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11/15/05 - Falling Into the Trap
One reader commented on our on-going benchmarking discussion by saying, "Who convinces the executives that the call center is more than a back office cost drain? It takes an aggressive call center manager to step up and provide data that says "WE CONTRIBUTE TO REVENUES!" And this reader offers a strategy to get out of the quagmire.
He says, "We use a two survey strategy asking callers BEFORE a customer care contact about such things as brand loyalty and purchase plans; and then immediately after the contact, we ask again. By measuring the opinion shift based entirely on the customer service contact and applying a value to added sales or customer retention as the result and it is easy to show the impact good (or poor) service is having on company revenues. Armed with that type of data rather than "Look how much I lowered the phone bill by shaving average call length." will get management attention to a call for change.
This example offers up a clear and classic case how many call centers fall in the trap of reporting operational data only to have the data used against improving the customer experience. Even more important, the example shows how measuring the customer experience can make a difference to the call center, the business, and most importantly, the customer.
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)
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TODAY'S NEWS (more)
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ServicePower announced the release and availability of SERVICEPower version 6.2. SERVICEPower version 6.2 provides additional scheduling capability, which allows jobs associated with one another to be grouped together on the schedule; for example, all jobs to be carried out at the same site can be associated and completed with a single visit by the same service technician or team.
InstantService announced the release of exciting new additions to its popular chat and email management solution. New Integration Panels and more Optional Data Fields have been added to enable integrations with other applications, including CRM and knowledge base solutions.
Interactive Intelligence announced availability of a major upgrade to its flagship IP contact center software, Customer Interaction Center. First, the release introduces a new session initiation protocol-based Interaction Media Server, which provides a dramatic increase in IP system scalability and reliability by transferring the majority of all media processing to the dedicated media server.
RightNow announced Mission Federal Credit Union has selected RightNow CRM to automate and unify its marketing, sales and service operations. By doing so, the company will be better able to both understand and meet the individual financial needs of its 131,000 existing members -- while at the same time increasing its reach into younger, more Internet-centric markets.
Verint announced that Halifax General Insurance Services has selected Verint's ULTRA suite to ensure a high level of customer satisfaction across its five contact centers in the UK and Ireland. The Verint solution will be delivered in conjunction with partner BT.
Control-F1 announced it will be exhibiting SupportBridge at CA World 2005. The show is being held at the Venetian Las Vegas and Sands Expo and Convention Center from November 13th to 17th. Tradeshow participants are invited to visit booth 354 to speak with representatives from Control-F1.
Exstream Software announced the general availability of its AFP Compare software, a high-speed comparison solution for viewing two advanced function presentation (AFP) files side by side to verify output quality before production. AFP Compare combines regression testing and proofing functions into a single solution, saving application development time by eliminating manual document testing; reducing printing and production costs by reviewing visual output electronically for quality assurance before running expensive production or print factory processes.
Landmark has once again achieved Global Certification under the Support Center Practices (SCP) program, ensuring its commitment to customer service. The SCP program is the service quality benchmark for Information Technology service support centers and help desks.
Patriot Media has deployed cable VoIP technology from Nortel to offer Patriot's Digital Phone service to more than 115,000 homes in central New Jersey. The initial deployment was accomplished in one month from shipment to in-service with the aid of Nortel Global Services.
Convergys announced an expanded software licensing agreement with Time Warner Cable. Under terms of the agreement, Time Warner Cable is expanding its billing software agreement to include a license for Infinys, Convergys' modular, convergent business support system software.
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 FEATURE WEBCAST (more) |
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"From Tactical to Strategic: The Workforce Optimization Maturity Model"
Bill Durr, Principal Solutions Consultant, Witness Systems
Asking about the maturity of a contact center is certainly a delicate matter. But it is a question that has to be asked. In this webcast, we explore a maturity model that gives you new insights into your own organization and explores how you can make your contact center a change agent for the entire business. What you will hear will help you move from a tactical to strategic way of thinking, especially in the area of workforce optimization. So if you are dealing with the unprecedented pressures brought on by the Internet, hyper-competition, and voice over IP along with the familiar demands of cost-cutting and employee retention, this webcast is for you. Register now to receive your complimentary copy of Witness' latest white papers: "Reinvention of Workforce Management" and "Reinvention of Quality Monitoring."
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| CRMAdvocate Stock Index |
| CRMSI | 44.46 |  | 0.68% |
| Dow Jones | 10,697.17 | | 0.10% |
| Nasdaq | 2,200.95 |  | -0.07% |
| S&P 500 | 1,233.76 | | -0.08% |
| Top Gainers |
| RightNow | 16.14 | | 1.14 |
| salesforce.com | 28.37 | | 0.91 |
| eLoyalty | 6.83 | | 0.52 |
| Top Losers |
| NICE | 43.34 | | -1.52 |
| eOn | 13.14 | | -0.51 |
| SPSS | 29.03 | | -0.45 |
| Complete Stock Index |
| As of close 11/14/05 | |
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Winners, Losers of Corporate Image 2005 - Corporations that develop clear messages and clearly communicate their stories to both the internal organizations and the external forces are the real players. The rest are either still discovering who they are or just making stories as they go along or periodically falling flat on their faces.(ABC Namebank)
|  | | BMW puts Siebel in the driver's seat - Putting the customer at the center of the organization can be a difficult proposition for product-centric organizations, and the automotive industry is one of the most product-centric there is.(SearchCRM)
| | | Companies Find Faster Call Resolution Key to Cost Center Profitability - As companies face a backlash against offshore call centers, or are simply finding it was not the right solution for their particular business, they are bringing service back to the U.S. This doesn't need to be cost-prohibitive however. Nearly 80 percent of the time and cost of providing customer service is spent on service resolution.(Kana)
| | | Six Simple Rules For Successful Self-Service - You can save money, increase revenues and generate loyalty when you let customers help themselves. But only if you do it right.(CIO)
| | | How To Build Profits? Let Service People Do What They Do Best - In a former life, I was customer care director for a national cellular network. At the time, we were the No. 1 player in the market, having been the first to launch a proposition aimed at bringing consumers into the mobile arena. They were heady days. At the time, there were just 450 employees in the whole company plus another 500 employed by an outsourcer to support the fast growing consumer business.(CRMGuru)
| | | Rivalry Brews Between On-Demand CRM Providers - Rivalry Brews Between On-Demand CRM Providers(CRMDaily)
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"OUR TAKE"
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