Inventive Labs’ IVR Software and Services Improve Secure Credit Card Transactions for 3M Prescription Safety Eyewear Division

The Challenge

With thousands of dispensary panel members across the US, 3M’S Occupational Prescription Eyewear Division quickly realized their need to securely automate co-payments for their prescription glasses. As it stood, the customer’s full credit card number was included on a faxed order form to the 3M Optical Lab that created an insecure and outmoded transaction chain.

Debbie Roney, Logistics Director at 3M and her team decided it was time to use a secure credit card ID, a numerical code mapped to a specific customer, to replace the full credit card number for safety eyewear orders. "We felt by implementing secure credit card ID numbers we would quickly eliminate the security risk for our customers," said Roney, "now came the hard work of actually getting thousands of customers to get their ID number. "

The Process

Their first idea, with the help of longtime partner Quest Information Systems, Inc. (Quest IS), was to create a secure web site for customers to log-on, get their ID, and then use that ID when placing safety eyewear orders. While some customers took advantage of this system, many – especially those at onsite dispensaries within factories – didn’t have internet access and couldn't complete their transactions.

3M and Quest IS both concluded that by adding the ability to get secure credit card IDs over the telephone with an automated IVR system they could enable this process for many more customers.

While Quest IS had never created an automated telephone system, they were longtime Microsoft .NET (Visual Studio) developers and began to look for a tool that would leverage those skills, be intuitive enough for first-time telephony developers, and provide all of the features they needed. After a careful search they chose Voice Elements, a .NET development tool created by Inventive Labs Corporation.

Voice Elements allowed Quest IS to use the Visual Studio language of their choice, and with sample applications and help from the support team at Inventive Labs they completed their IVR application in just over a month.

Ready for testing and deployment, Quest IS asked Inventive Labs for an uncomplicated way to "go live" and keep maintenance of the underlying server and equipment to a minimum. As Gregg Williamson, Director of Sales at Inventive Labs recalls, "It was a perfect fit for the 3M IVR application to run on our Telephony Bank hosting service. It provided an easier route to deployment in addition to piece-of-mind that all equipment, servers, etc. are fully supported and maintained –something that both Quest IS and 3M felt critical."

The Inventive Labs Telephony Bank is a group of resource servers that allow a Voice Elements-based application to run at a customer site with internet access, using the resources remotely. It is a simple monthly service based on the resource usage of an application, and allows a developer like Quest IS to focus on developing their software-based solution and maximizing their skill set.

The Solution

Developed, tested and ready for deployment, the 3M Interactive Voice Response system went live in the beginning of 2010. To access the IVR, customers simply dial a toll-free number and voice prompts lead them through the procedure to obtain a secure credit card ID number. Once obtained, they can record this information on an order form or bring the number with them when they visit the Eye Care Professional (optician) for fitting. The secure credit card ID number is used at the time of order entry to match up to a customer credit card for any appropriate charges stemming from selecting employee co-pay options.

The privacy of all credit card information obtained through the IVR is safely protected and is in compliance with all banking requirements.

"This was a true collaboration, from inception to deployment," Roney from 3M said. "We are confident that our customers now have a reliable and secure way to pay for their prescription safety eyewear and are very pleased with our continued relationship with Quest IS and the software and ongoing services we receive from Inventive Labs."

Every month that the service is in use higher volumes of eyewear customers use the automated telephone system, and the dispensary opticians have found the process easy to explain to their customers.

"This is a case where the combination of our Voice Elements software and services perfectly met the needs of the customer," said Ron Tanner, Inventive Labs president. "We look forward to providing support and services to 3M and Quest IS well into the future."