Retail Technology - April 2007 The Virgin Group's cosmetic and jewellery business 'Virgin Vie At Home' has implemented a Mitel® internet protocol (IP) based contact centre solution to improve communications between its network of UK consultants and support staff at its West Sussex head office.

The 50-strong team at Virgin Vie's contact centre handle queries from a network of 12,000 independent consultants across the UK, who sell the brand's cosmetics and jewellery range. Contact centre agents advise the consultants on everything from the status of orders awaiting delivery, to invoicing queries, to updates on the latest sales and marketing materials.

Neil Mainwaring, Echo senior account manager said: "Virgin Vie At Home's existing solution was coming to the end of its lifecycle and could not support the high level of interaction between agents and consultants required."

The IP solution, managed by Echo Communications, went live in August 2006 and comprises the Mitel 3300 IP Communications Platform (ICP), Mitel Customer Interaction Solution and the Mitel Your Assistant Lite®.

The Mitel Interactive Contact Centre application allows team leaders to access up-to-the-minute information about call volumes, queues and agents performance, while the intelligent routing system directs callers to the appropriate agent which ensures the call is handled correctly and reduces waiting time.

Ian Chapman, Virgin Vie At Home IT director said: "We are currently looking at the Mitel Teleworker Solution to enable agents to work from home. Operating in an area of relatively low unemployment, the retention of good quality agents is extremely important to us and the new IP solution enables us to adopt the flexible working practices, which makes us attractive as an employer, without compromising service and quality levels."

Virgin Vie At Home is considering using the Mitel Teleworker system to connect its 17 Flagship stores and retail outlets to the central contact centre, enabling the sharing of information regarding stock levels and customer orders. Echo is also currently discussing future plans for the expansion of the contact centre's multimedia capabilities, to enable consultants to log requests for information or assistance via email.

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