Broker Check

12395 World Trade Drive, Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92128

(858) 251-2420
Angel.ochoa@fmgsuite.com
Schedule A Demo

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

B/D Change SOP and Work-Flow

Before you process the billing change:

    • Let the customer know the following and confirm over the phone:
      1. They will be changed to a new platform, which will require a new ID and login. This is done so their compliance can be correctly setup with the new B/D. Our Fulfillment team will be sending them an invite once the new platform is ready.
      2. They will receive an email from a Fulfillment Specialist and will work directly with them via email to get the new site live (CONFIRM THE EMAIL UNDER CONTACT INFO IN SALESFORCE OVER THE PHONE TO ENSURE FULFILLMENT CAN REACH OUT. IF THE EMAIL ADDRESS IS DIFFERENT THAN WHAT IS ON FILE, MAKE SURE TO DELETE THE OLD ADDRESS)
        • When you assign the contact in the Billing Change, click on the contact selected to view that email.
        • ALWAYS include the updated email in the billing change b/d change notes section.
      3. Confirm the last four digits of the Credit Card Number.
        • If the customer confirms the last four digits, we do not need to collect the Credit Card information again.
        • If the customer can’t identify the number, or wants to use an updated Card, enter the new information in the BD Billing Change.

Ask THESE following questions to the client (or use B/D Change Email Template):

  1. Who is your current broker dealer and who is the broker dealer you are moving to?
  1. Has your transition to your new B/D been finalized or is it still pending completion? *We will not be able to change the B/D information on your live site until your B/D change has been completed. When are you moving to your new B/D? If you are moving at a later date, when would you like us to start on the process? Please keep in mind the entire B/D Migration process can be approximately 1 to 6 weeks, depending on how quickly we receive necessary information from you and how long it takes for compliance assets to be approved.  *For Direct Compliance Only: We will be publishing your assets to your new BD Compliance Department. Please be aware that if your transition is not complete and your new BD Compliance Department is not prepared for your assets ahead of transition completion, the assets may be rejected. We recommend you reach out to your new compliance and confirm their acknowledgement of the pending transition and subsequent compliance cases.
  1. Do you want your current site to remain live until the new site is approved by your new compliance? Or would you like the current site turned off? We can allow your current site to remain live as long as your old B/D permits.
  1. What other users would you like to have access the Advisor Admin? What are their email addresses? Please provide email addresses that are not associated by your previous B/D. Would you like them to have access to the new platform during or after this process? What would you like for them to have access to?
  1. Do you have the disclosure for your new B/D and if so can you please provide it?
  1. Do you have an account access link on your site you need changed?
  1. Will you please confirm the last 4 digits of your Credit Card? We can maintain the same billing setup you have, or you can provide us with new credit card information over the phone or email.

Additional information to take note of:

  • Make sure to also notate if they have any grandparented campaigns or products that need to be brought over to the new CMS. The App will not be brought over to the new CMS.
  • Make sure to Add the Package Selection for Fulfillment in the B/D Billing change area!!

*** After this info has collected and verified that all questions have been answered and ready to be processed, you can proceed to process the Billing Change portion of the B/D change.  Please read the client's response to double check that they do not have any other questions and we do not have any questions for them before processing the B/D change.***


How to create a B/D Billing Change:

  1. Click ‘Billing Change’ on the SF Account



  1. Select B/D Change from the dropdown (next page for further steps)

  1. Make sure to fill out the appropriate fields of the billing change.
  • Make sure to figure out the package/products the client has
  • Make ‘detailed’ notes of the information the client gives you for the change
  • FYI, if you select the package for the billing change, you do not need to list each individual product
  1. In the Billing Change Notes, put in the case number to reference for answers for the above questions.  
  1. After you click save and you need to update the credit card, please do so by clicking on new credit card detail. If they already confirmed the last 4 digits then go to Step 6.

  1. After you have collected the necessary information on your current case with the client and you have completed the B/D billing change, you will need to assign your case over to the “Unassigned B/D Cases”


**Once you click ‘Save’ a task will be created for either Nichole Kurz (FMG) or Jodi Smith (ALP) to process the billing portion for the B/D change. After processing that, they will then task Fulfillment to complete the change within the CMS.**

CSR -> Billing -> Fulfillment

CO Format

Case

Website Change Orders (CO per Format Needed) in Salesforce

  • Under Change Order Dropdown choose correct CO type
  • CO will automatically be sent to designer queue
  • CO have a 10 day turn around
  • Quoted CO's must be PAID before they are sent to Dev
    • If it has been paid add PAID and #hour on the subject line
  • Once it is complete it will be assigned back to CSR

Subject

ID - Reason, Hour

  • The due date is automatically set. Do not change this.

    • WCO - 10 days

    • FCO - 3-5 days

    • CMCO 3-5 days

  • Add number of hours the work is quoted

  • If it's a paid CO

  • If it’s free of charge you do not have to write anything


PRIORITY due 3/14, ID - Reason, Hour

  • PRIORITY COs must be approved by the CS Supervisor

  • If CO is a PRIORITY, add the due date on subject line

ALP 1.0 - Reason, Hour

  • Add ALP 1.0 to Subject line if CO is on an ALP 1.0 platform

Description

Make sure the items below are included in your description.

  1. FMG Website Preview Link

  2. Change Order Notes    ( Be as detailed as possible)

    1. State what page the change is in

    2. Use numbered list if there is more than one change

  3. Quote by [NAME] on [DATE]

Examples

Subject

  1. 345678 - Update Rotator

  2. 345678 - Create Cob, 1 Hr

  3. PRIORITY due 8/19, 36742 - Broken homepage


Description

http://www.fmgwebsites.com/aea76841-f702-4755-8484-22164f30c403/

On Homepage

  1. Create 3 COBS. Text is attached via doc
  2. Change background color to hex code color #2f2f2f
  3. Increase font size to 18px
  4. Replace 3rd image with image attached

Billing Change order for CO

      1. Verify The Following CC Info in Sales Force

        If they need to update the Credit Card on file, skip Step #1

        If it’s the Main Account Holder calling in, you can tell them what the info is on file. If someone else is calling in on behalf of the account holder, please have them verify their credit card info on file.

        • Expiration Date
        • Last 4 Credit Card number
        • Type of Card (Visa, Mastercard, etc.)

      2. Click Billing Change

      3. Set this option to Credit Card Change, then click Continue

      4. Fill out the following Info

        If you already verified the Credit Card on file, you can skip steps 5 and 6

      5. You’ll be brought to this page, then click New Credit Card Detail.

      6. Fill in the Info and click Save.

You are done!

Changing Express Sites SOP

1. After first Express theme change FCO, Fulfillment will let you know when beginning is complete so that we can check in with client. DO NOT TAKE SITE LIVE -- NEW CMS IS PURELY FOR UPDATES . We will finalize changes on original CMS after you finish the rest of these steps if there are any.

  • Fulfillment will create a NEW ID each time so their OLD site stays live. 

2. Client has to give feedback on NEW preview and let us know what still needs to be updated (this is probably going to be a longer conversation since you will need to make sure to go over the site and make sure that it is all good to go).

  • *The CSR could then make whatever changes that they can, and another FCO to finish up any other changes.

3. The CSR should then asks again to see if it is ready for Compliance submission.

  • If yes (LPL) we will submit it to Compliance. We then explain to LPL that they are changing design, and the changes will be reflected on the current account (OLD ID if they want to keep it) and not the NEW one. -Make sure that client provides us with CMAX annotations or makes changes themselves.
  • If yes (direct) Publish all drafts to Compliance for approval, any rejections can be sent in to the CSR to to Fulfillment if needed- we can then make sure that Compliance submissions are approved/ help with changes.

4. We can then have FINAL FCO for reverse import to go back to original (OLD) CMS ID to get changes live (it will go live instantly).

  • Going back to the OLD ID allows the client to keep their campaigns/compliance history- the NEW ID will NOT carry over that history.

NOTE: Sometimes client do request to go live at a certain date with there new site BUT a lot of the time that does depend on how fast their Compliance and respond with an approval/rejection. For some Compliance, they can review within a couple dates and for others- it is within a couple of weeks.

Transfer to Solutions

Domains

Please format the Salesforce case in the following way.  Then, click the Domain Ready button.  This will create a project for Jon Mallet to complete.  He needs the following information.

FYI: Once a case has been checked for Domain, it can not be checked for Domain again. You will need to create a new case for any additional domain issues tied to that case.  Please refer to the previous case in the new one you create. (example: refer to case #53463 for previous domain information).

We have control of a lot of domains and our address in San Diego will be displayed in the registrant information.  Jon Mallet has access to these accounts through our corporate account with different domain registrars.

We have domain accounts with:

  • Godaddy
  • Enom
  • Network Solutions
  • SrsPlus (old Financial Visions sites)
    • Anything with Srsplus as the registrar is 99.9% of the time in our corporate account.

  • Domain Purchase

    • We can purchase domains for our clients. The domain has to be under $25. The first domain is free. We will charge the client $2 per month for each additional domain. We need to setup the added charge through billing. Please check who.is to see if the domain is available and what the price will be before confirming that we are going to get that domain for them. All the domains that we manage are on auto-renewal.

  • Domain Redirect/Records Update

    • We can need to do the following with a Domain Redirect:

      1. Add the domain to the CMS
      2. Get the Login Credentials for their Domain Registrar.
      3. Validate those credentials while the customer is on the phone or before you check the case for Domain.
      4. Set the Next Follow Up for 1 Day
      5. Our Domain Team will respond within 1 Day and then email the customer with the results of the domain case.

      For a records update, format it in this same manner and include the records that need to be updated. Please include if the domain is in our corporate account or the username and password for their account.

  • Domain Release

    • Please follow these steps:

      1. Domains in our corporate registrar are must be manually released to a client upon cancellation of services with FMG/ALP by creating a domain case and requesting an EPP code.
      2. Domains can only be released if it has been  > 60 days from their initital purchase or transfer to our corporate account.
      3. When a client wants to release their domain from our corporate registrar account without cancellation of services, simply make a case for our Domain Team, and the in the subject (after the standard information) say “Domain Release.”
      4. Our Domain Team will unlock the then provide a authorization or EPP code to the client for their usage in order to release their domain. This code does expire in < 14 days and is valid at any registrar.
      5. Once an authorization code is given, our Domain Team will approve any requests and/or forward any additional emails to finalize the domain release to the customer’s address on file in SalesForce upon receipt.

      ***GoDaddy to Godaddy Transfers: We need their GoDaddy customer ID and email associated with the account and we change the account ownership.

  • Domain Transfers From ENOM

    • We do have a Work Around where they transfer the domain to their name through this Wholesale to Retail request.

      EMAIL 1a - Emerald Transfer Steps

      Step 1:

      To begin the domain transfer process from Emerald to FMG Suite eNom please visit the link below to request the transfer-

      Domain Release request: https://www.emeraldconnect.com/contact/support/online_services/domain_name_release

      (If you do not remember the information to fill out for the form on Emerald's site you will need to call Emerald as they still are in control of your other domain.)

      Processing the request typically takes about 5 business days. After it has been processed, you will be sent two emails, one from Emerald and one from Network Solutions. IMPORTANT: You will need to copy and paste those entire emails from Emerald and Network Solutions, and then send them as a reply back to FMG Customer Service. That information will then forward to our Domain Specialist to begin the transfer.

      Step 2:

      Once FMG customer service has received the two emails (1 from Network Solutions, 1 from Emerald), we will forward your emails from Emerald and Network Solutions to our Domain Specialist.You will be emailed again to let you know when our Domain Specialist has received the information. Then, all you have to do is wait to hear back from FMG Customer Service telling you that our Domain Specialist has has initiated the transfer. After you receive the email from FMG Customer Service that informs you of the initiated transfer, you will follow the next steps below.

      Step 3:

      Once our domain specialist has initiated the transfer for your domain. You will receive an email from donotreply@name-services.com stating that the transfer has been initiated. There is a link in the email you must click on and go to. It will take you to a page where you will need to approve the transfer of the domain. It is imperative that you do this as soon as possible, as the link expires within about 48 hours after receiving it. Once you have approved the transfer, you will need to inform FMG Customer Service.

      EMAIL 1b - Non-Emerald Transfers

      Step 1:

      Here is a link to instructions from (CURRENT REGISTRAR) to begin a domain transfer http://www.networksolutions.com/support/preparing-a-domain-name-for-a-transfer-out-of-network-solutions/ (THIS IS FOR NETWORK SOLUTIONS ONLY)

      IMPORTANT: You will need to copy and paste the entire email from Network Solutions, (OR WHATEVER DOMAIN REGISTRAR THEY ARE CURRENTLY HOSTED.) and then send it as a reply back to FMG customer service. That information will then be forwarded to our domain specialist to begin the transfer.

      Step 2:

      Once FMG customer service has received the the email, we will forward your email from YOUR CURRENT REGISTRAR to our Domain Specialist. You will be emailed again to let you know when our Domain Specialist has received the information. Then, all you have to do is wait to hear back from FMG customer service telling you that our Domain Specialist has has initiated the transfer. After you receive the email from FMG customer service that informs you of the initiated transfer, you will follow the next steps below.

      Step 3:

      Once our domain specialist has initiated the transfer for your domain. You will receive an email from info@transfer-approval.com stating that the transfer has been initiated. There is a link in the email you must click on and go to. It will take you to a page where you will need to approve the transfer of the domain. It is imperative that you do this as soon as possible, as the link expires within about 24 hours after receiving it. Once you have approved the transfer, you will need to inform FMG customer service.

      What we need to do:

      1. Once the first step is completed, you will need to check the box for domains and paste the Authorization Code in the description of the case.
      2. Jon Mallett will assign the case back to you after he has sent the email to the customer to approve the transfer.
      3. At this point, you will contact the customer and let them know they need to approve the transfer within 24 hours, through the email, that they will receive from our Domain team.
      4. Once they have approved the transfer, you will create a NEW CASE and let Jon know to initiate the transfer.
      5. It takes 5-10 business days for the Domain to transfer successfully into eNom.


Update CO

If you need to update an existing CO, please do the following:

Description

Do not delete the original description. Amend only. 

Example:
Original FCO Description is:
Regina Beatty, 347918, Custom Page 
They want to create another page for another team member to look like this http://www.fmgwebsites.com/0dee781d-b594-4a44-883f-6f1c12855be2/p/regina-beatty 
They have provided all the content. This new page needs to go in the About Us tab under Beatty Regian

The Updated CO description should be:
CO UPDATE 6/21/2018: Update to the new team member bio is in the attached doc titled NEW bio
ORIGINAL: Regina Beatty, 347918, Custom Page 
They want to create another page for another team member to look like this http://www.fmgwebsites.com/0dee781d-b594-4a44-883f-6f1c12855be2/p/regina-beatty 
They have provided all the content. This new page needs to go in the About Us tab under Beatty Regian

Due DateWhen you select Updated CO, the due date changes automatically to 2 days out. Unless it's a priority approved by Leads/Managers, the due date will be changed to comply with new change order turnaround times.

CO Process from Quote Request to Case Completion

FCO = Fulfillment ( FMG, ASQ site changes AFTER going live, or after hand-off from the Migrations Team])

CMCO = ASQ site changes PRIOR to going live (Migrations Team)

WCO = Front-End Web Developers (FMG, ASQ site changes AFTER going live, or after hand-off from the Migrations Team)

Before requesting a quote, see if you can complete your request with a code snippet from this page http://confluence.fmgsuite.com/display/CREAT/Code+Snippets. We also have some common changes that already have a set quote.  View them in the General Costs page.  Also, the first LPL compliance changes are always free.

If you are not able to complete the change with the code snippet or the time to complete the edit will take longer than 15 mins, please post in the CO-Quote room in Slack.  Keep in mind:

  • Put the following information in one message.
  • Do not use multiple chats for a single quote.
  • Combine quote requests for multiple cases into one request.

  The format to post in the Slack channel include the following:

  1. @coquote
  2. Customer Name, CMS ID # - Title of Issue
  3. Preview link to the page/site in question
  4. A detailed description on what needs to be edited. (Detailed enough so there is no confusion on what needs to be changed.)

After you post in the #co-quote channel, please post in Salesforce that you are waiting for a response from the CO-quote room.

**Within 24 hours, you will receive a reply to your CO-quote request.  In Slack, it should appear in the "New Threads" channel.**

When you have received your quote, they will inform you whether it is an FCO or WCO and how many hours it will be.  Post the quote post in your Salesforce case.

**For WCOs, 1 hour = $150.  For FCOs, 1 hour = 97.50**

If there is a charge, please inform the client before you proceed.  When they agree to the charge, please follow the CO - Billing Change Order SOP and charge them.  After the client agrees to the charge or the CO is free, copy the information from the slack post and put it in the case in Salesforce like so: 

Subject: Customer Name, CMS ID# - Title of Issue (Charge of CO)
Description: Preview link
A detailed description of what needs to be edited. (Detailed enough so there is no confusion on what needs to be changed.)

After you have filled out the Subject and Description in your Salesforce case, click Save.  Then, choose the appropriate Change Order from the dropdown in Salesforce and click Save.  This generates a project for the development or fulfillment team to complete.  Your case will automatically be set to Pending Status.  At this point, please inform the client of the timeline for the work to be completed.  

**WCOs: 7-10 Business Days  FCOs: 3-5 Business Days**

Once the project is completed, your case will be set to Open.  Double check that the work has been completed.  If you have issues, message the person who worked on your case.  Otherwise, inform the client that the work has been completed and close the case.

NOTES:

Setup Cases that need FCO’s - If a website has been setup and through QC and a customer emails in for more changes on the setup email, these cases will be sent to CS and a FCO will need to be created and the CSR will need to be communicating with the customer. Some of their requests will need quotes.

LPL First Submission

This SOP is for when a customer first creates a site with us with LPL as their Broker Dealer or when moving Broker Dealers to LPL for the first time.  We submit the first compliance submission for LPL subscribers. They are required to submit their own compliance review to their compliance officer via CMAX after the first submission.

Steps to Submitting Compliance Archive to LPL:

  1. Navigate to the compliance section of the clients dashboard.
    1. Download all current items in compliance, this will create a pdf.
  2. In Salesforce, on the case click Email, under the templates at the bottom left. Select: Customer Service Emails, then select LPL 1st Submission or LPL 1st Submission - ALP.
  3. Email to advertising.review.mailbox@lpl.com and CC the client.
  4. Check back with client in 5-10 business days to ensure CMAX approval and launching site live if needed.


The Email Template is shown below, fill in the two highlighted areas:


SSL

We now have SSL on our websites that can be enabled through a toggle switch.  There is a knowledge base article concerning this feature.  Click here to learn more.

Now, sometimes the clients' DNS records are not set up correctly.  There will then display an error by the SSL toggle switch saying, "Domain is not configured correctly."  This can be fixed by making sure that the DNS records have the two A records and CNAME for the dashboard.  It is best that a case is created for the SSL team to complete this.  Here is a gif to walk you through the process:

Going Live

This SOP is designed to help you determine what steps are needed to complete when a customer wants to get their website live.

  1. Get the domain name(s) from the customer to pull up the account and for us to know what domain needs to go live with the website.
  2. Check the account for any Projects/Cases that have Tools or ASQM in them.
    1. Follow these instructions here for Tools case: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iJ8xzQNjJ-ot06AHIIZgGoYHEXqQEi78S30iX4jaZro/edit
    1. If it is a n ASQM case/project try your best to get them over to migrations. Ext 4355
    2. If It’s a Tools project look at what stage the project is in. If the project’s stage is listed as Quality Control is complete then look for a corresponding Tools case.
  3. The next step is to check compliance. You won’t be able to get the website live if compliance has disabled the website or if compliance has yet to approve the disclosures.
    1. If compliance hasn’t approved disclosures let customer know to contact compliance.
    1. Also, make sure the on/off toggle button is selected to On.
    1. If you see the below disabled button when viewing website settings check to see if they are any B/D cases or if compliance has approved the disclosures.

    2. While you are in website settings if it hasn’t already been done make sure to add the specified domain in the “Add Location” section.
    3. If you see the regular on/off switch but there are still pending compliance items let the customer know that you can get the website live but some website content hasn’t been approved by compliance so it won’t show on the live site.
  4. Once you have verified that everything is good to go with compliance you are going to lookup the given domain name on whois.com
    1. If customer wants us to purchase the domain then create a domain case for the domain purchase as shown here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hasHHKJri6CwN-VSOW_sjiZT4Hakd_KcGYtaeMV1Q5s/edit
      1. First domain purchase is free but every subsequent domain purchase is an additional $2 per month.
    1. If the registrar is not listed as one of the above then it is on the advisor’s personal account. We will need to collect login credentials for the account. If customer is uncomfortable with giving login credentials then email them the DNS Record changes and let them know they will have to complete it themselves.
      1. Some common nameservers:
        1. domaincontrol.com is Godaddy
        2. worldnic.com is Network Solutions
        3. nameservices.com is Enom
      1. Another thing of note is that most of the time Advisors keep their Name Servers with their Registrar so you will need to simply get the login credentials to their Registrar. However, if the Name Servers are not with the registrar then we need the login credentials to the account the nameservers are being hosted on.
    2. If the domain’s registrar is one of the above registrars that doesn’t necessarily mean it is one of our corporate registrar accounts. Advisor could have a personal Godaddy or Enom account.
      1. You can check with Jon Mallet by emailing him and ask if the domain is in our corporate account if you are not sure.
      1. Here you will want to check if the contact information says anything to the effect of “FMG” or “Faulkner Media Group.” If these terms do show up then the account is in our corporate acccount and you will need to complete a domain case as shown here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hasHHKJri6CwN-VSOW_sjiZT4Hakd_KcGYtaeMV1Q5s/edit
    1. If the domain is “Available” then it hasn't been purchased yet. Inform the customer about this and let them know that we can purchase the domain for them or they can purchase the domain themselves if they want to.
    2. If the domain has been purchased then check the registrar. We only use Godaddy, Enom and in some rare cases SRS Plus.
  5. Once you have checked whois.com and you either have the login credentials to the personal account or the domain is in oour corporate accounts then create a domain case as shown here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hasHHKJri6CwN-VSOW_sjiZT4Hakd_KcGYtaeMV1Q5s/edit

Liferaft ALP 1.0 sites

  1. Clients will now be upgraded to a new, free Exclusive theme.
  2. Refer clients to https://fmgsuite.com/exclusive-website-themes/
  3. After they have made a theme selection, they can email migration.team@advisorlaunchpad.com with their selection.

Escalations will go to Ben Pluim.

Email Writing

This document outlines how our email correspondence with clients should be formatted and some basic practices to keep in mind.

First, my speech on the importance of email. Every email we send to our clients is a reflection of us personally and our company. Represent well!

Basic Business Email Format:

  • Subject Line: Provide clear and specific subject line related to what you type in the body of the email.
  • Greeting / Salutation:
    • Start with greeting the person by name. At FMG Suite we have a friendly culture so use the person's first name.
    • Example: Hi Scott, or Hello Scott, or Dear Scott, etc.
  • Body of Email:
    • Start off by being clear if you need something from the recipient i.e. is this email just to share information with the recipient or do you need the recipient to do something?
    • Keep the message as concise as possible and related to one subject. Use bullets or numbers to break it down quickly and simply i.e. avoid large blocks of text.
    • Use proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation i.e. this is not a text message it is a professional email.
  • Closing:
    • End with a friendly closing and your name.
    • Example: Best wishes, Regards, Best Regards, Thanks, Have a great day, etc.
  • Spacing:
    • Always have white space between the greeting, body of the email, and closing.
    • Always have white space between paragraphs in the body of the email.

Basic Practices:

  • Send messages TO the individuals you want to take action; CC those who just need to know what is going on.
  • Use "BCC" when you are writing to a large group and don't need all the recipients to see everyone else who received the message.
  • Use "reply all" carefully and remove those from the list who don't need to see the reply.
  • When naming attachments, be sure the name is professional and meaningful. Re-save a file with a different name, if necessary, for the purposes of e-mailing it.
  • For urgent matters, respond within 24 hours or apologize for the delay. If you are out of the office or inaccessible, create an "out of office" message.
  • Reserve "urgent" (urgent e-mails are marked by an "!"in Microsoft Outlook) for truly urgent or time-sensitive matters.

Example Email in Correct Format:

Hi Jo Mamma,

This is where you would answer questions and explain the great solutions we are providing for the request or situation, etc.

Remember to use bullets or numbers to break up text and avoid large blocks of text:

  • Because bullets make things easy to read
  • Because bullets make things easy to read
  • Because bullets make things easy to read
  • Because bullets make things easy to read

That is about it. It’s as simple as that.

Have a great day!

Best Regards,

Jared

Solutions/Retention

Click here for Retention Rotation page.

Received a call for Cancellation / Downgrade? Here’s what to do:

“Remember, as CSR Agents, you are the first line of communication with any account that wants to cancel. In some occasions, the customer will want to vent and be heard. Keeping a calm state of mind, allowing the customer to complain, and showing empathy / sympathy can completely change a customer’s views on wanting to cancel. We need to assure them that not only will we do what we can to fix/resolve their issues, but that we care.

*NOTE* Do NOT promise any kind of resolution, refund, or credit for any Retention case during the call with customer/account holder. That is what Retention will take care of and you doing it could cause issues with saving the account.”

  • As CSR Agents, we need to make sure that we are gathering as much information about the customer on the line, the reason for the call, and making sure to notate as much as we can. This applies for all calls, including Retention.
  • We also need to be making sure we reach out to the Retention Agent to see if they can take the call before we hang up with the person who has called in.

We do NOT suspend/freeze accounts - there are very special occasions that this will happen, but that will be determined by the Retention or Management teams.

DO NOT CONFIRM WITH THE CUSTOMER THAT WE CAN OR WE MAY SUSPEND THEIR ACCOUNT.

Creating a Case for Retention:

1.) Confirm the customer/account holder’s name, account, email, call back phone number and website url (domain). Make sure to notate this information in the DESCRIPTION section of the case.

  • Compare this information with the information in the account on SalesForce:
  • Make sure to compare the caller’s information in the Related Contacts section of the Account, to verify they are an authorized user on the account.

Making sure we get this information is imperative, as not only does it ensure that we assign the right account to the case and complete the cancel/downgrade for the correct account but it also ensures that:

  • The individual on the phone is authorized to make changes on the account.
  • That we have updated contact information (phone number and email) so that when the Retention Team does reach out to this customer/account holder, they have the correct contact information and can successfully communicate with the customer/account holder.

    *Verifying the customer on the phone is critical as there is a chance the person on the phone DOES NOT work for the account in reference. Making changes to an account / website without an authorized contact could lead to disaster in the form of the company losing money to compensate for customer aggravation/frustration, or in the form of an account cancellation.*

    2.) Create a case for the Request of Cancellation/Downgrade making sure to:

    • assign the correct account to the case
    • assign the person on the phone as the contact for the case
    • set the Reason and Sub-Reason
    • notate all information for the call in the case.

    3.) Confirm the reason that the customer/account holder is wanting to cancel/downgrade.

    4.) When you have received all of the information above (the call-back number, email, and reason ) for the customer/account holder who is cancelling / downgrading, open the Retention Rotation Spreadsheet and insert the case information for the next in line Retention Team Member, in the appropriate fields, for the appropriate month. The month is located at the bottom of the spreadsheet. Make sure you click on the current month tab to open the current rotation list.

    The information needed for the spreadsheet is:

    • Case Number
    • CMS Number
    • Retention Request
    • Retention Reason
    • Your Name
    • Did you complete a Warm Transfer?
    • Has the Retention Agent been Slacked/Chattered?

    5.) After completing the Retention Rotation notation, reach out to the specific Retention Agent that this case is assigned to, either by walking up to them or slacking them, to see if that agent can take the call right now.

    • If the agent can take your call, complete a warm transfer to the Retention Agent.

    • IF THE AGENT IS UNABLE TO TAKE THE CALL, MAKE SURE TO REACH OUT TO THE OTHER RETENTION AGENTS ON THE FLOOR TO SEE IF THEY CAN TAKE YOUR CALL BEFORE TELLING THE CUSTOMER SOMEONE WILL CALL YOU BACK. The reason for this is that it is always 10 times easier to save the account or process the cancellation/downgrade if the customer is on the phone. It is incredibly difficult to get the customer who is cancelling or downgrading, back on the phone - if we do hang up.

    • If no agent can take the call, advise the customer that someone from our Retention Team will be in contact with them soon.

    • If the customer asks about a time frame for that return call you can say:  “It could take 3 to 5 business days to receive a return call from our Retention Team. But that it could be sooner or later.”

    • If the customer asks how long the process to cancel/downgrade takes, you can say:  “The (cancellation/downgrade) process normally takes up to 30 days to complete”.

    6.) After capturing as much information as possible - restate back to the customer what you have verified to make sure there are no mistakes. We often take down information quickly and sometimes do make typos or mistakes. It only takes 30 seconds to read through your notes on the case aloud to the customer. This also helps the customer to know that you listened and know why they have called.

    *REMEMBER* Never promise that we CAN downgrade them “NO PROBLEM”, that we PROMISE we can expedite the downgrade/cancellation SOONER or FASTER, or promise a timeframe that someone will reach out to them, unless given a specific instruction to do so by the assigned Retention Agent.

    7.) Once the call is complete, make sure that you:

    • Log your call - the Retention Team often has to come back to these conversations as customers will often say someone promised them something, that the customer had said something specific, or was told something different than what they are hearing with our Retention specialists. This protects the company and the agents involved.
    • Make sure you have NOTATED the case thoroughly.
    • Slack the appropriate Retention agent informing them of the new case you’ve created for them.
    • Transfer the case to the assigned Retention Agent in SalesForce, or to the Agent who took the call from you.

    Congratulations, you made it through a Cancellation/Downgrade call!

    Thank you for taking the time do things correctly, as it helps our company grow and helps us achieve CUSTOMER SERVICE EXCELLENCE!

    Local Search/ Google My Business Setup

    With Local Search, fulfillment sets up the Yext account for the advisor. After they set up the Yext account, they will send over a case to our New Unassigned Cases Queue.

    They send over this case to us to complete the Local Search project by reaching out to the client and helping them link their Google My Business (GMB) to the Yext account.

    Once we receive the case, we will need to:

    • Send the Local Search email template to the advisor.
    • Pend the case for a day.
    • If no response in a day, call the client to link their GMB to the Yext account.
      • If you cannot reach them after this, then you can close the case.
      • If you are able to reach them, then complete the GMB sync.

    To sync Google My Business (GMB) with Local Search, we need to do the following:

    1. Login to https://fmgsuite.optimizelocation.com/users/login.
    2. Click on FMG Local Search in the top left corner.

    3. Then, click on Locations right under FMG Local Search.
    4. In the search field, put their website name in there and press Search.

    5. Go to the next page.
    6. Find Google My Business and click Set Up.

    7. Click Sign in with Google.
    8. Use their Google login credentials and click continue.