August 2008 Archives

When heading off for the Labor Day weekend, think of the people who make it possible: those who work for you like your contact center agents and supervisors for whom Labor Day is a workday where they deliver the customer service that we all depend on.

And when thinking of your staff examine ways in which you can treat them better, so that they can become more productive and loyal that in turn leads to higher revenues, lower costs, and greater customer satisfaction. You may even be recognized by your peers for the results that you have achieved.

InfoCision has proven that looking after your staff pays off. As reported in a story on TMCnet, the teleservices firm was recognized as a finalist in the Employer Achievement category of the Health Care Heroes Award, presented by Crain's Cleveland Business. InfoCsion won the congrats for having implemented a company-wide, proactive health and wellness program that emphasizes individualized employee care and convenience yet at the fraction of the cost.

Not surprisingly, InfoCision has been and continues to be one of the highest quality contact center firms there is. It is the only company to win a Marketing Via Phone (MVP) Quality Award every year since the inception of the honor back in 1993.

InfoCision gets a big cheer from this corner for proving in contact centers, as well as in organizations in general, that doing the right thing by your staff is the best thing all around.

Personalization:Several notes from SpeechTEK, held earlier this week in New York City:

--The industry is waiting for 'G', as in 3G, to enable integrated voice/visual (web/video) solutions to mobile customers. These tools have been under development but have no real place to go in the North American market until the wireless carriers upgrade their platforms to permit these applications

--Legislation/regulations are affecting offerings. Handsfree wireless laws create a need for integrated voice/web interfaces. The new FTC TSR amendments prohibit outbound pre-recorded telemarketing messages unless there is express consent

--Personalization: the ability to engage automated systems with customers becoming extremely important to improve success rates, customer satisfaction rates, and sales

--Speech analytics becoming key as enterprises want to mine calls to learn more about their customers

--Call avoidance i.e. of calls made by and to live agents is becoming a key strategy of speech and CRM suppliers and teleservices agencies as it helps their clients reduce costs and improve service--and customer satisfaction/retention

--Concerns/questions about security of automated speech authentication with one hacker-come-security consultant who reportedly manipulated the application for a CEO's system to think it was the executive

--The Aumtech/Microsoft/JetBlue story is shaking up vendors in that space because of the pricing model; also anytime Microsoft shows a strong interest in a market there is concern by smaller firms of what could happen to them. At the same time there is interest by those suppliers who make applications using the engines in Microsoft's low-priced and rugged speech solution because it could help them cut their costs and become more competitive

--The show floor acoustics leave a lot to be desired: ironic for a speech event. The noise levels were so high that one could barely hear someone else speak. That and scarcity of seats forced private meetings to 2 to 3 floors away, which wastes time

--The speech and CRM mix appears awkward, especially the support, WFO, and HR aspects. The most forlorn booth: Kelly Services. It was really out of place, both marketwise and in location in a tech-oriented show. Yet Kelly addresses staffing needs: which are 70 percent of contact center costs: and why contact centers exist

--The most fun exhibits: ClickFox's energetic team of greeters at the entrance, and Nuance's Can't Stop Stupid Calls.

There are instances with technology where the right tools and the right players come together to kickstart it into high gear. Examples include Robert Stephenson and the steam locomotive, Thomas Edison with the electric light, Henry Ford and the automobile, Boeing with 707 jet airliner, and Bill Gates Jr. and the PC.

That instance may be happening right now, again with Mr. Gates but also with Aumtech and speech rec. Aumtech's new tool to connect its IVRs with Microsoft's powerful speech rec engines appear to make speech tools affordable, slicing per-seat licensing fees from $3,000 to $10.

I came away more convinced as ever of this after moderating last week's Webinar and case study with JetBlue, which led to this article on TMCnet.com titled 'Aumtech, with Help from Microsoft, Breaks Through Speech Rec Cost Barrier'.

Forget SpeechTek: the real big story is here.

Yes, the Microsoft speech rec needs some tweaks i.e. more languages. I'd like to see M/S subsidiary TellMe use it. Yet compared with the price, and the total cost of ownership benefits, these are minor quibbles.

I first wrote about speech rec in 1997 when I was with Call Center Magazine. I have watched and reported on the sometimes agonizingly slow progress of this technology to where it is now becoming successfully deployed in just enough consumer-facing applications to where we as consumers are becoming accustomed to talking with machines.

I could be wrong but what Aumtech and Microsoft have done is arguably the single most important development yet in speech rec: by putting together the tools that are there.

Speech recognition has long been a 'tomorrow' technology, promising the ability to deliver contact center functionality without having contact center agents delivering them, resulting in reduced transaction costs.

While the applications have reached a level that they are sufficiently rugged, user-friendly, and widespread to the point where they have trained us to speak to 'them', they have--until now--still been too expensive to be deployed outside of major and deep pocket enterprises.

Until now...that is.

There is a TMC webinar taking place Thursday August 14 at 1pm ET that will explain how JetBlue has sliced speech rec application costs to a fraction of what they are traditionally. The virtual event, sponsored by Aumtech, features speakers from JetBlue, Microsoft, and Aumtech.

I'm intrigued. I can't wait to moderate this webinar. I therefore urge everyone in the contact center business who has an hour available on Thursday to log in, listen in, follow the presentation, and then take part in the Q&A. Here's a link to the session and to register.

Hope you'll be on the call, and online.

In just less than two months from now, Canada's new Do Not Call registry will go live. This new regulation, and others, will have at last some enforcement teeth in the way of steep fines. These methods will help clean up the telemarketing industry that unfortunately like any other field has a few bad actors, poor managers, and greedy companies. Telemarketers will also benefit by using the DNC to generate a higher lead/sale per prospect ratio by not calling people who clearly don't want to buy by phone.

Canada has of course the benefit of learning from over 10 years of US experience, at the state and national levels, with blanket DNC registries. And as such there are some key differences between them, two of which is that the Canadian DNC has a three year time limit--it is up to consumers to renew their listings--and that there is only one government level and agency, the federal CRTC, responsible for telemarketing regulations rather than two, as in the US, and the provinces are not involved, unlike individual states, whose added rules make compliance a headache.

(Yes, the states serve as the 'incubators' of US federalism--they did take the lead on formulating the blanket DNC list--but once the creatures are hatched they should be put under the wing of the national government to make sure everyone flies together well)

There is a great synopsis of key aspect of the Canadian regs in the Outbound Call Center Community section on TMCnet.com. The September issue of Customer Interaction Solutions will have a more in-depth discussion on Canadian telemarketing regulations.

There are also many similarities between the Canadian and American Do Not Call lists. One of the ones not mentioned in the online article is the tussle between telemarketers who want less restrictions and consumer advocates who want more. The media reports frequently cite the latter's familiar litany of too many DNC exemptions, such as for political parties, charities, and newspapers. Yet there have not been too many squawks from the former, namely because the Canadian Marketing Association has been astutely much more savvy in approaching such hot issues than its US counterparts.

The CMA, as is typical in Canadian business and political practices, is more behind the scenes, less willing to go to the barricades as was the ATA in the US. It saw which way the tide was going. Its method is not trying to mimic King Canute by telling the tide what to do, but instead veer the flow so that it would minimize the damage to its members. For example it had the most controversial of the Canadian legislation's original requirements, i.e. allowing businesses to also register on the DNC, removed from the regulations, by pointing out that only a minority of businesses wanted it and that it is difficult in business conversation to know when telemarketing starts or ends.

Canada will no doubt continue to refine its new telemarketing rules, going forward as the US has done. One suggestion both governments should look at to resolve the exemption issue is prohibit solicitation calling to unpublished numbers unless there is express consent i.e. treat them like cell and fax numbers. People who go out of their way and expense to get their number unlisted clearly don't want to be called, for any reason, so don't bug them. That will leave a smaller but more willing universe of consumers who may be happy that you called.