VT Teddy Bear: Monitoring success
Jul 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Patrick Barnard
Until a few years ago, the contact center managers at Vermont Teddy Bear Co. would monitor the performance of the agents by walking up and down the aisles...
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What you can learn from a telemarketer
Jul 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Jeff Schmitt
Author Raymond Carver once wrote, You never start out life with the intention of becoming bankrupt or an alcoholic or a cheat and a thief. Or a liar....
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 Top 10 Tech Tools for Call Centers
Nov 27, 2007 9:22 AM
Technology has revolutionized the contact center in recent years, and there’s no shortage of must-have systems to choose from. But what’s the equipment centers can’t or shouldn’t live without? ...
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Voice Recognition Technology Hits the Desktop
Nov 27, 2007 9:18 AM, By Vince Weseli
Voice recognition software has long been used to collect customer information for the customer service agent prior to the live connection of the call. But voice recognition software in use on the agent desktop is now showing promise in its ability to lower costs by reducing call handle times and provide a better service experience for the customer and agent. ...
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Making a Budgetary Case For Your Contact Center, Part Two
Nov 27, 2007 9:07 AM, By Kathleen M. Peterson
Multichannel contact centers must be prepared to perform at a high level, which requires funding. But you need the support and buy-in of senior management to make your case to get the funding. ...
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Quick Tip: Hiring a Phone Rep? Pick Up the Phone
Oct 30, 2007 10:49 AM
You know you have to hire a rep for your call center, but you’re pressed for time and can’t even think about interviewing agents. While you will eventually need resumes and in-person interviews, but you can learn a lot from in initial phone call with candidates....
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Making a Budgetary Case For Your Contact Center, Part One
Oct 30, 2007 10:44 AM, By Kathleen M. Peterson
Today’s changing contact center is multichannel, multimedia, multisite, multitasking, often creating multimeltdowns. The leaders in today’s centers must be prepared to perform at a high level, which requires funding. To access the funding, you have to make a case. But we must have the support and buy-in of senior management to accomplish our goals. ...
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Eye on Offshore Call Center Outsourcing
Oct 30, 2007 10:37 AM, By Mark Del Franco
The worldwide market for customer service outsourcing hit $12.2 billion in 2007, compared with $8.4 billion in 2004, according to Gartner Research.
The main reason it’s so popular? Marketers can save around 40% of their call center bills by outsourcing overnight or overflow calls, says Art Hall, principal with management consulting firm Marsel and Alvarez.
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The Skinny on Call Monitoring
Oct 30, 2007 10:33 AM, By Kathryn Jackson
Managers typically monitor their agents' performance in responding to telephone calls, e-mail, etc. for purposes of quality control and training. Research shows that best-practice contact centers monitor 5 to 10 calls per agent per month. ...
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Study: Southerners more likely to register a complaint
Sep 25, 2007 10:02 AM
According to a recent Customer Experience Impact Report by Harris Interactive on bad call experiences 80% of customers will go to competitors after a bad call--up from 68% in 2006. But an interesting breakdown in the report was the bad call experiences by geographic regions and the behavior associated with geography....
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Optimizing the Customer Experience
Sep 25, 2007 9:58 AM, By Kathleen Peterson
A recent survey published in USA Today, indicates that 45% of customers identify customer service as the biggest influence on remaining loyal to a company. Clearly customers will stop doing business with companies due to the quality of the experience. ...
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Transforming Agent Training Through Performance-Based Learning
Sep 25, 2007 9:53 AM, By Marianne Langlois
An approach called “performance-based learning” provides companies with a better alternative to traditional, academic style training. PBL improves and accelerates the learning experience, thereby shortening time-to-proficiency, which results in training cost reductions, quicker revenue capture, improved agent satisfaction, and increased longevity on the job....
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9 Quick Tips For Being an Employer of Choice
Sep 25, 2007 9:49 AM
Does your contact center have what it takes to be the employer of choice in your area?
Kathryn Jackson, founder of Ocean City, NJ-based Response Design Corp. lists just some of the must-haves to attract the best contact center candidates
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Having Her Say: Customer Service is Declining Again
Aug 28, 2007 11:45 AM, By Roseanne D'Ausilio
According to a new survey from marketing consultancy Hornstein Associates, customer service standards have hit an all time low in 2007. E-mail response to customer queries declined 50% since 2002. The report argues that a heavy reliance on technology—with little attention paid to best practices—is responsible for companies’ poor performance....
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E-learning Pays, Part III
Aug 28, 2007 11:26 AM, By Art Hall and Kathryn Jackson
The chief purpose of a call center is to provide the company with efficient, cost-effective customer interactions, but many managers are too busy putting out fires to concentrate on efficiency. Once implemented, e-learning is a time- and organization-saver. ...
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