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In every journalist's career one comes across a piece of research that makes one's head shake followed by a jaw drop and scream either silently or out loud if no one is around: "Are these people [fill in the blank] ???!!!"

The paper "Business as Usual? A Benchmarking Study of Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity for Contact Centers ", published by DMG Consulting and sponsored by Empirix shockingly shows, if the survey sample is any indication, just how badly prepared contact centers to handle something as relatively minor as an ACD failure, let alone managing catastrophes like fires up to major events like hurricanes and yes terrorism.

The study, appropriately enough, arrived on my desk days before the seventh anniversary of 9-11 and in the middle of what is turning out to be the deadliest and most destructive hurricane season in three years, with Ike now at this writing threatening to destroy the Texas coast...

Here are the highlights, if you can call it that:

* Less than 37 percent of companies are confident that their operations can withstand a disaster or business disruption

* 60.2 percent of firms are not routinely testing their core contact center infrastructure. This leaves them open to unexpected but avoidable failures

* Only 4.7 percent of firms test their disaster recovery/business continuity plans monthly, leaving 95.3 percent at risk of a serious meltdown in an emergency situation

* 20 percent of contact centers do not even have a disaster recovery plan

I've had a lifetime dealing with, preventing, preparing for, avoiding, responding, evacuating in advance of, and writing about disasters...including accidents, earthquakes, fires, storms (including tornadoes), and terrorism. I've been a security guard in factories, at construction sites, and offices. I've written about 'events' from building fires to the first World Trade Center bombing, along with stories and books on electrical safety.

And as yesterday's blog noted I witnessed and underwent the aftermath of 9-11...following my-then employer's disaster plan...carrying a brightly colored emergency pack with hardhat that it had supplied each of us but fortunately I did not have to use.

At the same time I've heard, and told the stories of how the staff at my last employer, a small-midsized teleservices firm survived--by way of solid planning and preparation-- through the hurricanes that ripped apart the Southeast in 2004 and 2005, maintaining contact with clients and their customers, and their employees through some horrific conditions. I was proud to have told that firm's story on its website, in news and features, and in sales materials because it showed a genuine commitment to ensuring safety and continuity.

There is, therefore from my experience and observation, no excuse other than sheer carelessness leading to negligence not to have a solid, tested, business continuity/disaster response plan. Firms that lack them are putting their employees' lives at risk along with their businesses. They are a needless part of the problem that professionals like my son, who is a paramedic and who is out there every day saving lives do not need when responding to emergencies.

I hope the DMG Consulting/Empirix paper shakes people up. If one more contact center decides to sit down and write or revamp their plans as a result of it then some good will have come. And at the end of the day that's all what matters.

There is a wealth of ways to find out and learn more about new products and services. The Internet has proven to be an exceptionally versatile channel for this information, with online demos and the ability to interact with suppliers.

Yet when all is said and done there is still nothing like going to a conference/trade show floor and checking out the solutions and the exhibitors one-on-one, face-to-face, to get realtime information and answers to your specific needs via your multitude of senses.

For those reasons I strongly encourage you to attend ITEXPO WEST and make time to visit the show floor to visit the exhibitors to see what's new and what will be new in the way of solutions that could help your organization be the best it can be. To learn more I invite you to peruse our Show Guide via TMC President and Group Editor-in-Chief Rich Tehrani's blog. You will find the Guide informative and enlightening that inspires you, like a good travel magazine...to get there and see for yourself.

One of the coolest aspects of ITEXPO WEST is TMC University. The reason: nothing beats testing and certification on hard topics to drive learning and retain information that you can use and impart to others when you return. TMC University, along with finding out about the latest in solutions, offers high ROI from attending ITEXPO WEST for both time and for travel budgets.

TMC University provides full day training courses that validate and test your knowledge of key subject areas such as Microsoft OCS, FMC/Mobility, SIP, SaaS, and SIP in the contact center.

I have been to and have been involved with countless conferences and trade shows in my career. And I've yet to come across a concept as unique and worth while as TMC University.

I'll be moderating a couple of lessons. I'll also be proctoring some of the exams. I'll see you in class and in the examination halls.

Good luck!

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.

Today is the 'last run' for the toll-free number connecting New Jersey Transit, the third largest transit agency in the US, with its customers.

Could this be the beginning of the end for toll-free numbers in North America?

NJ Transit has since June been switching callers from 800-772-2222 to 973-275-5555. When you call the toll free number today you will get a recorded message asking you to call the 973 number And according to an opinion piece in the July 22 Cherry Hill (NJ) Courier-Post, after July 31, there will no longer be any message at the 1-800 number.

NJ Transit abandoned toll-free to cut costs. The high gas prices have attracted more riders but have also increased the costs of diesel fuel used on its buses and many of its commuter trains: the agency also has an electrified commuter rail and light rail network.

The technology environment is finally right for ending toll-free service. NJ Transit, like many public agencies along with private companies, has been diverting calls away from live agents through the Internet, including a mobile-enabled site, and with proactive means such as automated outbound text alerts.

New Jersey residents, like many others across North America, have been switching from TDM to IP, which makes long distance charges irrelevant. My son, who lives in the central part of the state, bought IP with a package from his cable company. Also, North Americans are becoming used to paying per contact, as their counterparts in other parts of the world have long done, through their text messaging rates.

By dropping toll-free, NJ Transit could be blazing a trail for other companies and organizations to follow. The move saves money without cutting customer care, allowing scarce resources to be more efficiently deployed elsewhere.

There has been so far some cries against the move, such as the aforementioned newspaper editorial (see below), because it does increase the costs and hassle of information access from especially poorer customers. Yet the screams have not been loud enough at this point to get the agency to change its mind.

http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080722/OPINION/807220303/1046

Who will be the next to follow in NJT's path? Do I hear any roar from the airlines?

Communications giant Bell Canada does not get often get much praise by consumers, telco professionals, and the media in its "home and native land".

This traditional of the traditional telcos has plodded behind the cable companies and others in offering competitive pricing and new services like residential IP and sometimes indifferent service. Not surprisingly, more consumers have let the old TDM-carrying copper wires go dead and instead are plugging into coaxial cable or go wireless altogether--including with firms other than Bell.

Bell, and some of its other communications counterparts have been ripped into by consumer advocates for their decision to charge for inbound text messages, including spam. Two Quebec residents, one a Bell customer, and the other a Telus subscriber, have just launched a lawsuit against the two carriers.

Yet Bell deserves some applause for its decision to let go old-line executives and managers rather line staff as part of its reorganization and cost cutting as part of its recent and record-breaking $35 billion+ leveraged buyout.

More surprisingly for jaded observers it is reportedly increasing its customer-facing staff: who are usually but shortsightedly canned when such deals take place.

Could this mean that Bell will emerge as a truly competitive, dynamic carrier, one that will provide leading-edge price-savvy services to back its customer care, to contact centers, other businesses, and to consumers, and win back those it has been attriting to other companies?

Bell has the network, and the resources to win, and not just by default. The service and pricing of some of its competitors is not exactly great, in absolute terms. It could also probably show the equally 'loved' US carriers a few things too.