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SYSTEM
OVERVIEW
(click
here to return to the The
Strategic Advantage)
PHASE
1: THE FARM CALL PROGRAM: AgCall has field representatives
make visits to local area farmers. The purpose of the farm
call is to gather market information, stimulate product demand
and introduce new products. This information is passed back
to the chemical manufacturers, who in turn motivate their
field dealers, and adjust production and sales incentives
accordingly
Form
Design: TKCS assists AgCall in designing the farm call
form to ensure it captures the exact information required,
in a format that allows more accurate reporting and more
explicit interpretation.
Lead
List Generation: AgCall provides TKCS with thousands
of often un-edited producer names obtained from various
sources. TKCS merges the lists, cleans up the data, purges
the duplicates, and sets up the farm account information.
Based on how AgCall wants the calls allocated (i.e. by postal
code, number of acres seeded, type of crop), TKCS filters
and sorts the database, generating a clean and accurate
lead list.
Tracking
Results: TKCS has designed an easy to use data entry
program. Data is sent to the AgCall Head Office where data-entry
clerks enter it, after which reports are generated and sent
to the clients on a daily and weekly basis.
Auditing
Performance: The Tele-Measurement Program audits the
performance of the field representative and also serves
to reinforce the products' benefits to producers. The data
is then compared to previous years' results. An automated
process designed into the system tests the validity of data
entry reducing the chance of error.
PHASE
2: THE TELE-MEASUREMENT PROGRAM: Tele-measurers contact
a sample of producers with the purpose of measuring the effectiveness
of the farm call as well as to reinforce the products' benefits
to the producer. The sampling may be random or intelligent
(filtered by specific criteria). The remote data entry option
allows AgCall to contract tele-measurers from rural areas,
as well as from different regions of the country. This ensures
knowledge of specific crop production issues and allows service
in either English or French. Most of AgCall's tele-measurers
are used year after year, ensuring a high level of quality
and continuity in customer service.
Script
Design: Based on AgCall's requirements, TKCS designs
"smart screens" to prompt the tele-measurer during
the call, enabling or disabling questions based on the farmer's
answers to previous questions.
Lead
List Generation: Lead lists are generated from different
sections of the farm call cycle. For instance, the field
representative may be audited on the early visits to ensure
he has received proper training, and on later visits to
ensure a constant improvement in performance. The system
also ensures those producers who wish to be removed from
the lead lists are not contacted again, or it tracks a better
time to call them back. The system also ensures that the
same producers are not contacted year after year, and it
also flags customers that require additional follow up directly
from the local dealer or chemical company.
Tracking
Results: Not only does the TKCS system utilize "smart
screens" to manage the telephone script, it also displays
account history and relevant market information. This allows
the tele-measurer to refer to specific information collected
during the farm call, demonstrating the coordinated efforts
of AgCall representatives. This builds a rapport with the
producer and allows the tele-measurers to obtain more in-depth
market information. Upon completion, the data is sent electronically
to TKCS, for uploading and incorporation into the database.
The reports sent to AgCall are client-ready, eliminating
the need for re-formatting or interpretation.
Auditing
Performance: The tele-measurement program is designed
to audit the utility of the farm call. AgCall also audits
the effectiveness of the tele-measurers through a system
of "secret producers", without including this
data in the final client statistics reports.
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