| Contact Center/CRM Views and Analysis

October 2009

You are browsing the archive for October 2009.

Do We Need Contact Centers?

October 28, 2009


Are contact center agents, which are still known as 'operators' in the answering service world going the way of elevator operators? For every contact center opening and expansion heralded there have been the understandably less trumpeted closures and cutbacks thanks to automation.

The automated trend is logical and seemingly inevitable. It costs less than $1 for a Web or IVR/speech-rec-handle transaction or outbound notification call versus $5 or more for that taken care or made by a live agent.

The Environment, Climate Change, and Contact Centers

October 23, 2009


How do environment and climate change issues impact business functions like contact centers? Easily and painfully. For if harmful substances are pumped and dumped into the environment: air, on the ground, and in the water your health and finances, that of your family, your employees and their families, and your customers will suffer.

These impacts also includes higher healthcare costs that shift spending away from other items (like yours), decreased productivity via absenteeism hikes and resulting increased staffing/training expenses, growing disaster risks, and losses.

'Cowardly Callers' in U.S., Canada?

October 21, 2009

I came across this excellent, insightful study of what I term 'cowardly callers' conducted by solutions firm Corizon and YouGov of abusive U.K. callers--the press release says " Contact Centre Rage: Corizon Survey Finds Scots, Men and the under-30s to Be the Worst Offenders" and it got me to thinking: has there been /can there be a similar study in the U.S. and Canada?

The closest that comes to mind was a great New York Times story 10 years ago 'When New York Is On The Line' that reports on how time-pressed/stressed out/cut-the-b.s.

Another Social Networking Landmine: 'Kind' Reviews

October 14, 2009

My black journalist's heart loves contrarian stuff. And what is darker and more contrarian than this quite correct observation/report from Christopher Null's The Working Guy blog 'Why user reviews are worthless'.

This is one more IED in the social networking field that could blow customer service/marketing/ strategies up in enterprises' faces. It joins firms using social networking (including reviews) to plump their products and diss their competitors.

Mr. Null points out that consumer ratings on websites are next to useless (which doesn't help companies who rely on them to help gauge customer satisfaction), because people are kinder when they put their words to the world.

Save Lives, Reduce Injuries, Cut Health Costs, Don't Drive and 'Telecommunicate'

October 7, 2009

When I was growing up we had a family friend who when she drove had the nerve-wracking habit of turning to you when she spoke. Fortunately this dear individual lived to early 90s.

I also grew up in an era where drunken driving was frowned upon but it was still not uncommon to get behind the wheel bombed out of your skull. My father once weaved 45 miles from an office party to our home.

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