| Contact Center/CRM Views and Analysis

October 2005

You are browsing the archive for October 2005.

Singapore For BPO

October 31, 2005

A BusinessWire article today appears on TMCnet outlining the benefits of Singapore as a BPO (business process outsourcing) site of interest. The article cites the fact that it has the lowest business risk "scores" of any Asian country, coupled with the region's strongest intellectual property laws.

The full article is here: http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/-singapore-meets-demand-high-end-multisourcing-offers-specialized-/2005/oct/1199178.htm

TES

Convergys Celebrates 5 Years In Alberta

October 27, 2005

Convergys, celebrating its fruitful half-decade in Alberta, is holding its five-year anniversary celebration today (Thursday, October 27) at its 38th Avenue and Millwoods Road facility. The celebration will honor the nearly 3,000 Convergys employees in Edmonton, Red Deer and Lethbridge, for their contributions to the company’s success.

TES

New Salesforce.com Board Member

October 26, 2005

Salesforce.com today announced the addition of a new member to the on-demand CRM company's Board of Directors: Shirley Young. Young is a former corporate VP of General Motors; she now runs her own business advisory company.

She is also currently a director of TeleTech Holding, Inc.

TES

Record Oil Profits!

October 26, 2005

But the oil industry would prefer you "not focus on that." They're good guys...really...they're there to help you.

This article appeared in the Washington Post today: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/25/AR2005102501655.html

That industry's "feel good" slogan ought to be:

"Screwing You, With A Smile, For Over 100 Years"

Sarbanes-Oxley Keeps Us Honest

October 24, 2005

A new survey has found that more than half of public companies have changed their "revenue recognition policies" in light of Sarbanes-Oxley legislation. (Rather than, for example, go to jail.)

Sarbanes-Oxley was put in place to stop companies from cheating on their financial reporting to boost stock prices and personal perks (paging Enron, Adelphia, WorldCom and others).

Apparently, it's working.

http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/-survey-sarbanes-oxley-has-widespread-impact-revenue-recognition-/2005/oct/1196684.htm

TES

Verizon Tops Customer Service?

October 19, 2005

Verizon is the top of the heap for customer service, according to VocaLabs (www.vocalabs.com).

Now...I'm a Verizon customer. And if that's the best customer service there is to be had in the wireless arena, I'm terrified. What do the OTHER providers do to rank below Verizon...beat their customers with rusty medieval weaponry?

TES

SAP Tempts Siebel Customers

October 17, 2005

SAP today announced it's extending its "Safe Passage" migration program to Siebel customers. This would apply to SAP's mySAP CRM product. Siebel, currently having its user conference in Boston, is likely to come back with a choice response to SAP's challenge. Watch this space.

TES

Onyx Offers Cash To Siebel Customers

October 14, 2005

Rumor has it that Onyx Software is offering cash to companies willing to migrate from Siebel to the Onyx solution.

It's like the old days...when you opened up a checking account, you got a free blender. Have the CRM providers considered offering household appliances to tempt customers?

TES

Nigeria Outlaws Spamming

October 14, 2005

But wait! I'm still waiting for my $24.6 million in oil money, to which I'm entitled since I recently discovered I'm the long-lost relative of president's cousin's ex-girlfriend's dental hygienist.

Will this new crackdown affect my payout?

http://news.tmcnet.com/news/-nigeria-outlaw-e-mail-spamming-/2005/oct/1193202.htm

TES

Walmart Customer Service

October 13, 2005

I was in Walmart this afternoon at lunch time. It's not a place I like to be. The following example of brilliant customer services is only one of the reasons why.

Place/time: Walmart, Norwalk, Connecticut, 1:00 pm

Interactive Intelligence Wins Best Of Show

October 11, 2005

Interactive Intelligence today announced that it has won a "Best of Show" award at the International Call Center Management Conference & Exposition (ICCM), which took place the week before last. The award was given to Interactive Intelligence's product, intelligent multisite routing software Interaction Director, in the VoIP Applications category.

TES

Hi-Tech Beer Coasters?

October 7, 2005

Did anyone spot this on Reuters? Another wonderful and useful example of German efficiency and the fact that they take good beer very seriously.

TES

BERLIN (Reuters) - Fans of non-stop drinking may soon be able to cut down on time wasted ordering refills, thanks to a beer coaster that can tell when a glass is empty.

VoiceGenie's New Customers

October 7, 2005

VXML platform provider VoiceGenie announced three new customers this morning, in conjunction with some of its partners. Among the new customers:

* The Austin, Texas Transit Authority (with partner Ontira Communications);

* Tuition Management Systems (with Nuasis); and

* mobilkom austria, Austria's leading mobile provider, which is using the VoiceGenie platform to deploy IVR.

TES

New Board Member For Salesforce.com

October 6, 2005

Salesforce.com appointed a new board member today, in the form of Craig Conway, the former head of PeopleSoft. 

Conway is recognized as one of the "Top 25 Managers" by BusinessWeek, "Ten Most Influential People in High Technology" by Computer Business Review, and "Fifty Most Powerful People in Networking" by NetworkWorld magazine.

TES

I'm An Oil Millionaire!

October 6, 2005

I just got an e-mail from some guy in Nigeria, telling me that since I'm his next of kin, I get to inherit the $22.4 million oil fortune that he's trying to get out of the country.

Next of kin to a guy in Nigeria? I need to have a serious talk with my parents -- clearly, they're withholding information.

TES

20% Customer Churn For Data-Compromised Companies

October 5, 2005

An interesting article on MSNBC this morning by Technology Correspondent Bob Sullivan discusses a recent study conducted by The Ponemon Institute. The study addresses customer behavior with companies that have "lost" customer data. One of the most interesting stats is that the customer churn rate with companies that lose customer data (and subsequently inform the customers of the loss, as required by California law) may be as high as 20%.

In other words, after a data breach is exposed, a company can expect to lose up to 1 in 5 customers to the competition.

Read the MSNBC piece here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9581522/

TES

ClientLogic Wins Visage Mobile Contract

October 3, 2005

Teleservices outsourcer and BPO provider ClientLogic today announced a significant customer win in the form of a contract to service customers of Visage Mobile’s MVNO wireless platform. As Visage Mobile’s preferred customer care provider, ClientLogic will provide customized and branded customer service to participating MVNOs to help them quickly and easily begin interacting with their wireless customers.

Visage Mobile calls itself the first company to offer a turnkey technology and services platform for creating and operating MVNOs in the U.S. The company enables MVNOs and service providers to use an established carrier's network to deliver differentiated wireless services under their own brand names.

For more information, visit www.clientlogic.com.

TES

The Call Center World Shrinks

October 3, 2005

Hi, blog!

I'm back from the ICCM show in Las Vegas. My initial impression was that, unlike the old days of a vast variety of smaller companies offering single-point communication, we're now looking at shows with a few very large merged players up front. The Witness/Blue Pumpkin combination, Aspect/Concerto entity and Verint/Opus Group combinations are just the most recent.

Featured Events