Founded in 1892, Halfords is the UK’s leading motoring and cycling business, providing services and products through its 444 stores, 367 garages, and 120 mobile motoring services vans. Recent acquisitions have allowed Halfords Group plc to expand the total number of its garages, trading under the name of Halfords Autocentres providing MOT tests, servicing, and repairs, as well as its mobile van motoring service. Halfords has seen steady growth amidst tougher trading conditions during the pandemic, with like for like increase in its cycling, e-mobility, and garage businesses as well as strong performances in its motoring business, despite the lockdown conditions.
The challenge: Improving customer experience
With the huge increase in customer contacts during the pandemic, Halfords has been working to ensure that it can provide customers with the best possible customer experience. The on-premises telephony system wasn’t adaptable or scalable, and suffered issues.
The solution: Communications put customers in the driving seat
Halfords chose a comprehensive cloud communication platform provided by 8×8 that integrates PCI Pal’s ‘Agent Assist’ secure telephony payment solution.
PCI Pal’s Agent Assist cloud-based platform secures telephone-based card payments and empowers contact centers to take Cardholder Not Present payments securely, without bringing environments into scope of PCI DSS. Using DTMF masking technology and speech recognition, it captures payment details whilst enabling agents and customers to remain in conversation, providing a positive overall experience.
The results: Communications contribute to record-breaking profits
After a year of having the benefits of the 8×8 platform being realized, Halfords is on course for record-breaking profits. The 8×8 contact center solution achieved immediate buy-in from colleagues, who became empowered to serve customers securely and more efficiently, wherever they’re working.
