice, e-mail and text messaging, which pilot tests have shown are much more effective in recovering debts than using voice mail alone.

SoundBite had used primarily voice mail, but looked to integrate text messaging once the firm acquired Mobile Collect in February (“SoundBite Communications Acquires Mobile Collect,” Feb. 29), said Mark Friedman, SoundBite chief marketing and business development officer.

The result of that integration is the SoundBite Intelligent Communications Platform, an on-demand solution that offers automated voice, text and e-mail messaging through a Web interface. Current customers, 70 percent of whom are in the collections industry, will automatically be upgraded when the new platform becomes available in the third quarter.

In a pilot with one of the top five credit card issuers, SoundBite found that collections increased 24 percent when voice messaging was used (rather than no messaging), leading to an additional $575,989 in collections. When texting was added, the collections grew another 117 percent to just over $1.25 million, even though only 25 percent in the text and voice mail test group could receive text messages.

Different consumers prefer contacts via different methods, Friedman explained. Many studies show that young consumers prefer text messaging, while others – as shown in the pilot, don’t have text messaging capabilities. Others prefer e-mails, and others prefer some combination of methods, SoundBite found.

The new platform includes multi-channel escalation, allowing communications to escalate form one channel to another. For example, a single campaign can escalate from email, to a voice message, and then to a text message in a series of contact passes. The platform enables the user to input as many as 10 contact points for a prospect, or end customer.

The new platform also allows for what SoundBite terms Multi-Channel Blending, enabling a single customer interaction to take place across multiple communication channels. So customers can receive information through one channel and respond using an alternate channel based on their preference. For example, a banking customer might receive a text message prompting them to call their bank to settle a late payment.

Another feature is multi-channel management and reporting – which provides a single view into campaign activities across all channels to improve overall campaign success.  SoundBite customers can continually optimize campaign results by developing strategies that take advantage of dynamic data such as best channel, best time of day, or best day of week to contact customers. SoundBite also offers enterprise activity reports to provide clients with key performance metrics related to cost per customer outreach and effectiveness of campaign strategies.