Call center buyers face an embarrassment of riches in call center technology, sourcing, vendor, and distributor options. The good news: It’s a highly competitive market with ample room to compare products and negotiate prices. The bad news: It takes time to get to know the vendors and give them the chance to know you. Don’t… Read More »
I recently had the opportunity to present a webinar with Varolii Corporation entitled Preparing Your Business for Today’s Multi-channel Customer. Most companies already live in a multi-channel world with voice, fax, email, voicemail, IVR, web. Some support web chat, outbound alerting, social media, and mobile, or have plans to do so. It’s an important topic as… Read More »
I wish that most people could answer that question with a resounding YES! But I’m afraid that complaints about technology and the people who support it are rather common. Technology is supposed to serve our customers better, lower our costs, and position our companies to sell our wares effectively. But too often, we’re caught up… 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 »
In the people, process, and technology triumvirate of customer service operations, it’s all too rare to find someone who’s in charge of call center process optimization. Yet a process specialist can have a big impact on both the customer experience and call center performance. Process analysts work closely with front-line personnel, reporting and analytics analysts, quality monitoring and… Read More »
“Multi-channel communication” is the 21st century version of multimedia communication for the contact center. Or is it? In fact, I think it is a potentially confusing term depending on who the audience is and their perspective. According to dictionary.com, the noun has many definitions, including several that are relevant to contact centers: a route through… Read More »
We define seven key areas when considering contact center support functions. While the nature of these functions can vary greatly based on factors such as size, number of sites, type of business and business goals, culture, and other organizational roles and responsibilities, any center should be able to point to these functions and know how… 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 »
Call center professionals spend a healthy chunk of their time pouring over the daily, weekly, and monthly stacks of management reports to discern what’s going right – or wrong – with their centers. Many overlook one of the most valuable sources of information – the “Voice of the Employee.” The call center front line has… Read More »
Call center technology selection and implementation can be a painstaking affair. Defining requirements. Developing a Request for Proposal (RFP). Entertaining the vendors and sifting through all of the responses. Gaining buy-in from all the decision makers. Negotiating contacts. Developing and executing installation, testing, and production plans. If we spend so much time preparing for the… Read More »