Cloud tech specialist secures £1m Betfred contract

Vapour Cloud, the Yorkshire-based technology specialist – in association with pure technology group (PTG) – has secured a £1m contract with bookmaker Betfred.

The betting firm has invested in Vapour’s omnichannel platform Höllr, as part of a project to overhaul its call centre infrastructure.

When fully deployed, the solution will comprise recordable voice, video, SMS, email and social media dialogue. A secure payment gateway – compliant to PCI DSS* Level 1 – will also ensure adherence to industry legislation.

Tim Mercer, Vapour’s CEO, said: “This really is a ‘next generation’ solution, particularly suitable for businesses with a B2C contact centre operation where security is a must.

“The call recording facility will automatically stop, for example, when a customer inputs their card details.

“The DTMF (Dual Tone Multiple Frequencies) tones will also be masked so that the operator hears only a flat sound, then as soon as the three-digit CVC code is inputted, the recording will immediately re-start. This ensures the safe processing of extremely sensitive data.”

With all communications set to be reportable, Betfred will now produce a host of call-related metrics that will drive performance improvements within the team.

These statistics will include the number of calls missed and received, call sources, time and date stamps, and waiting durations. The platform will also allow Betfred employees to work from home, should they need to, for business continuity in the event of a disaster recovery scenario.

The phased six-month roll out follows a three-month ‘proof of concept’ project, with a VIP team of Betfred beta-testers. Once fully operational within the 150-strong call centre in Wigan, the platform will be implemented throughout the full network of 1,700 UK shops, one by one thereafter.

Tim added: “Betfred has long prioritised the security of its customers details, but as cloud-based tech evolves so too do the opportunities to ensure even greater compliance. This is particularly important given the looming introduction of GDPR.

“The investment will also promote greater flexibility within the team, without any detriment to the customer experience.”

Gary Saunders, PTG’s sales director, also commented: “This project is the result of a superb partnership between Betfred, pure technology group and Vapour, which has long focussed on the delivery of significant benefits for Betfred and its customers.

“It brings together expertise in multiple disciplines to totally transform the organisation’s approach to communications.”

Mark Hilton, Betfred’s head of customer services, concluded: “We are delighted to secure a deal with Vapour Cloud, which will greatly improve the customer experience and make us even more efficient.”

Betfred receives an average of 50,000 incoming calls per month.

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