In the world of contact center operations, inefficiency can often overshadow the potential for growth. For Aptive Environmental, a leading pest control service provider, the stakes were high. With tens of thousands of customer interactions happening every month, ensuring consistency and quality was not just a goal but a necessity. When they partnered with Cresta, they didn’t just improve operations—they set a new benchmark for customer retention and efficiency.
The Challenge of ‘Chaos’
Before Cresta, Aptive’s contact center operations were plagued by inconsistency and a lack of visibility. As Evan Unick, Vice President of Customer Solutions, explains, “Our lives before Cresta were chaotic… even asking a simple question like, ‘How do we schedule an appointment?’ would yield 43 different answers.” This lack of standardization extended to critical processes, like taking payments and handling cancellations.
Aptive’s challenges extended beyond process inefficiencies. Supervisors spent countless hours listening to calls, often without gaining actionable insights. The coaching process was slow and ineffective, and without visibility into agent performance, improving customer experiences was a daunting task.
Customer retention, one of Aptive’s most critical metrics, suffered as a result. Agents lacked the tools and training to handle cancellation calls effectively, leaving valuable revenue on the table.
Solutions: Why Cresta?
Aptive turned to Cresta for its ability to provide real-time insights, streamline operations, and empower agents with the tools they needed to succeed. Cresta’s solution was built around key features that directly addressed Aptive’s pain points:
- Agent Assist and Real-Time Prompts: Cresta’s AI-powered prompts guided agents through customer interactions, offering tailored suggestions on how to respond and retain customers.
- Transcription and Behavior Management: Cresta’s accurate transcriptions allowed Aptive to monitor conversations in real time and ensure adherence to standardized processes.
- Quality Management (QM) and Coaching: Supervisors gained the ability to review calls quickly and efficiently, assigning actionable feedback to agents and tracking improvements over time.
The implementation process was collaborative and smooth. As Unick notes, “It was the shortest, quickest, and most seamless implementation we’ve had.”
Results in Customer Retention
Cresta’s impact on Aptive’s operations was nothing short of remarkable. The results tell a story of transformation:
- Retention and Revenue Growth:
- Save Rate: Aptive achieved a 46% save rate on cancellation calls, surpassing their goal of 42.2%.
- Additional Revenue: Cresta helped Aptive generate an additional $2.37 million in revenue annually.
- Call Saves: Aptive far exceeded their initial goal of 2,560 saves, with an actual total of 7,425 additional saves.
- Empathy and Discovery Adherence:
- Empathy Scores: Agent adherence to empathy guidelines rose from 33% to 60% within two months and reached 79% after four months.
- Discovery Adherence: Discovery adherence improved from 28% to 40%, eventually climbing to 59%.
- Agent and Supervisor Efficiency:
- Real-Time Feedback: Supervisors now assign and track call reviews with ease. Reviews that once took hours now happen in under five minutes.
- Agent Performance: Agents who were onboarded after Cresta’s implementation outperformed prior performance by 20-25% on key behaviors.
- Agent Morale: As Tiffany Goland, Customer Solutions Director, notes, “Our agents loved Cresta… they saw their QA scores and bonuses improve, which motivated them to perform better.”
Empowering Agents and Supervisors Alike
Aptive’s transformation wasn’t just about numbers; it was about creating a culture of excellence and empowerment. Agents, who previously faced a “free-for-all” in handling cancellation calls, now had a playbook for success.
Supervisors, who struggled with inefficient processes, embraced Cresta’s data-driven tools. “Supervisors can now type in a keyword, see how often their team is using it, and provide actionable feedback,” says Goland. The insights provided by Cresta allowed Aptive to shift from anecdotal feedback to strategic, data-driven coaching.
A Retention Revolution
One of the most significant areas of impact was customer retention. By using Cresta’s AI-powered tools, Aptive revolutionized how they handled cancellation calls.
- Real-Time Prompts: Agents received context-aware suggestions during calls, helping them confidently navigate difficult conversations.
- Data-Driven Decisions: Supervisors and managers could identify high-risk customers and proactively address their concerns before escalation.
- Standardized Processes: Cresta helped Aptive create a retention playbook, replacing inconsistent practices with proven strategies.
This transformation was best exemplified by agents who, empowered by Cresta, proudly shared their successes on Slack: “I’ve saved every customer I’ve talked to today. I just follow Cresta”.
Beyond Customer Retention: Driving QM Excellence
Quality management, one of Aptive’s primary objectives, also saw significant improvements. Cameron Bristow, Aptive’s QA Manager, highlights how Cresta enabled a shift from anecdotal feedback to precise, actionable insights.
“We’re now able to do significantly more,” Bristow explains. “We’re giving a lot more feedback to agents, and it’s much more specific to their performance.” Cresta’s accurate transcriptions and real-time analytics allowed Aptive to evaluate customer sentiment, predict churn risks, and deliver a superior customer experience.
A Seamless Partnership for the Future
Cresta’s partnership with Aptive extended beyond solving immediate challenges — it set the foundation for sustained growth. The ability to quickly adapt to new strategies, as highlighted by Unick, has been a game-changer.
“Rolling out a new retention strategy used to take three months. With Cresta, we can implement changes within weeks and start seeing results immediately,” says Unick.
A New Standard for Excellence
Aptive’s journey with Cresta demonstrates the transformative power of AI in contact center operations. By addressing inefficiencies, empowering agents, and delivering measurable results, Cresta helped Aptive turn chaos into clarity.
For organizations grappling with similar challenges, Aptive’s story offers a compelling case for embracing AI-driven solutions.
As Tiffany Goland puts it, “Everything’s up—empathy, discovery, revenue. The impact has been night and day.”
