Contact centers have never lacked for data. With increased pressure for efficiency, optimization and profitability throughout the organization, centers need to use that data in smart ways – not just for reporting, but for truly analyzing activity historically and in real-time, where possible. Whether packaging data into user-friendly interfaces, drilling down into reports to learn… Read More »
Whether you’ve had a lengthy courtship with prospective vendors or a hurried shotgun wedding, there’s great temptation to get on with the process and give your contact center technology statement of work (SOW) a cursory examination. Beware! A boilerplate SOW isn’t likely to address your unique requirements or help you get the most out of… Read More »
As we move toward Fall, it’s time to think about your annual capital budget requests. Don’t let another cycle go by where your “wishes” don’t come true. Here are five critical steps for gaining contact center project approval and funding. Step One: Choose the Right Projects Get clear on your corporation’s strategy and the role… Read More »
Contact center technology sourcing decisions are not as simple as they used to be. The sourcing landscape includes a wide array of hosted services and support options that are as attractive to multinationals as they are to single site centers. The old saying, “Good, fast, cheap – pick two” may be gone. If you consider… Read More »
After a long and painstaking process to acquire the perfect contact center technology, it’s really tempting to just let the IT department get it up and running as quickly as possible. But if you want to reap the rewards of all that hard work, you’ve got to take the time and commit the resources to… Read More »
Contact centers have been intrigued by the promise of home agents for years. Technical and economic hurdles have prevented many centers from giving the remote workforce option serious consideration. VoIP-based technology offerings help get centers over the technical hurdles. But you need to consider the enabling technology carefully to ensure that you get acceptable voice… Read More »
System crashes, network outages, floods and fires are infrequent events. Yet every business needs to mitigate the risk of a debilitating disruption to their operations. Given the potential for lost revenue, loss of customer goodwill, lost data and service degradation, why is call center business continuity planning such a low priority? Why doesn’t everyone “just… Read More »
In reviewing Contact Babel’s recent US Contact Center Decision Maker’s Guide (4th Edition – 2010/11), I noticed several interesting findings about contact center business processes: 56% use agents (not technology) to authenticate callers 60% access 3 or more applications with each call 70% require agents to log into all applications separately 60% launch back office… Read More »
A few years ago, my colleague and I decided to model contact center costs for three representative centers – small, medium, and large – using a process-based analysis approach and comprehensive modeling tool. We varied key elements that can change a center’s makeup – such as self-service technology – and examined the impact it had… Read More »
Whenever someone mentions process optimization, I always think of Henry Ford and the Model T. Old man Ford figured out that a “well-oiled” assembly line produced superior cars at substantially lower costs than custom-built automobiles. It was a win-win scenario for the company and the customer. The contact center can be a great place to… Read More »