Dixons hopes to cut IT helpdesk calls by 40%

High-street retail chain Dixons Group expects to reduce IT helpdesk calls by 40% within three years, after implementing new customer service software within its IT support department.

The company, which owns Dixons, Currys, PC World and The Link, implemented the Service Centre software, from supplier RightNow Technologies, to cut technical support costs, minimise downtime and improve overall business performance.

The internal support team receives around 14,000 calls a month, but Dixons hoped that by providing staff with access to a knowledge base that can answer the most common IT questions, this will drop by 40% by 2006.

The system will also help first line support staff to answer problems quickly, without having to refer to higher level technical specialists, said Paul Kendal, Dixons Services support team leader.

"RightNow will take the burden of answering repetitive questions off the shoulders of skilled personnel whose abilities and energies we would prefer to see devoted to higher-value tasks," he said. 

"In addition to benefiting our IT organisation, this system will enable our entire business to compete more effectively by eliminating productivity-draining delays in the delivery of technical support."

RightNow is hosting the system for Dixons, which meant deployment was made easier, Kendal added.

"RightNow's hosting service enabled us to pilot the system and implement it very quickly," he said.  "That's a very distinctive advantage when it comes to deploying a new technology."