As customer expectations rise and cost-efficiency becomes critical, organisations are increasingly adopting CX solutions like Puzzel. However, navigating the real value of such investment can be complex. The key question often remains: do the benefits outweigh the costs?
To better understand the benefits, costs and risks of this investment, Puzzel commissioned Forrester Consulting to conduct a Total Economic ImpactTM (TEI) study to examine the potential ROI organisations may realise by deploying Puzzel. In the study, Forrester interviewed four Puzzel customers and constructed a composite company to provide a comprehensive analysis.
Here, we’ll break down the key findings from the study and explore the significant gains the composite organisation achieved with Puzzel.
€2.4 million in savings and reduced technology costs
Maintaining on-premises systems can be both time-consuming and expensive, often leading to frequent hardware updates and substantial costs. As a result, many CX organisations are exploring cloud solutions. The Forrester TEI study found that the composite organisation significantly reduced technology costs by moving from on-premises to Puzzel’s cloud-based solution. Over three years, the composite organisation realised €2.4 million in savings by reducing technology-related expenses.
In an interview with Forrester, the Nordic Digital Development Lead at an insurance company, explained, “For us, it was also very much about consolidation of platforms: three on-prem and this one. … Pulling those into one platform was a significant saving. ... It has been around €5 million per year.”
Significant agent productivity gains of €10.3 million
Agents are at the heart of delivering fast, efficient customer support, especially as customer queries become more complex. Having the right tools in place is critical to ensure empowered agents and efficient workflows. By blending channels, unifying operations and reducing silos, the interviewees in the study experienced increased productivity with multi-disciplined agents able to serve customers through a range of touchpoints simultaneously.
The Nordic Digital Development Lead at the insurance company saw an enhancement in service levels, as “[Puzzel] allowed agents to become organised by product knowledge rather than by channel [...]. By facilitating the change to multidisciplined agents, Puzzel accelerated the organisation’s agent efficiency and allowed them to take on up to 20% more tasks due to omnichannel blending.”
As a result, the composite organisation experienced 15% productivity gains for agents, driving increased business gains of €10.3 million over three years.
Improved average handling time (AHT)
Increased agent productivity had a direct impact on the average handling time (AHT), which saw significant improvement. Puzzel enabled improved operational efficiency and empowered agents, leading to better handling of customer queries. As a result, this reduced handling times by between 8% and 33%. This improvement allowed agents to manage customer queries more effectively, enabling them to handle more calls per hour and further boosting overall service efficiency.
In an interview with Forrester, the Head of Customer Centre at the travel organisation said: “Average handling time went down by nearly 50 seconds. ... It was around 600 seconds in our previous environment, and now it is around 550 seconds.”
Increased retention, valued at €293,000 over three years
The study highlighted how Puzzel positively impacted employee retention and career progression. According to the Head of Contact Centre at the UK insurance firm, Puzzel enabled the introduction of skill-based call routing and modular training, which significantly improved retention rates. Previously, the average tenure at the organisation was less than six months, but Puzzel helped increase it to 3.5 years.
The same contact centre leader said: “Pre-Puzzel, we could never have delivered modular training because it all had to be done at queue level. One agent would deal with one type of transaction. It was monotonous. The agent was not learning and would leave quickly. … We wouldn’t have been able to build out modular training if it wasn’t for the ability to have skill-based call routing [via Puzzel].”
By focusing on the agent experience, Puzzel not only improved job satisfaction but also reduced the costs associated with high employee turnover. The composite organisation saw notable improvements in retention, with the value of these improvements reaching €293,000 over three years. This demonstrates how Puzzel supports both agent growth and organisational stability, contributing to a more efficient and engaged workforce.
Conclusion: Puzzel delivered 278% ROI over three years
The TEI study provided clear evidence of the value Puzzel delivers to organisations. The representative interviews and financial analysis found that Puzzel brings meaningful value to organisations, with the composite organisation experiencing benefits of €12,98M over three years versus costs of €3,43M. This resulted in a net present value (NPV) of €9,55M and an impressive ROI of 278%.
In an interview with Forrester, the Customer Service Director at a retail company, said, “Puzzel is an intuitive, out-of-the-box, cloud-based, and easily scalable solution. We can work from anywhere and take calls from anywhere, which was good [during unexpected circumstances], such as during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
To explore the full findings, download the Forrester Total Economic Impact™ (TEI) study of Puzzel here.
