Activision Case Study

RIVERSTAR.COM

ACTIVISION CASE STUDY

Entertainment Publisher uses RiverStar to Streamline Returns

CHALLENGE Activision inherited the Guitar Hero brand through their acquisition of ABOUT ACTIVISION RedOctane. Activision was unfamiliar with warranty replacements required Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, from hardware games and for that reason, relied on legacy processes Activision Blizzard, Inc. is the world’s developed by RedOctane. Because RedOctane’s processes were mostly largest pure-play interactive entertainment manual, with no troubleshooting, Activision customers would be referred to software publisher with leading market RedOctane’s website for warranty support. For some games, the customer had positions across all categories of the growing to email a copy of the receipt, further delaying the time to process the claim. interactive entertainment software industry. The customer could call RedOctane for warranty support, but due to limited Activision is the video game publisher that resources, call handle times were very high. The resulting outcome was a large is best known for game franchises such as number of dissatisfied customers with the RedOctane warranty process. World of Warcraft, Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk With the growing popularity of gaming products with hardware components Ride and Call of Duty. With global operations and a pipeline of new hardware games on the horizon, Activision was tasked in 13 countries, Activision has grown into a with creating a new process that would be automated throughout the $5 billion video game powerhouse. company to provide a better customer experience.

The Guitar Hero franchise continues to In addition to working with new warranty support processes, the Guitar Hero redefine gaming by delivering innovative World Tour game was released just before the busy 2008 holiday season. entertainment experiences that tap into Due to the increased number of hardware components in Guitar Hero World the universal dream of being a rock star. Tour and the complexity of these components working together, Activision Guitar Hero is not only changing how video was preparing for a larger number of warranty replacements. Since RedOctane games are played, but creating a whole did not have the technology architecture to support the higher demand new experience for people to interact with for returns, Activision needed a scalable solution that would provide better video games. Activision has introduced a service to the customer without increasing contact center costs. Additionally, cooperative band experience for consoles RedOctane’s system was not integrated with Activision’s CRM, which was a with Guitar Hero World Tour by adding a key component for the new system. drum controller and microphone to the popular guitar controller.

GOALS AND EXPECTATIONS • Better customer experience with multiple file claiming methods — agent or web based • Lower costs by deflecting new calls away from level two agents • A faster return lifecycle with advanced replacements • Customer visibility into any stage of the return lifecycle • Improved customer communication and proactive notifications • 24 x 7 web self service • International fulfillment and web self-service in nine languages • Integration with CRM for incident tracking • Customer Portal with return status, tracking information and inbound shipping label • A robust technology infrastructure to manage the large volume of returns • Automation of the complete RMA process from Activision-to fulfillment house-to customer

THE RIVERSTAR SOLUTION RiverStar configured the solution to integrate with seven The RiverStar Return Management solution was fulfillment houses, giving Activision the ability to scale up implemented giving Activision a completely automated or down depending on their needs. The warranty support process that includes an agent facing module within the solution is customized to allow for different return processes CRM interface and a web self-service portal for customers based on the Country of origination and fulfillment house to initiate the warranty and return authorization process. location. Web self-service processes are provided in nine The new solution streamlined the process with Activision languages, with agent access to a portal which gives the customer support, their call center outsourcer, RedOctane outsourced level 1 agents the ability to enter warranty claims warranty operations, the various fulfillment houses, the over the web rather than having level two agents manage the customer and the Guitar Hero product team. initial calls. With RiverStar return management, all returns are tracked in the CRM and each stage is visible to all customer In order to handle the new warranty and returns management support personnel. Reporting is available on every detail of processes, RiverStar configured the platform to easily flex the return process, including automated custom reporting as new hardware and games are added when released. based on Activision’s discretion. The self-service portal is designed to walk customers through a troubleshooting process, which can easily be updated as new information becomes available. To help improve the customer experience, RiverStar implemented an advanced replacement option in US and Canada, which puts replacement products in the hands of consumers in as little as 48 hours.

RESULTS Web self-service has been well received by Activision’s The speedier processing of product returns has increased customers, and as a result of the RiverStar Return Management customer satisfaction. The RiverStar Return Management implementation, a high percentage of warranty claims are solution cut down the replacement cycle of handling a return now initiated through the web. The warranty claim site is cross to 3-10 days for what Activision used to take 2-3 weeks to functional for internal and external use and is easily searchable accomplish. Part of the reason for the decrease in turnaround in the knowledge base making it convenient for the customer to time has to do with the new courier integration. Shipping labels find and utilize. The majority of the warranty claims are entered are now generated and emailed to the customer for inbound directly by the customer via web self-service and the remaining and outbound shipping. The automated process of information claims are completed by an outsourced agent. Depending on and improved communication between the customer and seasonality, RiverStar manages between 15,000-60,000 returns Activision has shaped a better overall customer experience per month for Activision and has significantly lowered the cost while reducing the costs of handling returns and replacements. of each return. The process for the level 1 agent to create the RMA is now more efficient and allows level 2 agents to focus on more technical or complex support issues with customers. Calls related to warranty replacement status updates are being deflected to the web because their end users are first checking 11 DAYS FASTER AVERAGE TIME RETURNS the customer portal. As well, the automatic email notifications SAVINGS keep them informed as the status changes regarding the claim.

INCREASED CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

ABOUT RIVERSTAR RiverStar delivers software and consulting services for companies that rely 20 Danada Square West upon their inbound or outbound contact center as a key part of their business. Suite 260 Our software empowers developers to create workflows that integrate with Wheaton, Illinois 60189 internal systems and are 100% unique to how their business runs. Our consultants assist with specialized points of integration — and are experts in extending the PHONE: 800.945.6399 value of existing systems by creating custom desktop workflows that work with FAX: 630.858.1050 these systems to streamline complex customer-facing processes. RiverStar helps our customers achieve tangible results, such as increasing agent productivity by [email protected] 35%, conversion rates by 25% and first call resolution rate by 20% — as well as reducing call handling time by 10% and training time by 50%. Some of the world’s largest organizations across multiple industries have entrusted RiverStar with their complex customer-facing processes.

RiverStar Software and the RiverStar logo are registered trademarks of RiverStar Software, Inc. All other trademarks shown are property of their respective owners.