Description:
Ceequence is a general business consulting firm whose mission is to assist companies with implementing strategy to achieve sustainable business outcomes. The firm also provides turnkey outsourcing services for teleservices and business processes through strategic alliances with Australian and off-shore partners in locations such as the UK and India.
Ceequence offers contact center services. Their offerings are in line with standard International contact centre and telephone marketing bureau services in either business-to-business, business-to-consumer or non-profit donor environments.
Outbound Services:
Direct marketing
Lead Generation
Appointment Setting and Tracking
Accounts Receivable
Renewals and Win-backs
Non-profit fund-raising
Telesurveys
Market research
Recruitment & Executive Search
Inbound Services:
Order Taking
Help Desk
Technical Support
Direct TV
Directory Enquiry
Customer Services
Inbound Telesales
URL: .ceequence.com/
Ceequence Locations:
Ceequence Australia
Ceequence
Suite 3, 73 Milson Road,
Cremorne, NSW 2090,
Sydney, Australia.
Ceequence India
Level 2 & 3, 23 Anna Salai,
Saidapet,
Chennai 600 015.
India
Tel: +91-44-42328100
Fax: +91-44-24343393
Ceequence London
Ceequence
Unit 3A, Popin Business Centre
South Way, Wembley
Middlesex HA9 0HF
London, UK
Ceequence New York
Ceequence
Lincoln Building
Suite 1144, 60 East 42nd Street
New York, NY 10165
USA
Friday, December 26, 2008
Calling Polska (Australia)
Address:
Calling Polska Ltd.
ul. Warszawska 67/1
40-010 Katowice
Poland
Phone: 0048 32 607 09 47
Fax.: 0048 32 204 95 97
Description:
Calling Polska is specializing in call center outsourcing services. The elements, which consist on success our company are: the art of communication and using the newest technology. Calling Polska's destination is to become a leader of telemarketing. The possibility of getting to clients and effective customer service is more important in conditions of latter-day market, in every commercial or service activity. Therefore are using systems of telephone customer service. The communication with clients is a very important factor which is binding the firm with audiences of products and services.
Calling Polska is providing a high quality services based on an advanced telephone system of customer service. Our multi-channels centre of customer service (call center) including the newest technology and the human potential. Effectively they compete with another telemarketing firms. Calling Polska's strengths are big flexible of a quantity stations, business solutions, price and comprehensiveness cooperation.
The fixed availability and willingness to reply for questions, demands and expectations of market is the ticket to success!
URL: .callingpolska.pl
Calling Polska Ltd.
ul. Warszawska 67/1
40-010 Katowice
Poland
Phone: 0048 32 607 09 47
Fax.: 0048 32 204 95 97
Description:
Calling Polska is specializing in call center outsourcing services. The elements, which consist on success our company are: the art of communication and using the newest technology. Calling Polska's destination is to become a leader of telemarketing. The possibility of getting to clients and effective customer service is more important in conditions of latter-day market, in every commercial or service activity. Therefore are using systems of telephone customer service. The communication with clients is a very important factor which is binding the firm with audiences of products and services.
Calling Polska is providing a high quality services based on an advanced telephone system of customer service. Our multi-channels centre of customer service (call center) including the newest technology and the human potential. Effectively they compete with another telemarketing firms. Calling Polska's strengths are big flexible of a quantity stations, business solutions, price and comprehensiveness cooperation.
The fixed availability and willingness to reply for questions, demands and expectations of market is the ticket to success!
URL: .callingpolska.pl
Call Design (Australia)
Call Design
Sydney
Level 3 18-20 Orion Rd
Lane Cove NSW 2066
Phone: +61 2 9425 7000
Melbourne
Level 1, 15 - 17 Queen St
Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: +61 3 8612 1314
Description:
Call Design is a specialist Contact Centre technology and solution provider, providing Workforce Management, Call Recording, Speech Recognition and Unified IP solutions. At Call Design we pride ourselves on our ability to deliver best of breed Call Centre solutions to fit our customer's requirements. Whether it be a Hosted Solution, Managed Service or an on- premises solution Call Design offers a consultancy led approach to ensure we fit with your requirements rather than offering a pre- packaged solution that may not meet your needs.
URL: calldesign.com.au/
Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPA/P)
Description:
Increasingly, the global trend is for companies in the high-cost centers of Europe, North America - and even parts of Asia - to outsource or subcontract many of their resource consuming back-end services to less costly parts of the globe. The emergence of the information super-highway over the past five years has brought to the service sector an opportunity that was previously used by the manufacturing sector.
The Philippines has much to offer foreign ICT enterprises looking to expand or outsource their activities: it is ideally located, and has a well-trained workforce. Further points of interest include a fast-growing telecommunication and IT-enabled infrastructure, good relations with foreign partners, and strong government support in the form of special ICT industry plans and incentives. Furthermore we offer an attractive expatriate lifestyle that blends ancient and modern, Asian and Western as well as an ideal family environment with pleasant living conditions, excellent schools and a proximity to some of the world's finest recreational facilities.
In terms of cost optimization and the ability to provide value-added services the Philippines ranks among the top destinations of the globe. Studies have shown that the Profit After Tax margin for a contact center located in the United States or Europe is typically of the order of 5% to 10% whereas in the Philippines, the equivalent margin is between 20% to 25%.
With a deregulated telecommunications industry, contact centers in the country are also provided all possible modes of international call routing.
BPA/P functions as a gateway for the Philippines' outsourcing industry. It promotes the country's core expertise in IT-enabled services. Established in 2004, BPA/P aims to lead the country into becoming a recognized global leader in the ITES/BPO industry and the preferred back office of the world.
URL: .bpap.org/
usiness Processing Association of the Philippines (BPA/P) Locations:
Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPA/P) Australia
Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPA/P)
SO #19, 7/f Oakwood Premiere
Ayala Center, Makati City
Philippines
Increasingly, the global trend is for companies in the high-cost centers of Europe, North America - and even parts of Asia - to outsource or subcontract many of their resource consuming back-end services to less costly parts of the globe. The emergence of the information super-highway over the past five years has brought to the service sector an opportunity that was previously used by the manufacturing sector.
The Philippines has much to offer foreign ICT enterprises looking to expand or outsource their activities: it is ideally located, and has a well-trained workforce. Further points of interest include a fast-growing telecommunication and IT-enabled infrastructure, good relations with foreign partners, and strong government support in the form of special ICT industry plans and incentives. Furthermore we offer an attractive expatriate lifestyle that blends ancient and modern, Asian and Western as well as an ideal family environment with pleasant living conditions, excellent schools and a proximity to some of the world's finest recreational facilities.
In terms of cost optimization and the ability to provide value-added services the Philippines ranks among the top destinations of the globe. Studies have shown that the Profit After Tax margin for a contact center located in the United States or Europe is typically of the order of 5% to 10% whereas in the Philippines, the equivalent margin is between 20% to 25%.
With a deregulated telecommunications industry, contact centers in the country are also provided all possible modes of international call routing.
BPA/P functions as a gateway for the Philippines' outsourcing industry. It promotes the country's core expertise in IT-enabled services. Established in 2004, BPA/P aims to lead the country into becoming a recognized global leader in the ITES/BPO industry and the preferred back office of the world.
URL: .bpap.org/
usiness Processing Association of the Philippines (BPA/P) Locations:
Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPA/P) Australia
Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPA/P)
SO #19, 7/f Oakwood Premiere
Ayala Center, Makati City
Philippines
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
BT Conferencing Inc.
BT Conferencing Inc.
Description:
BT Conferencing Inc. is a US subsidiary of BT Group plc, one of the world's leading telecommunications companies and the #1 source of conferencing solutions in the UK and Europe. In 2001, BT Conferencing Inc. was launched in the US from BT Conferencing UK, the enormously successful UK conferencing branch of BT Group plc, with over 15 years of experience in the European conferencing industry.BT Conferencing has evolved to become the most dynamic and fastest growing conferencing provider in the industry. We have experienced a 60% year-to-year growth rate at a time when the rest of the industry has remained flat.BT Conferencing's sole business focus is remote meeting services. But they realize that technology alone cannot guarantee success, and for this reason provide a unique range of value added services. Customized managed services and internal marketing support ensure that our customers realize all the benefits that remote meeting services can offer.
URL: btconferencing.com
BT Conferencing Inc. Locations:
BT Conferencing Inc. AustraliaBT Conferencing Inc.25 Braintree Hill ParkSuite 200Braintree, MA 02184USAPhone: 617.801.6600
Description:
BT Conferencing Inc. is a US subsidiary of BT Group plc, one of the world's leading telecommunications companies and the #1 source of conferencing solutions in the UK and Europe. In 2001, BT Conferencing Inc. was launched in the US from BT Conferencing UK, the enormously successful UK conferencing branch of BT Group plc, with over 15 years of experience in the European conferencing industry.BT Conferencing has evolved to become the most dynamic and fastest growing conferencing provider in the industry. We have experienced a 60% year-to-year growth rate at a time when the rest of the industry has remained flat.BT Conferencing's sole business focus is remote meeting services. But they realize that technology alone cannot guarantee success, and for this reason provide a unique range of value added services. Customized managed services and internal marketing support ensure that our customers realize all the benefits that remote meeting services can offer.
URL: btconferencing.com
BT Conferencing Inc. Locations:
BT Conferencing Inc. AustraliaBT Conferencing Inc.25 Braintree Hill ParkSuite 200Braintree, MA 02184USAPhone: 617.801.6600
American Data Exchange Corporation (ADEC)
Description:
American Data Exchange Corporation (ADEC) is committed to helping you understand and apply resourcing solutions for your long-term success. ADEC will help you manage your business better with our Business Solutions and Remote Manpower Services.ADEC Solutions is an innovative global market leader in providing customized outsourcing solutions to clients worldwide. With deep industry knowledge and proven experience in outsourcing, ADEC is committed to delivering seamless, customized, innovative services that are scalable, efficient, and cost-effective, to meet the specifications of your business.
URL: .amdatex.com/
American Data Exchange Corporation (ADEC) Locations:
American Data Exchange Corporation (ADEC) AustraliaAmerican Data Exchange CorporationLevel 2, 541 Blackburn Road MtWaverley, Vic. 3149 AustraliaTelephone: +61.3.9550.0875American Data Exchange Corporation (ADEC) CaliforniaADEC Solutions15026 Jenell StreetPoway, California 92064Tel: 858.486.2462Fax: 858.683.2087American Data Exchange Corporation (ADEC) Las PinasAmerican Data Exchange CorporationBuilding 15,16 & 17, Don Mariano Lim Compound (La Fuerza)Alabang-Zapote Road, Las Pinas City Philippines 1750Telefax: +632.775.0632 to 34American Data Exchange Corporation (ADEC) United StatesAmerican Data Exchange CorporationRowlett, Texas 750884210 Industrial Building 100Telephone: +214.703.8016Fax: +214.703.8018
American Data Exchange Corporation (ADEC) is committed to helping you understand and apply resourcing solutions for your long-term success. ADEC will help you manage your business better with our Business Solutions and Remote Manpower Services.ADEC Solutions is an innovative global market leader in providing customized outsourcing solutions to clients worldwide. With deep industry knowledge and proven experience in outsourcing, ADEC is committed to delivering seamless, customized, innovative services that are scalable, efficient, and cost-effective, to meet the specifications of your business.
URL: .amdatex.com/
American Data Exchange Corporation (ADEC) Locations:
American Data Exchange Corporation (ADEC) AustraliaAmerican Data Exchange CorporationLevel 2, 541 Blackburn Road MtWaverley, Vic. 3149 AustraliaTelephone: +61.3.9550.0875American Data Exchange Corporation (ADEC) CaliforniaADEC Solutions15026 Jenell StreetPoway, California 92064Tel: 858.486.2462Fax: 858.683.2087American Data Exchange Corporation (ADEC) Las PinasAmerican Data Exchange CorporationBuilding 15,16 & 17, Don Mariano Lim Compound (La Fuerza)Alabang-Zapote Road, Las Pinas City Philippines 1750Telefax: +632.775.0632 to 34American Data Exchange Corporation (ADEC) United StatesAmerican Data Exchange CorporationRowlett, Texas 750884210 Industrial Building 100Telephone: +214.703.8016Fax: +214.703.8018
Friday, December 12, 2008
24x7 Direct (Australia)
Address:
24x7 Direct Melbourne, Australia Description:24x7 Direct is one of the leading Market Research Company and consultant in Australia which aims at providing an insight into general public as well as corporate attitudes, and experiences that influence people's beliefs and spending habits.24x7 Direct is Australia's leading call center and Business Process Outsourcing company, with a dedicated services to customers all round the clock.
URL:- 24x7direct.com.au
24x7 Direct Melbourne, Australia Description:24x7 Direct is one of the leading Market Research Company and consultant in Australia which aims at providing an insight into general public as well as corporate attitudes, and experiences that influence people's beliefs and spending habits.24x7 Direct is Australia's leading call center and Business Process Outsourcing company, with a dedicated services to customers all round the clock.
URL:- 24x7direct.com.au
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Call Center, VOIP companies in Florida United States ( Alliance IP Network )
Description:Alliance IP Network is an international enterprise who provide telecommunications service, which is located in the United States, where they provide all the services to the South and Central America.Alliance IP Network provide the following services: Satellite Net, VOIP Connections, Security Services. Alliance IP Network count with a modern technology in AVL (Automatic Vehicule Locatoion) GPS.
URL: allianceip.net
Alliance IP Network Locations:
Alliance IP Network Florida15401 SW 50th Lane Miami Florida 33185 USA Phone : +1 305-480-0430 +1 305-480-2088 Fax: +1 305-470-7445
URL: allianceip.net
Alliance IP Network Locations:
Alliance IP Network Florida15401 SW 50th Lane Miami Florida 33185 USA Phone : +1 305-480-0430 +1 305-480-2088 Fax: +1 305-470-7445
Call Center, VOIP companies in Florida United States ( Alliance Communications Center )
Description:Alliance Communications Center is a worldwide call center and contact center who, since 1987, has been providing emerging companies as well as Fortune 500 corporations the ability to respond immediately & effectively to their customers. - Alliance Call Center is 24 hours a day throughout the world. Regional, national & international campaigns. - Alliance Call Center successfully assumes primary inbound marketing, sales & customer service roles eliminating capital expenses and additional management responsibilities. Representation for overflow also available. - Account managers are completely familiar with all phrases of your project and coordinate all resources necessary to guarantee your success with their call center. - Alliance Call Center is responsible for driving an impressive list of well-known corporations & organizations to grand achievement. - Alliance Call Center provides the most reliable & cost effective methods for companies to service their customers. - Alliance Call Center enhances your company's image, promote your company's name, products, services and reputation. - Alliance Communications Center ensures that your customer's needs are met and turn every call into a new sale or service opportunity. This 24 hour strategic alliance with your company, along with our unparalleled experience is the vital link to ensuring that your clients are being handled by the best-equipped call center & contact center in the country. We work hard to make it easy for you to do business
URL: alliancecommunications.com
Alliance Communications Center Locations:
Alliance Communications Center Florida1790 Lee RoadOrlando, Florida 32810Phone: 407-447-6000Toll Free: 800-555-3738Fax: 407-447-3200
URL: alliancecommunications.com
Alliance Communications Center Locations:
Alliance Communications Center Florida1790 Lee RoadOrlando, Florida 32810Phone: 407-447-6000Toll Free: 800-555-3738Fax: 407-447-3200
Call Center, VOIP companies in Florida United States ( AFSM International )
Description:The Association for Services Management International (AFSMI) is the only global organization dedicated to furthering the knowledge, understanding, and career development of executives,managers, and professionals in the high-technology services and support industry. AFSMI was founded in 1975 with the mission of being the vital link for high-technology professionals who must stay on top in the fast-growing, ever-changing services and support industry. Currently, over 5,000 members representing more than 1,500 organizations on almost every continent rely on AFSMI to be the voice of the services industry and their communications bridge to growth.
URL: afsmi.org
AFSM International Locations:
AFSM International FloridaAFSM International 1342 Colonial Blvd., Suite 25 Ft. Myers, FL United States
URL: afsmi.org
AFSM International Locations:
AFSM International FloridaAFSM International 1342 Colonial Blvd., Suite 25 Ft. Myers, FL United States
Call Center, VOIP companies in Florida United States ( AchieveGlobal )
Description:AchieveGlobal: Reach and experience that transforms strategy into success around the world.With offices in 42 countries, AchieveGlobal has the reach and expertise to take your organization from strategy to results around the world. Your learning and consulting solutions will retain core consistency with subtle adaptation to ensure relevance and impact in different cultures. It’s a globally adaptive approach that ingrains core strategic concepts no matter where business takes you.
URL: achieveglobal.com
AchieveGlobal Locations:
AchieveGlobal FloridaAchieveGlobal Headquarters8875 Hidden River ParkwaySuite 400Tampa, Florida 33637USA
URL: achieveglobal.com
AchieveGlobal Locations:
AchieveGlobal FloridaAchieveGlobal Headquarters8875 Hidden River ParkwaySuite 400Tampa, Florida 33637USA
Call Center, VOIP companies in Florida United States ( AccxxVoIP )
Description:ACCXXVOIP, an ACCXX Group company, is focused on delivering the next generation of communications by leveraging its vast experience in the carrier marketplace through ACCXX Communications. ACCXXVOIP also utilizes the expertise it has in the telephony adaptor business from its sister company, WorldACCXX . The combined experience in telephone adaptor and carrier services gives ACCXXVOIP the advantage of understanding the total solution involved in an end to end VOIP service offering.ACCXXVOIP benefits from the long term distribution relationship it has through its parent company, ACCXX Communications . These key relationships not only provide the company with a worldwide distribution network, it also provides instant credibility in the agent community through brand name recognition.The concept of ACCXXVOIP is simple. Deliver a turn key solution by using best-of-breed service technology with our own telephone adaptor. This combined knowledge differentiates ACCXXVOIP from the competition while providing the company with the experience to succeed in the marketplace.
URL: accxxvoip.com/
AccxxVoIP Locations:
AccxxVoIP FloridaACCXXVOIP LLC4035 Tampa RoadSuite 6000Oldsmar , FL 34677United States Of America Phone: 877-864-7269Intl: 011-813-749-1760Fax: 813-814-5998
URL: accxxvoip.com/
AccxxVoIP Locations:
AccxxVoIP FloridaACCXXVOIP LLC4035 Tampa RoadSuite 6000Oldsmar , FL 34677United States Of America Phone: 877-864-7269Intl: 011-813-749-1760Fax: 813-814-5998
Call Center, VOIP companies in Florida United States ( Access Worldwide )
Description:Access Worldwide is a premier marketing company that offers a variety of communication services. Access Worldwide operates multiple businesses with varying areas of expertise but we remain focused on impacting sales and introducing innovation. Access Worldwide full suite of services is uniquely matched and designed to support your needs. Access Worldwide is a leading marketing company that provides a variety of sales, education and communication services. Founded in 1983, Access Worldwide has 700+ employees in five locations nationwide and has developed an extensive client list that includes pharmaceutical manufacturers, telecommunications providers, insurance companies, financial institutions and consumer products companies.
URL: accessww.com/
Access Worldwide Locations:
Access Worldwide FloridaAccess Worldwide Corporate Headquarters &TMS Professional Markets Group4950 Communication AvenueSuite 300Boca Raton, FL 33431(561) 226-5000(561) 226-5050 FaxAccess Worldwide Makati
Access Worldwide–PhilippinesRCBC Plaza18th FloorAyala Avenue Cor.Sen. Gil Puyat Ave.Makati City, Manila Metro Philippines
Medica Group335 West 16 Street4th FloorNew York, NY 10011(212) 336-1500(212) 336-1555 FaxAccess Worldwide VirginiaTelAc Teleservices Group1820 North Fort Myer DriveThird FloorArlington, VA 22209(703) 292-5210(703) 465-8642 Fax
URL: accessww.com/
Access Worldwide Locations:
Access Worldwide FloridaAccess Worldwide Corporate Headquarters &TMS Professional Markets Group4950 Communication AvenueSuite 300Boca Raton, FL 33431(561) 226-5000(561) 226-5050 FaxAccess Worldwide Makati
Access Worldwide–PhilippinesRCBC Plaza18th FloorAyala Avenue Cor.Sen. Gil Puyat Ave.Makati City, Manila Metro Philippines
Medica Group335 West 16 Street4th FloorNew York, NY 10011(212) 336-1500(212) 336-1555 FaxAccess Worldwide VirginiaTelAc Teleservices Group1820 North Fort Myer DriveThird FloorArlington, VA 22209(703) 292-5210(703) 465-8642 Fax
United States Sub-Locations call center ( Transcription Plus, LLC )
Description:Transcription Plus, LLC was founded in 1989 to provide quality office support in a prompt, efficient manner to the professional community. Transcription Plus, LLC focus on excellence allows them to offer articulate, unparalleled results.Transcription Plus, LLC will provide you with a simple and cost-effective solution to all of your documentation management challenges. Visiting their website indicates that you are looking for a more efficient and cost-effective solution in managing the clerical requirements at your facility. Running your business and providing the best possible results for your clients equates to spending less time managing problem issues in your office. Based on proven experience, Transcription Plus can assist you with that objective because your satisfaction is their goal!
URL: transcriptionplus.net
Transcription Plus, LLC Locations:
Transcription Plus
, LLC ConnecticutTranscription Plus,
LLC 40 Acorn Lane Bristol, CT 06010 Phone: (860) 583-2818
Fax: (860) 583-2818
URL: transcriptionplus.net
Transcription Plus, LLC Locations:
Transcription Plus
, LLC ConnecticutTranscription Plus,
LLC 40 Acorn Lane Bristol, CT 06010 Phone: (860) 583-2818
Fax: (860) 583-2818
United States Sub-Locations call center ( Skyline Advanced Technology Services )
Description:Skyline Advanced Technology Services is a leading provider of Training, Professional Services and Hardware Sales, for all Cisco Systems’ products. As a Certified Silver Partner, Skyline Advanced Technology Services specializes in the design, implementation and training of all Cisco-based technologies, and combine our expertise in the classroom, with their proven implementation skills, to deliver solid technological results, on a consistent basis. Skyline Advanced Technology Services's staff possesses considerable expertise and depth in data, voice and video, for both Service Provider and Enterprise market sectors. With over twenty years of experience in the sales and support of a wide range of networking standards, Skyline Advanced Technology Services bridges the gap when it comes to implementing all Cisco Systems products and technologies. As a Cisco Systems partner specializing in consulting and education, Skyline understands the value that a well-rounded approach has to their customers and partners. To this point, Skyline Advanced Technology Services closes the loop by utilizing their broad skill base to meld solid experience with hands-on implementation and training - to the benefit of your valuable technical resources. With increased emphasis and reliance on "the network", business must leverage technology or suffer as a result of it. For this reason, Skyline is uniquely positioned to provide considerable value by helping you implement sound networking solutions, and by training your technical personnel in the design and implementation of all Cisco Advance Technology Products (ATP) products. Skyline Advanced Technology Services' main objective is complete customer satisfaction, whether we’re training your technical personnel or helping you implement the best, most cost-effective networking solutions possible. Skyline Advanced Technology Services is confident that by contributing their expertise and helping you succeed in your mission, they will earn your respect and business, year after year.
URL: skyline-ats.com/
Skyline Advanced Technology Services Locations:
Skyline Advanced Technology Services
CaliforniaSkyline Advanced Technology Services 490 Division StreetCampbell, CA 95008USAPhone: 800-375-9546Fax: 408-370-1419
Skyline Advanced Technology Services
ConnecticutSkyline Advanced Technology Services 15 Danbury RoadRidgefield, CT 06877USAPhone: 203-438-0250Fax: 203-894-9496
Skyline Advanced Technology Services
IllinoisSkyline Advanced Technology Services 8725 West Higgins Road, Suite 110Chicago, IL 60631 USAPhone: 773-444-4200Fax: 773-695-9626
URL: skyline-ats.com/
Skyline Advanced Technology Services Locations:
Skyline Advanced Technology Services
CaliforniaSkyline Advanced Technology Services 490 Division StreetCampbell, CA 95008USAPhone: 800-375-9546Fax: 408-370-1419
Skyline Advanced Technology Services
ConnecticutSkyline Advanced Technology Services 15 Danbury RoadRidgefield, CT 06877USAPhone: 203-438-0250Fax: 203-894-9496
Skyline Advanced Technology Services
IllinoisSkyline Advanced Technology Services 8725 West Higgins Road, Suite 110Chicago, IL 60631 USAPhone: 773-444-4200Fax: 773-695-9626
United States Sub-Locations call center ( S/CM VoIP )
Description:S/CM is proud to offer your business a way of cutting costs by integrating tailored, cutting edge voice over IP (VoIP) solutins. By partnering with industry leaders S/CM provide the benefits that come from a secure convergence of voice and data.S/CM VoIP is involved in the research and development of new technology and products with their partners which enables them to obtain the highest level of expertise.S/CM VoIP is a subsidiary of S/CM Partners, an Information Technology firm specializing in IT security. Their qualified technicians have the abitlity to ensure your networks data and stability is never compromised.S/CM VoIP has 24X7X365 service and support available.
URL: scmvoip.com
S/CM VoIP Locations:
S/CM VoIP Connecticut46 Southfield Ave, STE 370 Stamford CT USA 06902 Phone number: +1-203-487-6893 Fax number: +1-203-487-6894
URL: scmvoip.com
S/CM VoIP Locations:
S/CM VoIP Connecticut46 Southfield Ave, STE 370 Stamford CT USA 06902 Phone number: +1-203-487-6893 Fax number: +1-203-487-6894
United States Sub-Locations call center ( Lester )
Description:Lester is a premier Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) service provider, specializing in fulfilling the informational, back office and teleservice needs of their clients. Lester provide high quality, cost-effective service and solutions in the areas of Information Compilation, Content Management, Market Research, Circulation Expansion, Customer Service and Fundraising. Lester's unrelenting commitment to their clients and their goals has resulted in a loyal customer base in the Information Services, Publishing, Market Research, Education, Not-for Profit and Information Technology industries.Founded in New Haven, Connecticut in 1981, Lester, Inc. began as a small teleservices company primarily offering telephone subscription renewal and fund-raising services. Over time Lester, Inc. has evolved into a full service BPO organization with an array of services, which now also includes fulfillment, data management, inbound and outbound customer service options, web chat and email response services. In 2003, Lester, Inc. developed a strategic partnership with Enlink, located in Mumbai, India. Enlink specializes in tele-services, technical support and back-office processes. Enlink was among the first companies in India to offer Fortune 500 companies web-chat and e-mail based customer interaction services. The strategic partnership between Lester, Inc. and Enlink culminated into a merger of the two companies with compelling benefits for Lester's customers: highly competitive pricing, new services and expanded technology. These benefits combined with Lester's proven commitment to quality and customer service, positions Lester uniquely in the industry. Lester, Inc. now has 3 service delivery centers, located in Connecticut, Kentucky and Mumbai, India.
URL: lesterusa.com
Lester Locations
:Lester Connecticu
t19 Business Park DriveBranford, ConnecticutCT 06405USAPhone: 1-203-488-5265Fax: 1-203-483-0408
Lester India
C-64, TTC Indl. AreaTurbhe, Navi Mumbai 400 705IndiaPhone: 91-22-2767-0092Fax: 91-22-2767-0161
Lester UK
Europa Business ParkUnit 46F4 Bldg.46 Birdhall LaneSK3 OXA EnglandPhone: 44 161 428 0906Fax: 44 161 428 0907
URL: lesterusa.com
Lester Locations
:Lester Connecticu
t19 Business Park DriveBranford, ConnecticutCT 06405USAPhone: 1-203-488-5265Fax: 1-203-483-0408
Lester India
C-64, TTC Indl. AreaTurbhe, Navi Mumbai 400 705IndiaPhone: 91-22-2767-0092Fax: 91-22-2767-0161
Lester UK
Europa Business ParkUnit 46F4 Bldg.46 Birdhall LaneSK3 OXA EnglandPhone: 44 161 428 0906Fax: 44 161 428 0907
United States Sub-Locations call center ( eFunds )
Description:As an industry leader with 30 years of experience, eFunds provides leading technology and proven solutions in financial risk management and electronic payments to financial services, retailers, governments and other businesses worldwide. Backed by a broad range of business process outsourcing, as well as comprehensive business and IT consulting services, their solutions strengthen customers' overall profitability by increasing revenue, reducing costs, streamlining operations and maximizing technology performance.With operations in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, India and Australia, find out how eFunds' global resources can help make every transaction more valuable.eFunds may look like a new company, but its heritage and roots run deep. The components that make up the company today emerged from a long legacy of building reliable mission critical solutions for account and payment-driven industries such as financial services, retail, government benefits, and telecommunications.Deluxe Corporation (NYSE: DLX) first announced the formation of eFunds in April 1999, bringing together some of the strongest players in financial risk management and electronic transaction processing services-previously distinct businesses within Deluxe. In January 2000, iDLX Technology Partners, another Deluxe unit, combined with eFunds to add professional services and business process outsourcing capabilities to the new business. In June 2000, eFunds held its initial public offering on the NASDAQ national market and later that year completed its separation from Deluxe.
URL: .efunds.com
eFunds Locations:
eFunds
AustraliaMelbourneSuite
1102530 Little Collins StreetMelbourne,
VIC 3000AustraliaPhone: 61 3 9909-7575SydneySuite 1,
Level 5, 100 Walker StreetNorth Sydney,
Australia NSW 2060
Phone: 61-2-9954-9533
eFunds Canada
MarkhameFunds/Access Cash351 Steelcase Road, WestUnit #10 - 12Markham, OntarioL3R 4H9TorontoeFunds Canada20 York Mills Road4th Floor, Box 700Toronto, OntarioM2P 2C2
Phone: 1-416-228-8000
eFunds Connecticut6470 East Johns Crossing,
Suite 330, Duluth, GA 30097USAeFunds India18 Greams RoadChennai, TN 60000654 Vijaya Raghava Road, T.NagarChennai, TN 600017226, Udyog Vihar, Phase 1Gurgaon, HR 1220165th Floor, Infinity TowersMindspace ComplexLink RoadMalad (W), Mumbai 400 064
Phone: 91-22-28833863
eFunds MinnesotaHudson Road Technology CenterSuite
1007805 Hudson RoadWoodbury, MN 55125USAeFunds UKAegon HouseDaresbury ParkDaresburyCheshire WA4 4HSUK
Phone: 44 (0) 1928 791791
Sunningdale, The BelfryColonial WayWatford WD24 4WHUK
Phone: 44-1923-202 900eFunds United StatesGainey Center II, Suite 3008501 North Scottsdale RoadScottsdale, Arizona 85253USA
Phone: 1-480-629-7700
URL: .efunds.com
eFunds Locations:
eFunds
AustraliaMelbourneSuite
1102530 Little Collins StreetMelbourne,
VIC 3000AustraliaPhone: 61 3 9909-7575SydneySuite 1,
Level 5, 100 Walker StreetNorth Sydney,
Australia NSW 2060
Phone: 61-2-9954-9533
eFunds Canada
MarkhameFunds/Access Cash351 Steelcase Road, WestUnit #10 - 12Markham, OntarioL3R 4H9TorontoeFunds Canada20 York Mills Road4th Floor, Box 700Toronto, OntarioM2P 2C2
Phone: 1-416-228-8000
eFunds Connecticut6470 East Johns Crossing,
Suite 330, Duluth, GA 30097USAeFunds India18 Greams RoadChennai, TN 60000654 Vijaya Raghava Road, T.NagarChennai, TN 600017226, Udyog Vihar, Phase 1Gurgaon, HR 1220165th Floor, Infinity TowersMindspace ComplexLink RoadMalad (W), Mumbai 400 064
Phone: 91-22-28833863
eFunds MinnesotaHudson Road Technology CenterSuite
1007805 Hudson RoadWoodbury, MN 55125USAeFunds UKAegon HouseDaresbury ParkDaresburyCheshire WA4 4HSUK
Phone: 44 (0) 1928 791791
Sunningdale, The BelfryColonial WayWatford WD24 4WHUK
Phone: 44-1923-202 900eFunds United StatesGainey Center II, Suite 3008501 North Scottsdale RoadScottsdale, Arizona 85253USA
Phone: 1-480-629-7700
United States Sub-Locations call center ( eFunds )
Description:As an industry leader with 30 years of experience, eFunds provides leading technology and proven solutions in financial risk management and electronic payments to financial services, retailers, governments and other businesses worldwide. Backed by a broad range of business process outsourcing, as well as comprehensive business and IT consulting services, their solutions strengthen customers' overall profitability by increasing revenue, reducing costs, streamlining operations and maximizing technology performance.With operations in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, India and Australia, find out how eFunds' global resources can help make every transaction more valuable.eFunds may look like a new company, but its heritage and roots run deep. The components that make up the company today emerged from a long legacy of building reliable mission critical solutions for account and payment-driven industries such as financial services, retail, government benefits, and telecommunications.Deluxe Corporation (NYSE: DLX) first announced the formation of eFunds in April 1999, bringing together some of the strongest players in financial risk management and electronic transaction processing services-previously distinct businesses within Deluxe. In January 2000, iDLX Technology Partners, another Deluxe unit, combined with eFunds to add professional services and business process outsourcing capabilities to the new business. In June 2000, eFunds held its initial public offering on the NASDAQ national market and later that year completed its separation from Deluxe.
URL: .efunds.com
eFunds Locations:
eFunds
AustraliaMelbourneSuite
1102530 Little Collins StreetMelbourne,
VIC 3000AustraliaPhone: 61 3 9909-7575SydneySuite 1,
Level 5, 100 Walker StreetNorth Sydney,
Australia NSW 2060
Phone: 61-2-9954-9533
URL: .efunds.com
eFunds Locations:
eFunds
AustraliaMelbourneSuite
1102530 Little Collins StreetMelbourne,
VIC 3000AustraliaPhone: 61 3 9909-7575SydneySuite 1,
Level 5, 100 Walker StreetNorth Sydney,
Australia NSW 2060
Phone: 61-2-9954-9533
United States Sub-Locations call center ( Atlas VoIP Communications )
Description:Utilizing 5.8 Ghz delivery systems for Wireless Local Loop over IEEE 802.16 Standards, IEEE 802.11a, and Proprietary technology, Traveller offers a diverse portfolio of applications to the end-user and a cost-effective, easily deployed, `Click & Go` solution.Traveller is not limited to current industry claims of `up to` 11 mbps of contiguous throughput. In conjunction with our partners, Traveller has worked closely with it`s Partners in deploying the next `industry standard` and stands unique in the `wireless broadband community` as a leader and standard-bearer for tomorrow`s technology experience.While the Traveller corporate philosophy and focus lies predominantly on the `wireless revolution`, we are committed to continue offering previously developed technologies i.e. Cable Modem Access, DSL, and Dial-up to our clientele.Traveller is currently deploying a city-wide infrastructure encompassing the City of Huntsville, AL. Fire Stations, Police precincts, and Training Facilities and anticipate a complete deployment throughout the entire Tennessee Valley and contiguous counties with the next target market encompassing Nashville, Tennessee. Traveller will subsequently implement the corporate roll-out `blueprint` for the southeastern region of the country.Traveller is proud to be the first to market in the U.S. with the proven Proxim and Western Multiplex model prior to competitors such as the `First Generation` ISP`s of the world.
URL: .traveller.com
Atlas VoIP Communications Locations:
Atlas VoIP Communications
Alabama2015
South Memorial PkwyHuntsville,
AL 35801
Telephone Number: 256-704-4361
Fax Number: 256-830-1947
URL: .traveller.com
Atlas VoIP Communications Locations:
Atlas VoIP Communications
Alabama2015
South Memorial PkwyHuntsville,
AL 35801
Telephone Number: 256-704-4361
Fax Number: 256-830-1947
United States Sub-Locations call center ( AmeriTel )
AmeriTel
Description:AMERITEL was formed in 1990 through the acquisition of several high performing teleservice companies with expertise in servicing complex accounts with high Customer Care requirements. Today, headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama, AMERITEL has expanded operations to three states across the South. AMERITEL has evolved to service a variety of regional, national, and international companies with a full range of inbound, outbound, e-business, fulfillment, and consulting services. AMERITEL's call centers are among the most advanced in the country. AMERITEL call centers possess state of the art equipment for your business to keep pace with the advances that regularly take place in our industry. All of their PC workstations are fully web-enabled. This is important as your business migrates more and more to the web. AMERITEL can interact with your callers over your website, process emails, and if it helps with integration and processing on your back end, place data directly onto your website!
URL: .ameritel800.com
AmeriTel Locations:
AmeriTel
Alabama11311
South Memorial ParkwayHuntsville,
Alabama 35803
USAPhone: 800-489-9139
Fax: (256) 883-9193
Description:AMERITEL was formed in 1990 through the acquisition of several high performing teleservice companies with expertise in servicing complex accounts with high Customer Care requirements. Today, headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama, AMERITEL has expanded operations to three states across the South. AMERITEL has evolved to service a variety of regional, national, and international companies with a full range of inbound, outbound, e-business, fulfillment, and consulting services. AMERITEL's call centers are among the most advanced in the country. AMERITEL call centers possess state of the art equipment for your business to keep pace with the advances that regularly take place in our industry. All of their PC workstations are fully web-enabled. This is important as your business migrates more and more to the web. AMERITEL can interact with your callers over your website, process emails, and if it helps with integration and processing on your back end, place data directly onto your website!
URL: .ameritel800.com
AmeriTel Locations:
AmeriTel
Alabama11311
South Memorial ParkwayHuntsville,
Alabama 35803
USAPhone: 800-489-9139
Fax: (256) 883-9193
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Banking & Financial Services
Our process expertise in this vertical includes a repository of knowledge of best practices, extensive experience in transitioning processes from our clients and the application of Six Sigma. Combining this with our analytical capabilities, our technological expertise and our operational insight, we seek to create long-term relationships with our clients as an integral part of their organization and not just as a service provider. Our BPO solutions for the banking and finance sector provide both voice and non-voice offerings across verticals and horizontals. We possess the expertise, knowledge and tools to offer a complete BPO solution specific to your enterprise needs.
Communications
Reliance BPO is a trusted transformation partner of global Communication Service Providers. We deliver integrated solutions, which help our client’s effect a business transformation and enhance customer experience. We have deep domain expertise in providing business solutions across Mobile Telephony, VOIP, Broadband, PSTN, ISDN & ISP.
Why RBPO?
The RBPO team consists of a 10,000 strong work force across multiple locations, having skills in project , process, technology & customer relationship management. To ensure business continuity, we have a multi-level redundancy, robust technology and a strong disaster recovery site.
RBPO Services
Reliance BPO services customers in various industries
Communications
Banking & Financial Services
Insurance
Utilities Entertainment
Communications
Banking & Financial Services
Insurance
Utilities Entertainment
About Reliance ADA Group
The Reliance - Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group is among India's top three private sector business houses on all major financial parameters, with a market capitalisation of Rs.325,000 crores (US$ 81 billion), net assets in excess of Rs.115,000 crores (US$ 29 billion), and net worth to the tune of Rs.55,000 crores (US$ 14 billion). Across different companies, the group has a customer base of over 100 million, the largest in India, and a shareholder base of over 12 million, among the largest in the world. Through its products and services, the Reliance - ADA Group touches the life of 1 in 10 Indians every single day. It has a business presence that extends to over 20,000 towns and 450,000 villages in India, and globally across 5 continents. The interests of the Group range from Telecommunications (Reliance Communications Ltd.), Financial services (Reliance Capital Ltd.), generation, transmission and distribution of power (Reliance Infrastructure) and Media & Entertainment.
About RBPO
Reliance BPO, a premium business process outsourcing services provider is part of the Reliance - Anil Dhirubhai Ambani (ADA) Group, one of the largest business houses of India. Reliance BPO is a state-of-the-art service provider offering end-to-end solutions focusing in the Telecom, BFSI, Utility and Entertainment industry verticals. Clients come to us for cost advantages but stay with us because of our quality.We have been consistently delivering quality services to our clients thereby generating unmatched business value to our customers through our centers’ of excellence. Our operating philosophy is to provide value added workflow solutions to our customers utilizing the best of skill sets to ensure continuous improvements in our service offerings. The RBPO team consists of a 10000 strong workforce across multiple locations having skills in project, process, technology & customer relationship management.To ensure business continuity we have multi redundancy, robust technology and a strong disaster recovery site.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Call Centre Jokes
Modern management speak (Thanks to Tim W)
Net Lag: That glazed look when you have been online for too long.Prairie dogging: When something happens in a call centre with cubicles, where people's heads pop up over the walls to see what's going on. Open-Collar Workers: People who work at home or telecommute. Adminisphere: The rarefied organisation layers beginning just above the rank of call centre manager. Decisions that fall from the adminisphere are often profoundly inappropriate or irrelevant to the problems they were designed to solve.
Stress puppy: A person who thrives on being stressed-out and whiny.
Keyboard Plaque: The disgusting buildup of dirt and crud found on a computer keyboard. Idea hamsters: People who always seem to have their idea generators running .
Mouse potato: The on-line generation's answer to the couch potato. Blamestorming: Sitting around in a group discussing why a deadline was missed or a project failed and who was responsible. Under
Mouse Arrest: Getting busted for violating the company’s web browsing rule of conduct.It's a Feature: From the adage "It's not a bug, it's a feature." Used sarcastically to describe an unpleasant experience that you wish to gloss over.
Alpha Geek: The most knowledgeable, technically proficient person in an office or work group. "Ask Tim, he's the alpha geek around here."
Mission critical: We are stuffed if this fails!
Salmon Day: The experience of spending an entire day swimming upstream only to get screwed in the end. Chainsaw consultant: An outside expert brought in to reduce the employee headcount, leaving the top brass with clean hands
404: Someone who is clueless, from the World Wide Web error message "404 Not Found", meaning the requested document couldn't be located.
Net Lag: That glazed look when you have been online for too long.Prairie dogging: When something happens in a call centre with cubicles, where people's heads pop up over the walls to see what's going on. Open-Collar Workers: People who work at home or telecommute. Adminisphere: The rarefied organisation layers beginning just above the rank of call centre manager. Decisions that fall from the adminisphere are often profoundly inappropriate or irrelevant to the problems they were designed to solve.
Stress puppy: A person who thrives on being stressed-out and whiny.
Keyboard Plaque: The disgusting buildup of dirt and crud found on a computer keyboard. Idea hamsters: People who always seem to have their idea generators running .
Mouse potato: The on-line generation's answer to the couch potato. Blamestorming: Sitting around in a group discussing why a deadline was missed or a project failed and who was responsible. Under
Mouse Arrest: Getting busted for violating the company’s web browsing rule of conduct.It's a Feature: From the adage "It's not a bug, it's a feature." Used sarcastically to describe an unpleasant experience that you wish to gloss over.
Alpha Geek: The most knowledgeable, technically proficient person in an office or work group. "Ask Tim, he's the alpha geek around here."
Mission critical: We are stuffed if this fails!
Salmon Day: The experience of spending an entire day swimming upstream only to get screwed in the end. Chainsaw consultant: An outside expert brought in to reduce the employee headcount, leaving the top brass with clean hands
404: Someone who is clueless, from the World Wide Web error message "404 Not Found", meaning the requested document couldn't be located.
Physical working conditions and health
It has been estimated that call centre operators spend an average of 1,300-1,400 hours a year sitting at the computer taking calls. Call centres are often structured in an open-space plan, and noise levels can be high. A 2003 study found that the average noise level was 61 deciBels(A), which is a level that clearly disturbs concentration and causes tiredness and headaches. The headphones used by operators are not designed to block out additional noise. In addition, suitable ergonomics for avoiding eye strain were found to be lacking. The study found that nine out of 10 operators had suffered some type of physical ailment in the past month (Figure 2). Some 10% of their entire working time was spent on sick leave, a figure which may be seen as indicative for the sector as a whole.
Lack of autonomy and repetitive work
On average, 65% of the call centre operators’ time is spent answering customer queries, while administration takes up between 10-30% and general activities 5-10%. Breaks contribute to just 5% of the working time. On average, operators respond to 100 calls a day, but this figure can go much higher.
Call centre work has sometimes been called ‘mental conveyer belt work’, illustrating its monotonous and repetitive nature. In addition, the work can be tightly controlled and monitored (both for the quantity and the quality of calls), which many employees in the sector find particularly difficult to deal with. Although legislation exists to set limits on what types of monitoring and control may be carried out, this can sometimes be ignored. The fact that operators do not know if and when they are monitored increases their feelings of nervousness, anxiety and stress. An additional psychological stress factor can be found in the emotional demands of the work, as operators can encounter verbally abusive, difficult or unreasonable clients.
Call centre work has sometimes been called ‘mental conveyer belt work’, illustrating its monotonous and repetitive nature. In addition, the work can be tightly controlled and monitored (both for the quantity and the quality of calls), which many employees in the sector find particularly difficult to deal with. Although legislation exists to set limits on what types of monitoring and control may be carried out, this can sometimes be ignored. The fact that operators do not know if and when they are monitored increases their feelings of nervousness, anxiety and stress. An additional psychological stress factor can be found in the emotional demands of the work, as operators can encounter verbally abusive, difficult or unreasonable clients.
Personal, training and employment conditions
The average age of those working in call centres is relatively low - 30-40 years old - but can vary greatly. Call centre operators are predominately female and have, on average, worked in the company for four years. They have lower educational levels than average, although it has been suggested that call centre work is becoming more qualified and specialised.
Apart from the necessary product-based knowledge (highly skilled professionals such as nurses or stock brokers can also work in situations similar to call centres), there are few required qualifications for those seeking to become operators. Personal traits, such as good customer skills, are appreciated, but previous work experience is seldom a prerequisite. Training normally lasts two to six weeks, after which operators are encouraged to become self-sufficient. The average monthly gross pay for a call operator is around 16,500 SEK (approximately €1,830); sometimes, bonus systems based on individual or company performance are offered.
Apart from the necessary product-based knowledge (highly skilled professionals such as nurses or stock brokers can also work in situations similar to call centres), there are few required qualifications for those seeking to become operators. Personal traits, such as good customer skills, are appreciated, but previous work experience is seldom a prerequisite. Training normally lasts two to six weeks, after which operators are encouraged to become self-sufficient. The average monthly gross pay for a call operator is around 16,500 SEK (approximately €1,830); sometimes, bonus systems based on individual or company performance are offered.
Trends
Call centres may be divided into two sub-categories: internal and independent. Internal call centres are located within a mother company, while independent centres function as companies in themselves, selling their services to other companies. The overall trend is that more and more call centres are located long distances from their customer base - even in other countries. It is estimated that, in South East Asia and India, the annual growth of call centres is 50%.
Most of the independent call centres in Sweden are small, having on average 46 workstations. However, many of the large publicly-owned businesses, such as the police force, postal service, Telia and Swedish Railways, use call centre services or have their own call centres. The aim is to create a 24-hour/seven day public service through which citizens can receive information or send questions or requests via information and communication technology. Their work organisation thus resembles that of dedicated call centres, i.e. some employees will be appointed to handle this communication on a full-time basis.
Most of the independent call centres in Sweden are small, having on average 46 workstations. However, many of the large publicly-owned businesses, such as the police force, postal service, Telia and Swedish Railways, use call centre services or have their own call centres. The aim is to create a 24-hour/seven day public service through which citizens can receive information or send questions or requests via information and communication technology. Their work organisation thus resembles that of dedicated call centres, i.e. some employees will be appointed to handle this communication on a full-time basis.
Working conditions and health in Swedish call centres
A 2003 study found that nine out of 10 call centre operators had suffered some type of physical ailment in the last month. High noise levels are a particular risk factor. In all, some 10% of their working time was lost on sick leave.
Although there are many definitions as to what a call centre actually is, it is clear that this relatively new sector is rapidly growing. In general, one can say that a call centre is a group of people providing service at a distance using information and communication technology. Approximately 1.5% of the working population in Sweden work in call centres, compared with about 5% of jobs in the US, 1.3% in Europe and 2% in the UK. According to the publicly owned Invest in Sweden Agency, the number will increase by 10% each year between 2002 and 2007
Although there are many definitions as to what a call centre actually is, it is clear that this relatively new sector is rapidly growing. In general, one can say that a call centre is a group of people providing service at a distance using information and communication technology. Approximately 1.5% of the working population in Sweden work in call centres, compared with about 5% of jobs in the US, 1.3% in Europe and 2% in the UK. According to the publicly owned Invest in Sweden Agency, the number will increase by 10% each year between 2002 and 2007
Thursday, October 30, 2008
5 questions every call centre manager needs to ask themselves
Are you a manager in an organisation faced with the challenges of meeting targets, increasing performance and retaining staff in a competitive climate? It is no wonder many of us leave the building in the evenings, our heads in a spin after a day of heavy fire fighting but without any feeling of real accomplishment.
Think back to why you became a manager in the first place. What inspired you to step up to this role? and have your expectations been met?
1. Are you in the zone?
Are you in a positive place, mentally, yourself? It is an important question because if you are not, it is almost impossible for you to motivate and inspire your team. On a recent airline flight I was told:“Fit your own oxygen mask first before helping others.”
Check your own levels of motivation, loyalty, performance and commitment. Give yourself a hit of oxygen – are you happy with the direction your organisation is going? Are you feeling inspired and motivated yourself?
If not, fix these problems first by getting yourself a mentor or coach who can encourage you. Open up the lines of communication with your boss. Embark on some personal development for yourself. Find the value in what you do and how your organisation helps the wider world.
Check your own loyalty and commitment levels. If you are not genuinely loyal and committed to the organisation, your department or team then your staff will spot it immediately and your attempts to generate loyalty and commitment from them will fail. “Walk the Talk. Be a good role model.”
2. Who was your best boss?
Now think back to the last great boss you had. What was it about them that made them so great?We have conducted research and asked this question to over 150 UK managers. The answers frequently show the same patterns each time we ask.
The top ten responses are as follows:
They showed genuine interest in me as a person.
They were always approachable.
They made time to really listen to me.
They asked for my ideas, opinions and input.
They were firm but fair with everyone.
They did not have an ego problem, power or control issues - they put the organisation and the team before themselves.
They were open and honest; if the answer to a request or idea was no they explained why.
They showed respect, both for themselves and everyone else. They treated everyone equally – regardless of ‘status’ or role.
They coached me through questioning, not ‘telling’.
They were sociable but always ultimately professional.
It is interesting to note that the qualities shared about great bosses are similar to those identified by Avolio and Bass in their ‘Transformational Leadership’ model and by Alimo-Metcalfe in her model of what is needed for true ‘Employee Engagement’. The concepts are both robust and have the same purpose - to develop leaders that will motivate and inspire employees to give their discretionary effort. Towers Perrin Research (2004) found that organisations that achieved employee engagement showed a 17% improvement on operating profit.
3. What do you do with that extra 20% of effort?
We know that each of us have in us approximately 20% discretionary effort each day. On a good day we may choose to give that effort. On a bad day we hold it back – we just cruise through the day in survival mode.
Are your staff giving that discretionary effort or is cruising allowed?
4. How might your team’s performance be different if you changed your focus?
As an effective manager you must give feedback – both positive and adjusting, so that your staff know the standards required. Positive feedback should be specific, public and genuine. Look for something to praise a member of your team every day and rotate the team member receiving the praise fairly. You may have to go looking for things to praise but it is a good habit to get into. Ask their internal customers for feedback, earwig into conversations, and ask for ideas, opinions or volunteers. All of these create opportunities to praise.
5. Do you have a clear understanding of the ‘psychological contract’?
That is the mental set of expectations that new starters have when they join the organisation. This is different to documented terms and conditions and may include a whole set of feelings, ideas and opinions about what it means to work at your organisation. If the psychological contract is breached then people will be miserable and will leave – and you may not even be aware of what is wrong.
Consider Stacey*. She joined a blue-chip organisation as a graduate. She had a psychological contract that included being in a nice office environment (where she was interviewed) and having the latest laptop, mobile phone and exciting training and travel opportunities. When Stacey arrived on her first day no one seemed to know she was starting, then she was taken to a different building out the back (a Portacabin) and told to find a desk for herself and look in the store cupboard for a ‘phone that works’. When she finally got a computer, the system was three versions behind what she expected and she had to research and negotiate her own training opportunities. In terms of travel she never went further than the county border on business. Stacey left within 12 months of joining at an estimated cost of £18,000 to the organisation.
Review the data from exit interviews and take action! Ask new starters what their expectations are and have quality inductions.
It costs approximately half of the first year’s salary to recruit and train every new starter. What is it currently costing your organisation?
If you invested this in reviewing salaries, benefits and conducting training it might stop the continuous cycle of recruiting and replacing people.
This could leave you with less fire fighting to do and more time to focus on the strategic elements of your role that were the reason you became a manager in the first place. Remember those?
*Stacey’s name has been changed.
Think back to why you became a manager in the first place. What inspired you to step up to this role? and have your expectations been met?
1. Are you in the zone?
Are you in a positive place, mentally, yourself? It is an important question because if you are not, it is almost impossible for you to motivate and inspire your team. On a recent airline flight I was told:“Fit your own oxygen mask first before helping others.”
Check your own levels of motivation, loyalty, performance and commitment. Give yourself a hit of oxygen – are you happy with the direction your organisation is going? Are you feeling inspired and motivated yourself?
If not, fix these problems first by getting yourself a mentor or coach who can encourage you. Open up the lines of communication with your boss. Embark on some personal development for yourself. Find the value in what you do and how your organisation helps the wider world.
Check your own loyalty and commitment levels. If you are not genuinely loyal and committed to the organisation, your department or team then your staff will spot it immediately and your attempts to generate loyalty and commitment from them will fail. “Walk the Talk. Be a good role model.”
2. Who was your best boss?
Now think back to the last great boss you had. What was it about them that made them so great?We have conducted research and asked this question to over 150 UK managers. The answers frequently show the same patterns each time we ask.
The top ten responses are as follows:
They showed genuine interest in me as a person.
They were always approachable.
They made time to really listen to me.
They asked for my ideas, opinions and input.
They were firm but fair with everyone.
They did not have an ego problem, power or control issues - they put the organisation and the team before themselves.
They were open and honest; if the answer to a request or idea was no they explained why.
They showed respect, both for themselves and everyone else. They treated everyone equally – regardless of ‘status’ or role.
They coached me through questioning, not ‘telling’.
They were sociable but always ultimately professional.
It is interesting to note that the qualities shared about great bosses are similar to those identified by Avolio and Bass in their ‘Transformational Leadership’ model and by Alimo-Metcalfe in her model of what is needed for true ‘Employee Engagement’. The concepts are both robust and have the same purpose - to develop leaders that will motivate and inspire employees to give their discretionary effort. Towers Perrin Research (2004) found that organisations that achieved employee engagement showed a 17% improvement on operating profit.
3. What do you do with that extra 20% of effort?
We know that each of us have in us approximately 20% discretionary effort each day. On a good day we may choose to give that effort. On a bad day we hold it back – we just cruise through the day in survival mode.
Are your staff giving that discretionary effort or is cruising allowed?
4. How might your team’s performance be different if you changed your focus?
As an effective manager you must give feedback – both positive and adjusting, so that your staff know the standards required. Positive feedback should be specific, public and genuine. Look for something to praise a member of your team every day and rotate the team member receiving the praise fairly. You may have to go looking for things to praise but it is a good habit to get into. Ask their internal customers for feedback, earwig into conversations, and ask for ideas, opinions or volunteers. All of these create opportunities to praise.
5. Do you have a clear understanding of the ‘psychological contract’?
That is the mental set of expectations that new starters have when they join the organisation. This is different to documented terms and conditions and may include a whole set of feelings, ideas and opinions about what it means to work at your organisation. If the psychological contract is breached then people will be miserable and will leave – and you may not even be aware of what is wrong.
Consider Stacey*. She joined a blue-chip organisation as a graduate. She had a psychological contract that included being in a nice office environment (where she was interviewed) and having the latest laptop, mobile phone and exciting training and travel opportunities. When Stacey arrived on her first day no one seemed to know she was starting, then she was taken to a different building out the back (a Portacabin) and told to find a desk for herself and look in the store cupboard for a ‘phone that works’. When she finally got a computer, the system was three versions behind what she expected and she had to research and negotiate her own training opportunities. In terms of travel she never went further than the county border on business. Stacey left within 12 months of joining at an estimated cost of £18,000 to the organisation.
Review the data from exit interviews and take action! Ask new starters what their expectations are and have quality inductions.
It costs approximately half of the first year’s salary to recruit and train every new starter. What is it currently costing your organisation?
If you invested this in reviewing salaries, benefits and conducting training it might stop the continuous cycle of recruiting and replacing people.
This could leave you with less fire fighting to do and more time to focus on the strategic elements of your role that were the reason you became a manager in the first place. Remember those?
*Stacey’s name has been changed.
It’s a wrap: 10 top tips for quick and efficient after-call work
Wrap time, after-call work, post-call processing - these are just some of the names for that important bit of time once a call has ended when the advisor can update the system with the caller’s resolution, next steps, details or order notes. They may also need to make some outbound calls or send emails during this time to progress the caller’s resolution. In one of our previous articles on ‘Balancing Customer Service and Efficiency’ we discussed how important it is to ensure that this time is used properly, and that advisors are not pressured into ‘doubling up’ this time as ‘ready’ or even worse, going through the greeting of the next call whilst still typing up the notes of the previous.
In this article we will show you how to make the most of just a few precious minutes to ensure wrap time is used properly and effectively. There are some wrap horror stories you may also wish to avoid…
1. The importance of quality call text
Train your advisors clearly on what is required in call text, logs or notes. This is critically important when another department, level of escalation or field operatives may be picking up the next steps.
2. Make it part of the induction process
Train your advisors as part of their induction on how to use call text, what level of detail is needed and which abbreviations are acceptable – provide them with a list. Show them the bigger picture, i.e. explain who else looks at their call text and how the information is used. Explain the consequences (preferably with real case studies) of when poor call text has caused problems for the customer, organisation and advisor.
3. The need for speed
Teach them to proof read backwards and to type quickly and accurately. After six months of service hold a short ‘Call Text Etiquette’ workshop that refreshes the key points from induction.
4. Weed out any bad habits
In this workshop you can introduce training activities that include ‘spot the errors’ in sample call text paragraphs. In the workshop discuss what the implications of such errors could be, a) for the caller/customer, b) for the organisation and c) for them.
5. Manage time classifications
Wrap time is wrap time. If advisors are not using wrap time for the purposes previously listed (updating the system, making required outbound calls or sending emails relating to the call, etc.) then they should be in ‘Not Ready’, ‘Make Busy’ or your equivalent. As a team leader or contact centre manager your overall wrap times will be hugely inflated if people are using these for loo breaks, chat time, drink refills, etc. Most contact centres do have targets on wrap time, which can vary depending on the type of centre, but often around 5% of average handling time is used. Explaining this diplomatically at a team briefing may be all that is needed for you to see an improvement in metrics.
6. Reuse and recycle
Calls can be quite repetitive, and this is something that can be used to our advantage in wrap time! Show advisors how to cut and paste chunks of call text between screens.
Consider making a process document of common best practice call text paragraphs, classified into the types of calls your advisors receive and send this to them electronically so that they can have it open on their desktop and paste across without re-writing standard advice/actions every time. Some of this text may also be useful to paste into emails, saving further time. However, do train them to use it with caution, details of individual calls (reference numbers, dates, names, amounts, etc.) should still be personalised and added to the standard information.
7. Get feedback
Find out how useful the call text is to the people that depend upon it (other departments, levels of escalation, field operatives, etc.). Are there details that are being entered that are not needed or are there key elements missing that would reduce chasing and follow-up to your advisors? If something is essential or not needed let your team know.
8. Analyse the Good, the Bad & the Ugly!
Review the statistics and quality of call text from a cross section of team members. What are the good ones doing that could be shared as best practice? Are there certain people that continually take longer in wrap or produce poor results? What coaching might they need?
9. Watch out for the horror stories
Are there any downright horror stories about wrap time that need to be tackled? For example, an IT helpdesk required advisors to complete call text about each call and the advice given. Call text could be accessed by the clients paying for the IT support service. Therefore when an advisor wrote ‘caller is a know-it-all and has made problem worse by trying own fixes – stupid w**ker’ he thought it would only be read by the 2nd line support desk. In fact, this was read by a senior decision maker in the client’s buying team. Not good when it comes to gaining contract renewals.
10. Watch out for wrap-up games
Equally, ‘games’ in call text that are devised to break the monotony of a team’s day are not good. For example. trying to get as many professional wrestling slang references into call text in a day was one example we found; ‘Have slammed this babyface’s problem. Call closed, clean finish.’ Whilst hugely entertaining for the advisors themselves, naturally it was not professional and anyone unschooled in the slang could not later decipher the meanings. Ensure you coach your team on what is efficient and effective use of wrap time and use specific praise to highlight good work.
In this article we will show you how to make the most of just a few precious minutes to ensure wrap time is used properly and effectively. There are some wrap horror stories you may also wish to avoid…
1. The importance of quality call text
Train your advisors clearly on what is required in call text, logs or notes. This is critically important when another department, level of escalation or field operatives may be picking up the next steps.
2. Make it part of the induction process
Train your advisors as part of their induction on how to use call text, what level of detail is needed and which abbreviations are acceptable – provide them with a list. Show them the bigger picture, i.e. explain who else looks at their call text and how the information is used. Explain the consequences (preferably with real case studies) of when poor call text has caused problems for the customer, organisation and advisor.
3. The need for speed
Teach them to proof read backwards and to type quickly and accurately. After six months of service hold a short ‘Call Text Etiquette’ workshop that refreshes the key points from induction.
4. Weed out any bad habits
In this workshop you can introduce training activities that include ‘spot the errors’ in sample call text paragraphs. In the workshop discuss what the implications of such errors could be, a) for the caller/customer, b) for the organisation and c) for them.
5. Manage time classifications
Wrap time is wrap time. If advisors are not using wrap time for the purposes previously listed (updating the system, making required outbound calls or sending emails relating to the call, etc.) then they should be in ‘Not Ready’, ‘Make Busy’ or your equivalent. As a team leader or contact centre manager your overall wrap times will be hugely inflated if people are using these for loo breaks, chat time, drink refills, etc. Most contact centres do have targets on wrap time, which can vary depending on the type of centre, but often around 5% of average handling time is used. Explaining this diplomatically at a team briefing may be all that is needed for you to see an improvement in metrics.
6. Reuse and recycle
Calls can be quite repetitive, and this is something that can be used to our advantage in wrap time! Show advisors how to cut and paste chunks of call text between screens.
Consider making a process document of common best practice call text paragraphs, classified into the types of calls your advisors receive and send this to them electronically so that they can have it open on their desktop and paste across without re-writing standard advice/actions every time. Some of this text may also be useful to paste into emails, saving further time. However, do train them to use it with caution, details of individual calls (reference numbers, dates, names, amounts, etc.) should still be personalised and added to the standard information.
7. Get feedback
Find out how useful the call text is to the people that depend upon it (other departments, levels of escalation, field operatives, etc.). Are there details that are being entered that are not needed or are there key elements missing that would reduce chasing and follow-up to your advisors? If something is essential or not needed let your team know.
8. Analyse the Good, the Bad & the Ugly!
Review the statistics and quality of call text from a cross section of team members. What are the good ones doing that could be shared as best practice? Are there certain people that continually take longer in wrap or produce poor results? What coaching might they need?
9. Watch out for the horror stories
Are there any downright horror stories about wrap time that need to be tackled? For example, an IT helpdesk required advisors to complete call text about each call and the advice given. Call text could be accessed by the clients paying for the IT support service. Therefore when an advisor wrote ‘caller is a know-it-all and has made problem worse by trying own fixes – stupid w**ker’ he thought it would only be read by the 2nd line support desk. In fact, this was read by a senior decision maker in the client’s buying team. Not good when it comes to gaining contract renewals.
10. Watch out for wrap-up games
Equally, ‘games’ in call text that are devised to break the monotony of a team’s day are not good. For example. trying to get as many professional wrestling slang references into call text in a day was one example we found; ‘Have slammed this babyface’s problem. Call closed, clean finish.’ Whilst hugely entertaining for the advisors themselves, naturally it was not professional and anyone unschooled in the slang could not later decipher the meanings. Ensure you coach your team on what is efficient and effective use of wrap time and use specific praise to highlight good work.
Developing empathy in the call centre
Here Caroline Hardwicke shares her thoughts with us around the importance of developing empathy in the call centre.For the last 16 years I’ve worked in or with contact centres. I’ve taken calls, supervised, managed, trained, consulted and puzzled over how to operate every coffee vending machine. I’ve seen and experienced what works well and learned from blunders (mostly mine). The most significant part of my learning curve has been the importance of the link between customer experience and how employees who interact with customers are treated.
The call centre manager who values, respects, motivates, and empathises with every member of their team will reap an abundance of delighted customers.
Spend time with peopleI worked in one large organisation where the Managing Director would regularly spend time in the call centre, getting to know the advisors, sitting with them, empathising with them and offering support. His philosophy was that the success of the business depended on understanding and meeting customer needs.
To do this well, he believed he needed to regularly spend time with “the most important employees in our organisation – the people who communicate with our customers”. He encouraged the rest of the senior management team to do the same and many of their strategic decisions evolved from conversations they’d had with the staff on the front-line.
Business boomed under his leadership – he was an inspiration to everyone he worked with and highly respected.
It’s not rocket scienceWhat he did wasn’t rocket science – it was simple – he valued people, spent time with them and rated their opinions. If anyone questioned his approach he would say - “Knowledge talks, wisdom listens”.
Empathy is all about standing in someone else’s shoes, putting aside our own ego and trying to see, understand and respect the other person’s perspective. It is the first part of achieving a connection with someone and vital if we want to build rapport.
Improve empathy with your teamTo improve empathy with customers the first step is to improve empathy with the people who deal directly with those customers. If our call centre teams feel that no one is particularly interested in their day-to-day challenges or their ideas, this has an impact on how they communicate with customers.
There are two key components that happen in an empathetic interaction with a customer - Attitude and Understanding.
Attitude – the behaviours listed below form the backbone of an excellent contact centre manager or advisor, they are the foundation upon which effective communication is built:
Interested in others
Desire to do a good job
Taking personal responsibility
Positive can-do mindset
Energy and enthusiasm
Warmth and kindness
Openness and honesty
Understanding – the skills and behaviours needed for an empathetic approach:
Putting oneself in the other person’s position
Personalised questioning to understand need
Active listening
Appreciating the needs of the individual
Contact centre advisors react positively to being valued, respected and listened to but this is only one part of creating successful customer interactions. Another influencing factor is how we measure and coach individual performance. People respond to targets, especially if those targets are linked to financial gain or loss. If, as a manager, you are not happy with your customer experience – ask yourself what you are measuring and how you are coaching. If the focus is on quantitative measures (e.g. average handling time) rather than qualitative measures - like the ones listed above - therein lies your answer.
Specify the behavioursIf you want advisors to demonstrate empathy in their interactions with customers, provide them with quality measures that have clearly defined skills and behaviours. We often make the mistake of defining the skill we’re looking for but omit the useful detail of how to achieve it. For example ‘Build rapport with customer’ states the desired outcome but doesn’t tell us what we need to do. It can be more helpful to specify the behaviours that enable us to build rapport - such as matching the customer’s style, tone and pace - being flexible, interested and responsive.
Encourage team leadersFinally, encourage team leaders to coach their team empathetically. Ideally they should be allowing advisors to take ownership of their performance, assess themselves and set their own development goals. An excellent coach facilitates development by asking questions – they avoid telling the coachee what to do.
Customers won’t always remember what you said – but they will remember how you made them feel. Empathy works!
The call centre manager who values, respects, motivates, and empathises with every member of their team will reap an abundance of delighted customers.
Spend time with peopleI worked in one large organisation where the Managing Director would regularly spend time in the call centre, getting to know the advisors, sitting with them, empathising with them and offering support. His philosophy was that the success of the business depended on understanding and meeting customer needs.
To do this well, he believed he needed to regularly spend time with “the most important employees in our organisation – the people who communicate with our customers”. He encouraged the rest of the senior management team to do the same and many of their strategic decisions evolved from conversations they’d had with the staff on the front-line.
Business boomed under his leadership – he was an inspiration to everyone he worked with and highly respected.
It’s not rocket scienceWhat he did wasn’t rocket science – it was simple – he valued people, spent time with them and rated their opinions. If anyone questioned his approach he would say - “Knowledge talks, wisdom listens”.
Empathy is all about standing in someone else’s shoes, putting aside our own ego and trying to see, understand and respect the other person’s perspective. It is the first part of achieving a connection with someone and vital if we want to build rapport.
Improve empathy with your teamTo improve empathy with customers the first step is to improve empathy with the people who deal directly with those customers. If our call centre teams feel that no one is particularly interested in their day-to-day challenges or their ideas, this has an impact on how they communicate with customers.
There are two key components that happen in an empathetic interaction with a customer - Attitude and Understanding.
Attitude – the behaviours listed below form the backbone of an excellent contact centre manager or advisor, they are the foundation upon which effective communication is built:
Interested in others
Desire to do a good job
Taking personal responsibility
Positive can-do mindset
Energy and enthusiasm
Warmth and kindness
Openness and honesty
Understanding – the skills and behaviours needed for an empathetic approach:
Putting oneself in the other person’s position
Personalised questioning to understand need
Active listening
Appreciating the needs of the individual
Contact centre advisors react positively to being valued, respected and listened to but this is only one part of creating successful customer interactions. Another influencing factor is how we measure and coach individual performance. People respond to targets, especially if those targets are linked to financial gain or loss. If, as a manager, you are not happy with your customer experience – ask yourself what you are measuring and how you are coaching. If the focus is on quantitative measures (e.g. average handling time) rather than qualitative measures - like the ones listed above - therein lies your answer.
Specify the behavioursIf you want advisors to demonstrate empathy in their interactions with customers, provide them with quality measures that have clearly defined skills and behaviours. We often make the mistake of defining the skill we’re looking for but omit the useful detail of how to achieve it. For example ‘Build rapport with customer’ states the desired outcome but doesn’t tell us what we need to do. It can be more helpful to specify the behaviours that enable us to build rapport - such as matching the customer’s style, tone and pace - being flexible, interested and responsive.
Encourage team leadersFinally, encourage team leaders to coach their team empathetically. Ideally they should be allowing advisors to take ownership of their performance, assess themselves and set their own development goals. An excellent coach facilitates development by asking questions – they avoid telling the coachee what to do.
Customers won’t always remember what you said – but they will remember how you made them feel. Empathy works!
How to improve your training department
Peter Laurie of Power Partners Development reports on the secrets of building a performance-focused training department.
Avoiding “The Sheep Dip”
It is a fact that many call centre agents are still being subjected to the age-old training ritual of “sheep dipping”. This is a process by which employees are “refreshed”, “cleansed” and “re-invigorated” by ensuring they attend set training courses or, perhaps, are placed on the ubiquitous “refresher” course. This refresher course is, of course, necessary, because most call centre agents forget what they have learned on similar previous courses, don’t they?
Companies just love “the sheep dip”. Easy to create, easy to administer and can cut costs. Simply, get your training department to devise a list of courses that link to the company’s priority areas; decide who needs what training; tell which employees to go on what course, and then give everyone a “big pat on the back” for achieving the Training and Development Plan. Easy!
Simple, Yes! Effective, well what do you think?
Consider the following:
Does your list of training courses remain static from one year to the next?
Has your business/industry moved on?
Are the courses that you provided two to three years ago still valid?
Are there new skills emerging from one year to the next?
Do you perform a yearly audit of the skills and capabilities that are needed to deliver the company business plan?
Do you chop and change the programme to suit the requirements of the business?
Does your competition take a more effective approach to training than you?
Can you afford the time, money and disruption to deliver training that the business no longer needs?
Assuming the recruitment policy is up to scratch, quality line managers, being close to the operational end of the business, should be actively involved in deciding that the team’s training has an appropriate content and structure. The line manager’s attendance is a must to ensure that the delivery is of an appropriate quality and that the trainer is satisfying the needs of the company and the individuals’ different learning styles.
It is also a manager’s job to spend time with their team members to work out learning objectives before the course. How many managers operate a development programme that is aimed to achieve a specific purpose? This is an essential element of a serious business, and it should be an integral part of any business plan that requires people power to achieve its objectives.
Effective measurement is crucial to success. How can you measure the effectiveness of any training intervention if it isn’t connected to an action plan? How can you expect any new skills to be implemented properly if you don’t follow it closely with an effective action plan? People rarely come out of their comfort zone – if they have done something a certain way for the last three years don’t expect them to implement consistent change following a training course, even if they do agree it’s better than the old way and fill in the happy sheet accordingly.
Not surprisingly, for companies that operate the Sheep Dip approach, training often represents a cost. This is because the training is often not appropriate to the business needs and not followed up effectively via a regular review that consists of a detailed analysis of after-effects.
If the correct approaches to training are exercised and the effects are measured and managed correctly another statistic then becomes thankfully evident. The bottom line.
Sure, you don’t get any training free, not even sheep dip, but training that achieves the objectives and improves the bottom line with a return over investment has got to be worthwhile, hasn’t it?
BAAHD Motivation
If you have struggled with motivation remember this: the “sheep dip” can be very de-motivating for some call centre agents. No change from one year to the next (assuming they stay that long) and no innovation or creativity being exhibited by the company can lead the employee to think that the future success of the company could be in doubt. Would they want to stay with such a company? Also, if the line manager takes little responsibility for the true development of their employees and abdicates all training and development responsibility to the training department, then the employee will quickly become disillusioned with the lack of support and encouragement. Their skills will not improve as quickly as they should, either.
Avoiding “The Sheep Dip”
It is a fact that many call centre agents are still being subjected to the age-old training ritual of “sheep dipping”. This is a process by which employees are “refreshed”, “cleansed” and “re-invigorated” by ensuring they attend set training courses or, perhaps, are placed on the ubiquitous “refresher” course. This refresher course is, of course, necessary, because most call centre agents forget what they have learned on similar previous courses, don’t they?
Companies just love “the sheep dip”. Easy to create, easy to administer and can cut costs. Simply, get your training department to devise a list of courses that link to the company’s priority areas; decide who needs what training; tell which employees to go on what course, and then give everyone a “big pat on the back” for achieving the Training and Development Plan. Easy!
Simple, Yes! Effective, well what do you think?
Consider the following:
Does your list of training courses remain static from one year to the next?
Has your business/industry moved on?
Are the courses that you provided two to three years ago still valid?
Are there new skills emerging from one year to the next?
Do you perform a yearly audit of the skills and capabilities that are needed to deliver the company business plan?
Do you chop and change the programme to suit the requirements of the business?
Does your competition take a more effective approach to training than you?
Can you afford the time, money and disruption to deliver training that the business no longer needs?
Assuming the recruitment policy is up to scratch, quality line managers, being close to the operational end of the business, should be actively involved in deciding that the team’s training has an appropriate content and structure. The line manager’s attendance is a must to ensure that the delivery is of an appropriate quality and that the trainer is satisfying the needs of the company and the individuals’ different learning styles.
It is also a manager’s job to spend time with their team members to work out learning objectives before the course. How many managers operate a development programme that is aimed to achieve a specific purpose? This is an essential element of a serious business, and it should be an integral part of any business plan that requires people power to achieve its objectives.
Effective measurement is crucial to success. How can you measure the effectiveness of any training intervention if it isn’t connected to an action plan? How can you expect any new skills to be implemented properly if you don’t follow it closely with an effective action plan? People rarely come out of their comfort zone – if they have done something a certain way for the last three years don’t expect them to implement consistent change following a training course, even if they do agree it’s better than the old way and fill in the happy sheet accordingly.
Not surprisingly, for companies that operate the Sheep Dip approach, training often represents a cost. This is because the training is often not appropriate to the business needs and not followed up effectively via a regular review that consists of a detailed analysis of after-effects.
If the correct approaches to training are exercised and the effects are measured and managed correctly another statistic then becomes thankfully evident. The bottom line.
Sure, you don’t get any training free, not even sheep dip, but training that achieves the objectives and improves the bottom line with a return over investment has got to be worthwhile, hasn’t it?
BAAHD Motivation
If you have struggled with motivation remember this: the “sheep dip” can be very de-motivating for some call centre agents. No change from one year to the next (assuming they stay that long) and no innovation or creativity being exhibited by the company can lead the employee to think that the future success of the company could be in doubt. Would they want to stay with such a company? Also, if the line manager takes little responsibility for the true development of their employees and abdicates all training and development responsibility to the training department, then the employee will quickly become disillusioned with the lack of support and encouragement. Their skills will not improve as quickly as they should, either.
A complaining customer is your most important customer
They may be complaining because service levels are deteriorating, because the product no longer performs to their expectations, or even because they have heard that one of your competitors are doing things better than you.
The complaining customer is here to stay and knowing how to deal with them is especially crucial in competitive, service-based industries.A recent ‘Cutting Edge’ documentary broadcast on Channel 4 painted a very bleak picture of call centres across the UK, and even suggested that the average Briton spends one day a year on the phone to a service provider. Whilst the programme was undoubtedly guilty of sensationalism, it did underline a key point: customers only get in touch when they have a specific issue to resolve, and as such expect an efficient, prompt response.
A surprisingly high proportion of large, supposedly customer-led organisations do not have a formalised complaint handling system. Indeed, one very well known telecommunications firm recently told me their complaints department could only be contacted via post! The result of such negligence is a row of front-line employees manfully fire fighting against a tirade of unhappy customers, a thankless job at the best of times. What is required is a company-wide commitment to handling complaints in the most timely, professional manner possible.
Some level of customer complaints is inevitable; a famous academic once suggested companies aiming for 0% complaints were ‘chasing the rainbow’s end’. No matter how standardised the product, how consistent the customer service, there will always be a segment of your customer base who simply expect more. Just because we believe a customer complaint to be unreasonable does not mean we should dismiss it out of hand.
So, what happens when a complaint is not handled well, or even worse, the customer doesn’t even bother complaining in the first place? The following gives you an idea of what can result from customer neglect:
Customers go elsewhere: Even the best performing companies lose between 10 and 30% of their customer base each year; imagine what that figure could be if a complaining customer is simply passed between departments?
They talk to others about you: On average, a dissatisfied customer tells 10-15 people of their negative experience, each of whom who then tells their friends, and so on. It’s remarkable how many people can develop a negative attitude to a company despite having never used them!
They won’t come back: Negative experiences are rarely forgotten, especially when they have resulted in financial loss or emotional hardship. Such lapsed customers are likely to look at your future marketing communications with astonishing levels of cynicism: “they never did that when I was with them”.
Now we have established the consequences of not handling customer complaints effectively, we can consider how things should be done. There are a number of basics that every customer will expect: not to wait in a queue or be passed around departments, not to have to repeatedly provide personal details and account numbers, etc. But the key to effective complaint handling is listening: only when we can precisely define the problem can we consider how to remedy it. Therefore all front-line staff need to let the customer guide the conversation and only interrupt when further clarification is needed. It can sometimes be difficult for staff to ‘bite their lip’ if customers are being unnecessarily harsh or aggressive, but the customer will feel a lot better simply by venting their frustration.
Once the nature of the complaint has been understood, careful judgement is required to evaluate its validity. Can we actually fix this problem? Is it really the organisation’s fault? Is it best to accept responsibility anyway? At this point it is worthwhile looking through previous complaint records to look for any precedents: has this problem occurred before and how did we deal with it? The customer will not necessarily expect their complaint to be resolved instantaneously, so don’t be afraid to consult colleagues and then get back to the customer with a decision.
At this point it is all too easy to assume that throwing money at a customer will encourage them to forgive and forget. Sometimes it might, although sometimes the customer will not be contacting you to make a profit. Often a genuine apology (ideally in written form) or a commitment to improve the product/service for future users will suffice. A large part of customers’ evaluations is how seriously the complaint has been taken; if they feel their opinions are valued and will be acted upon their bond with the company increases.
The emotions associated with complaining (anger, upset and even embarrassment) don’t disappear when the act of complaining ends. As a result, some sort of follow-up contact is crucial in maintaining relationships and ensuring any problems have been resolved. Most call centre software should allow customers to be ‘flagged’ for future contact, meaning a follow-up takes little effort from the company but can have a big impact on the customer. We may not always be able to resolve their complaint, but we can at least show that we appreciate their feedback.
What type of people actually complain?
Much academic research has noted that complainers tend to be:
Better educated (which brings experience and a knowledge of where and how to complain);
From Western cultures (for example, Chinese customers are less likely to complain because Confucianism encourages them not to vent negative emotions in public);
Assertive and self-confident;
Experienced consumers.
A knowledge of who the complainer is can help us manage the process more effectively (for example, an experienced customer may well be familiar with technical jargon, so we can use it to describe the problem). As our customer databases are unlikely to hold such information it is up to the member of staff to quickly decipher the characteristics of the complainer and tailor the communication to their specific needs.
Summary
Handling complaints is never an easy or enjoyable challenge. That said, if management can promote a pro-active approach to dealing with dissatisfied customers then there is every chance such negative situations can be turned into satisfying and memorable encounters for the customer. That’s the same customer that will tell all of their friends about you if you don’t handle their complaint appropriately.
To develop such a pro-active attitude to complaints, companies should:
1. Not just tolerate complaints, but actively encourage them: Complaints can be uncomfortable, even hostile, encounters and this can lead front-line staff to dread them. However, the customer is the best source of feedback so they should be encouraged that “there is no such thing as a minor irritant”.
2. Develop suitable avenues for consumers to give feedback: Channels of communication need to move with the times; gone are the days when customers are happy to do things via post! Angry consumers expect a response, and they expect it quickly. Free telephone lines and regularly checked email addresses should be an absolute minimum.
3. Use the Internet: Don’t assume all negative feedback will come directly to you (research suggests up to 60% of dissatisfied consumers don’t complain to the company involved). There are countless consumer awareness websites/blogs out there for disgruntled people to spread news of your mishaps. These provide a ripe source of information that can help you improve future service provision, and will also give you an insight into the weaknesses of your competitors.
4. Offer the right form of compensation: As we have discussed, not every consumer wants to get money out of you, but some form of tangible gesture shows that you value their custom and feel they had valid grounds to complain. Simple product vouchers can perform this role whilst also encouraging the customer to give your company another go.
5. Share complaint data with other departments: If a complaint department learns of a product defect, what good is this information if it is not passed on to Production and R&D? Complaint data should be reviewed at senior management level and shared with those who can actually use it. A good complaints department is one which uses customer feedback to improve performance, which could in turn reduce the number of dissatisfied customers. After all, surely prevention is better than cure?
The complaining customer is here to stay and knowing how to deal with them is especially crucial in competitive, service-based industries.A recent ‘Cutting Edge’ documentary broadcast on Channel 4 painted a very bleak picture of call centres across the UK, and even suggested that the average Briton spends one day a year on the phone to a service provider. Whilst the programme was undoubtedly guilty of sensationalism, it did underline a key point: customers only get in touch when they have a specific issue to resolve, and as such expect an efficient, prompt response.
A surprisingly high proportion of large, supposedly customer-led organisations do not have a formalised complaint handling system. Indeed, one very well known telecommunications firm recently told me their complaints department could only be contacted via post! The result of such negligence is a row of front-line employees manfully fire fighting against a tirade of unhappy customers, a thankless job at the best of times. What is required is a company-wide commitment to handling complaints in the most timely, professional manner possible.
Some level of customer complaints is inevitable; a famous academic once suggested companies aiming for 0% complaints were ‘chasing the rainbow’s end’. No matter how standardised the product, how consistent the customer service, there will always be a segment of your customer base who simply expect more. Just because we believe a customer complaint to be unreasonable does not mean we should dismiss it out of hand.
So, what happens when a complaint is not handled well, or even worse, the customer doesn’t even bother complaining in the first place? The following gives you an idea of what can result from customer neglect:
Customers go elsewhere: Even the best performing companies lose between 10 and 30% of their customer base each year; imagine what that figure could be if a complaining customer is simply passed between departments?
They talk to others about you: On average, a dissatisfied customer tells 10-15 people of their negative experience, each of whom who then tells their friends, and so on. It’s remarkable how many people can develop a negative attitude to a company despite having never used them!
They won’t come back: Negative experiences are rarely forgotten, especially when they have resulted in financial loss or emotional hardship. Such lapsed customers are likely to look at your future marketing communications with astonishing levels of cynicism: “they never did that when I was with them”.
Now we have established the consequences of not handling customer complaints effectively, we can consider how things should be done. There are a number of basics that every customer will expect: not to wait in a queue or be passed around departments, not to have to repeatedly provide personal details and account numbers, etc. But the key to effective complaint handling is listening: only when we can precisely define the problem can we consider how to remedy it. Therefore all front-line staff need to let the customer guide the conversation and only interrupt when further clarification is needed. It can sometimes be difficult for staff to ‘bite their lip’ if customers are being unnecessarily harsh or aggressive, but the customer will feel a lot better simply by venting their frustration.
Once the nature of the complaint has been understood, careful judgement is required to evaluate its validity. Can we actually fix this problem? Is it really the organisation’s fault? Is it best to accept responsibility anyway? At this point it is worthwhile looking through previous complaint records to look for any precedents: has this problem occurred before and how did we deal with it? The customer will not necessarily expect their complaint to be resolved instantaneously, so don’t be afraid to consult colleagues and then get back to the customer with a decision.
At this point it is all too easy to assume that throwing money at a customer will encourage them to forgive and forget. Sometimes it might, although sometimes the customer will not be contacting you to make a profit. Often a genuine apology (ideally in written form) or a commitment to improve the product/service for future users will suffice. A large part of customers’ evaluations is how seriously the complaint has been taken; if they feel their opinions are valued and will be acted upon their bond with the company increases.
The emotions associated with complaining (anger, upset and even embarrassment) don’t disappear when the act of complaining ends. As a result, some sort of follow-up contact is crucial in maintaining relationships and ensuring any problems have been resolved. Most call centre software should allow customers to be ‘flagged’ for future contact, meaning a follow-up takes little effort from the company but can have a big impact on the customer. We may not always be able to resolve their complaint, but we can at least show that we appreciate their feedback.
What type of people actually complain?
Much academic research has noted that complainers tend to be:
Better educated (which brings experience and a knowledge of where and how to complain);
From Western cultures (for example, Chinese customers are less likely to complain because Confucianism encourages them not to vent negative emotions in public);
Assertive and self-confident;
Experienced consumers.
A knowledge of who the complainer is can help us manage the process more effectively (for example, an experienced customer may well be familiar with technical jargon, so we can use it to describe the problem). As our customer databases are unlikely to hold such information it is up to the member of staff to quickly decipher the characteristics of the complainer and tailor the communication to their specific needs.
Summary
Handling complaints is never an easy or enjoyable challenge. That said, if management can promote a pro-active approach to dealing with dissatisfied customers then there is every chance such negative situations can be turned into satisfying and memorable encounters for the customer. That’s the same customer that will tell all of their friends about you if you don’t handle their complaint appropriately.
To develop such a pro-active attitude to complaints, companies should:
1. Not just tolerate complaints, but actively encourage them: Complaints can be uncomfortable, even hostile, encounters and this can lead front-line staff to dread them. However, the customer is the best source of feedback so they should be encouraged that “there is no such thing as a minor irritant”.
2. Develop suitable avenues for consumers to give feedback: Channels of communication need to move with the times; gone are the days when customers are happy to do things via post! Angry consumers expect a response, and they expect it quickly. Free telephone lines and regularly checked email addresses should be an absolute minimum.
3. Use the Internet: Don’t assume all negative feedback will come directly to you (research suggests up to 60% of dissatisfied consumers don’t complain to the company involved). There are countless consumer awareness websites/blogs out there for disgruntled people to spread news of your mishaps. These provide a ripe source of information that can help you improve future service provision, and will also give you an insight into the weaknesses of your competitors.
4. Offer the right form of compensation: As we have discussed, not every consumer wants to get money out of you, but some form of tangible gesture shows that you value their custom and feel they had valid grounds to complain. Simple product vouchers can perform this role whilst also encouraging the customer to give your company another go.
5. Share complaint data with other departments: If a complaint department learns of a product defect, what good is this information if it is not passed on to Production and R&D? Complaint data should be reviewed at senior management level and shared with those who can actually use it. A good complaints department is one which uses customer feedback to improve performance, which could in turn reduce the number of dissatisfied customers. After all, surely prevention is better than cure?
Customer loyalty: ten top tips to make it happen
How do you build a loyal customer base?
In these tough economic times, when customer loyalty is hard to win and harder still to maintain, customer service providers need to find new ways of reaching and engaging with consumers. James Le Roth tells us how.
1. Make your existing customers feel loved
Keeping existing customers is much less expensive than winning new ones. It’s a big mistake to focus so much on the costly business of persuading new customers to sign up that you forget all about keeping your existing customers happy.
Maintain regular contact with existing customers. Check that they continue to be happy with what they are being offered. Make sure they are aware of other products, services and opportunities available to them. Take every opportunity of asking, ‘Is there anything else we can do for you?’
2. Live the customer experience
Put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Whenever possible, use the products and services of the company you represent. If it’s a food manufacturer, eat the yoghurt, if it’s an auto manufacturer, drive the car.
3. Predict the future
Try to predict customers who might be considering leaving. Identify key customer behaviours that indicate dissatisfaction, such as a lowering of spend. Then be proactive, asking, ‘I’ve noticed your spend is down. Is there a reason?’ A timely, helpful and appropriate intervention at a critical moment could make all the difference.
Today’s consumers are not shy in pushing providers into offering them better deals and moving on if they are not satisfied. Retention advisors should have all the information and authority they need to offer that extra something – whether it is an upgrade or a discount – that will convince callers to stay.
4. Fast-track complaints
Prioritise complaint handling, so issues are identified and dealt with quickly. Put your best people on the case, those with the best interpersonal skills, experience and brand knowledge. If circumstances require, assign a dedicated resource to a particular consumer or group of consumers, so callers always get through to the same advisor, building up trust.
Take ownership of every issue. Advisors should never say, ‘Sorry, that’s not my responsibility.’ They should make certain that problems are resolved, even if it’s not directly their responsibility. If a customer is calling about an erroneous bill, for instance, even if they are not involved in accounts, they should deal with the complaint, speak to the accounts department and keep on the case until the issue is satisfactorily settled.
5. Perfect the art of listening
Train advisors to really focus on what the caller is saying, so they listen out for clues in the tone and emotion of the voice and match their response accordingly, calming an angry caller, reassuring a worried one. They shouldn’t jump in too soon or interrupt but let the caller have their say before clarifying any points or asking questions.
Encourage the use of positive statements. ‘What I recommend is …’, ‘I completely understand …’. At the same time, pick up on negative signals. ‘Maybe …’, ‘I’m not sure …’ are danger signals and might indicate you risk losing a customer.
Believe it or not, your posture affects the way you come over to a caller. Sitting up straight makes advisors feel more businesslike and alert, so they sound more professional and efficient.
6. Mimic your customer’s style
Telephone style should be adapted to the customer, so advisors bond with them more readily. Agents should paraphrase what customers say, using similar tone and language. If the customer is businesslike, they should respond appropriately. If he or she is more casually spoken, they can afford to be a little more informal in return.
Accents are a moot point. It’s not normally a good thing to try to mimic a caller’s accent. However, if, say, a company’s customer base is mainly in the north, it might be practical for it to establish a contact centre in the region, so the manner of speaking is familiar. In general, soft regional tones are preferred.
7. Access all areas
Today’s consumers love to communicate. Make sure you make two-way dialogue easy. Reduce the number of menus for inbound calls so they can get through easily. Increase the channels for contact, so they can get in touch, not only by telephone, but also by email, the web and sms.
Monitor chatrooms and web forums to find out what customers are saying. Their comments can give you early warning of impending issues. Better still, set up a forum which can be monitored and moderated from the contact centre.
8. Incentivise your advocates
Use super loyal customers to do your selling for you. Incentivise these advocates. Use their experiences to inform what you do and promote them in advertising and on websites.
They don’t necessarily have to be rewarded with money-based incentives. Automotive customers, for instance, appreciate invitations to special owners’ events and hi-tech consumers just love getting their hands on pre-launch products.
9. Get personal
Whatever you do, personalise it. Every campaign should be appropriate for each customer and every communication tailored to that individual. Call centres have the capacity to capture comprehensive information on customers, building up sophisticated profiles. The more information advisors have, the better their rapport with customers.
10. Remember the bottom line
Make sure you’re getting value for money. Use segmentation to target your marketing, offering services and access points that are fitting for each customer, according to their annual spend or lifetime value. There’s no profit in running a ‘business class’ programme for a ‘no frills’ customer.
James Le Roth is contact centre director at Eclipse Marketing, a full-service marketing agency formed in 1988 by two experienced marketing professionals who still run the business today. Since then it has grown to become one of the UK’s top 40 agencies. The agency’s broad range of household-name clients, many of them who’ve worked with Eclipse for ten years or more, include Alpro soya, Honda, Panasonic, RBS, Toyota and Vauxhall.
In these tough economic times, when customer loyalty is hard to win and harder still to maintain, customer service providers need to find new ways of reaching and engaging with consumers. James Le Roth tells us how.
1. Make your existing customers feel loved
Keeping existing customers is much less expensive than winning new ones. It’s a big mistake to focus so much on the costly business of persuading new customers to sign up that you forget all about keeping your existing customers happy.
Maintain regular contact with existing customers. Check that they continue to be happy with what they are being offered. Make sure they are aware of other products, services and opportunities available to them. Take every opportunity of asking, ‘Is there anything else we can do for you?’
2. Live the customer experience
Put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Whenever possible, use the products and services of the company you represent. If it’s a food manufacturer, eat the yoghurt, if it’s an auto manufacturer, drive the car.
3. Predict the future
Try to predict customers who might be considering leaving. Identify key customer behaviours that indicate dissatisfaction, such as a lowering of spend. Then be proactive, asking, ‘I’ve noticed your spend is down. Is there a reason?’ A timely, helpful and appropriate intervention at a critical moment could make all the difference.
Today’s consumers are not shy in pushing providers into offering them better deals and moving on if they are not satisfied. Retention advisors should have all the information and authority they need to offer that extra something – whether it is an upgrade or a discount – that will convince callers to stay.
4. Fast-track complaints
Prioritise complaint handling, so issues are identified and dealt with quickly. Put your best people on the case, those with the best interpersonal skills, experience and brand knowledge. If circumstances require, assign a dedicated resource to a particular consumer or group of consumers, so callers always get through to the same advisor, building up trust.
Take ownership of every issue. Advisors should never say, ‘Sorry, that’s not my responsibility.’ They should make certain that problems are resolved, even if it’s not directly their responsibility. If a customer is calling about an erroneous bill, for instance, even if they are not involved in accounts, they should deal with the complaint, speak to the accounts department and keep on the case until the issue is satisfactorily settled.
5. Perfect the art of listening
Train advisors to really focus on what the caller is saying, so they listen out for clues in the tone and emotion of the voice and match their response accordingly, calming an angry caller, reassuring a worried one. They shouldn’t jump in too soon or interrupt but let the caller have their say before clarifying any points or asking questions.
Encourage the use of positive statements. ‘What I recommend is …’, ‘I completely understand …’. At the same time, pick up on negative signals. ‘Maybe …’, ‘I’m not sure …’ are danger signals and might indicate you risk losing a customer.
Believe it or not, your posture affects the way you come over to a caller. Sitting up straight makes advisors feel more businesslike and alert, so they sound more professional and efficient.
6. Mimic your customer’s style
Telephone style should be adapted to the customer, so advisors bond with them more readily. Agents should paraphrase what customers say, using similar tone and language. If the customer is businesslike, they should respond appropriately. If he or she is more casually spoken, they can afford to be a little more informal in return.
Accents are a moot point. It’s not normally a good thing to try to mimic a caller’s accent. However, if, say, a company’s customer base is mainly in the north, it might be practical for it to establish a contact centre in the region, so the manner of speaking is familiar. In general, soft regional tones are preferred.
7. Access all areas
Today’s consumers love to communicate. Make sure you make two-way dialogue easy. Reduce the number of menus for inbound calls so they can get through easily. Increase the channels for contact, so they can get in touch, not only by telephone, but also by email, the web and sms.
Monitor chatrooms and web forums to find out what customers are saying. Their comments can give you early warning of impending issues. Better still, set up a forum which can be monitored and moderated from the contact centre.
8. Incentivise your advocates
Use super loyal customers to do your selling for you. Incentivise these advocates. Use their experiences to inform what you do and promote them in advertising and on websites.
They don’t necessarily have to be rewarded with money-based incentives. Automotive customers, for instance, appreciate invitations to special owners’ events and hi-tech consumers just love getting their hands on pre-launch products.
9. Get personal
Whatever you do, personalise it. Every campaign should be appropriate for each customer and every communication tailored to that individual. Call centres have the capacity to capture comprehensive information on customers, building up sophisticated profiles. The more information advisors have, the better their rapport with customers.
10. Remember the bottom line
Make sure you’re getting value for money. Use segmentation to target your marketing, offering services and access points that are fitting for each customer, according to their annual spend or lifetime value. There’s no profit in running a ‘business class’ programme for a ‘no frills’ customer.
James Le Roth is contact centre director at Eclipse Marketing, a full-service marketing agency formed in 1988 by two experienced marketing professionals who still run the business today. Since then it has grown to become one of the UK’s top 40 agencies. The agency’s broad range of household-name clients, many of them who’ve worked with Eclipse for ten years or more, include Alpro soya, Honda, Panasonic, RBS, Toyota and Vauxhall.
operation of the call centre?
to answer the following questions: -
Is the service meeting the callers needs?Are there clear opportunities for up selling and cross selling?Are the agents adequately trained?What opportunities are there for Customer Relationship Management?
Monitoring calls can help to identify the difference between the service you are offering and the needs of the customer. A good example of this has been the need to confirm details in writing. All businesses have the need to maximize security and minifies risk. But there is a price to this. The smarter companies have eliminated the need for the customer to put anything in writing - except for the signature on contracts. They fill in the form during the telephone conversation and send the customer a copy to check. Call recordings can then be used in dispute arbitration - usually without the need to go to court. Once a caller is played back a telephone recording, misunderstandings usually become clear.
Up-selling or cross-selling opportunities become clear from call centre monitoring. In many sectors between 2% and 10% of service calls have direct sales potential. These could range from a direct customer query, or a clear cross-sell opportunity. By listening to calls as you try out new sales methods, it will become apparent which techniques work and where deficient ones can be improved. The campaign can then be refined to gain maximum effect.
Is the service meeting the callers needs?Are there clear opportunities for up selling and cross selling?Are the agents adequately trained?What opportunities are there for Customer Relationship Management?
Monitoring calls can help to identify the difference between the service you are offering and the needs of the customer. A good example of this has been the need to confirm details in writing. All businesses have the need to maximize security and minifies risk. But there is a price to this. The smarter companies have eliminated the need for the customer to put anything in writing - except for the signature on contracts. They fill in the form during the telephone conversation and send the customer a copy to check. Call recordings can then be used in dispute arbitration - usually without the need to go to court. Once a caller is played back a telephone recording, misunderstandings usually become clear.
Up-selling or cross-selling opportunities become clear from call centre monitoring. In many sectors between 2% and 10% of service calls have direct sales potential. These could range from a direct customer query, or a clear cross-sell opportunity. By listening to calls as you try out new sales methods, it will become apparent which techniques work and where deficient ones can be improved. The campaign can then be refined to gain maximum effect.
Call Centre Monitoring
If "the proof is in the pudding", then in a call centre the pudding is the telephone calls. Listening to calls provides the biggest indicators on how to make dramatic improvements in the call centre.
Over the years, I have often found that it is possible to gauge a call centre's efficiency by its attitude to listening to calls. A bad call centre usually has no facilities for listening to calls. In a well-run call centre, senior management will listen to calls on a regular basis and provide immediate feedback to agents.
Mel Mason, Call Centre and IT Director of Great Universal stores agrees, "If you're in the Call Centre business you must regularly listen to calls to and from customers. Monitoring calls is the only way you really find out the important issues for customers and how they feel about your company, its products and its services."
"I typically spend about 4 hours per month listening to live calls - a small sample of the 50 million we take each year. I urge the whole management team to listen to calls on a regular basis, with the Chief Executive also participating."
There are a number of ways to listen to calls. My preference is to sit next to a live agent and connect an additional headset to the agent teleset. Many ACD systems have a facility to silently monitor agents from a supervisor's set. Call recording devices can allow wholesale recording of all calls into the call centre and can be used to assess performance of the agent. Mystery shopper calling (where you pretend to be a customer) enables you to gauge how the customer views service, and can be carried out on your competition.
All of these methods of call centre monitoring allow you to develop a picture of the call centre. Monitoring from the caller's perspective will give you an overall impression of what it is like to call your centre. It will demonstrate how frustrating it can be to wait in a queue and how friendly or annoying your voice messages really are. Sitting next to an agent will help to alert you to deficiencies in the contact management system and general workflow.
Mel Mason, Call Centre and IT Director of Great Universal stores agrees, "If you're in the Call Centre business you must regularly listen to calls to and from customers. Monitoring calls is the only way you really find out the important issues for customers and how they feel about your company, its products and its services."
"I typically spend about 4 hours per month listening to live calls - a small sample of the 50 million we take each year. I urge the whole management team to listen to calls on a regular basis, with the Chief Executive also participating."
There are a number of ways to listen to calls. My preference is to sit next to a live agent and connect an additional headset to the agent teleset. Many ACD systems have a facility to silently monitor agents from a supervisor's set. Call recording devices can allow wholesale recording of all calls into the call centre and can be used to assess performance of the agent. Mystery shopper calling (where you pretend to be a customer) enables you to gauge how the customer views service, and can be carried out on your competition.
All of these methods of call centre monitoring allow you to develop a picture of the call centre. Monitoring from the caller's perspective will give you an overall impression of what it is like to call your centre. It will demonstrate how frustrating it can be to wait in a queue and how friendly or annoying your voice messages really are. Sitting next to an agent will help to alert you to deficiencies in the contact management system and general workflow.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Industry Services
For Fortune 500 clients, private and public companies we provide an extensive range of services covering various industries from banking, finance, manufacturing, consulting and other professional services.We work very closely with our clients to better understand their business needs and we deliver the right solutions, that meet their expectations.The services we provide to our commercial clients range from enterprise-wide strategic planning to development, implementation and management of Information Systems.In our pursuit to share our expertise with our clients and provide efficiency and cost-savings to them, we also have two on-line applications, Professional Services Automation Software and i-Timesheet.
Data and Network Management
Many Infosys International personnel have vendor certifications and direct experience in data base design and administration and network infrastructure design and implementation. We have personnel ready to assist our clients with experience and credentials in the following areas:Data Base AdministrationOracleMicrosoft SybaseNetwork AdministrationMicrosoftCiscoBanyanVigilante
Systems Integration
In addition to performing custom application development, Infosys International personnel have extensive experience in implementing enterprise application software solutions from several leading vendors. This includes extensive experience with PeopleSoft Human Resources and Financial applications, SAP Supply Chain Management applications, and software solutions from Oracle, Manugistics and Cognos. Infosys International personnel typically assist our clients with systems integration tasks such as modification analysis, data mapping and conversion, interface design and development, and report design and development
Application Development
When its time for organizations to upgrade or replace important information systems, they will typically need additional personnel to complete these projects. Infosys International has the ability to provide our clients with the quantity and quality of the resources needed to complete these projects without adding to our client’s permanent headcount. We have personnel who are experienced in working with the latest web-based and wireless technologies, as well as legacy client/server and mainframe architectures. We can assist all phases of the application development life cycle, including requirements definition, functional design, technical design, programming, testing, conversion, implementation and ongoing support.
Business and IT Consulting
Infosys recognizes that our client base of businesses, government and not-for-profit organizations is consistently faced with problems and opportunities, constraints and goals, risks and rewards. Our consultants help our clients see where they are and where they can go in today’s ever-changing business and information technology (IT) environment.We organize our consulting projects around a three-step approach that is designed to provide you with practical, usable information. Our “Analyze, Advise, and Act” consulting services model answers the following types of questions:
ANALYZE
What do I have today, and where do I want to go?
Products, Services, Markets and Locations
Financial Status
Information Technology Infrastructure
Human Resources, Morale and Knowledge Capital
Current Tactical Opportunities and Plans
Strategic Vision
ADVISE
How can I get to where I want to go?
Alternative Courses of Action
Risks, Costs, Schedules and Benefits
Recommended Direction and Blueprint
ACT
What do I need to do to get where I want to go?
Master Program Plan
Project Plans and Milestones
Resource Requirements
Change Management Plan
Funding Requirements
ANALYZE
What do I have today, and where do I want to go?
Products, Services, Markets and Locations
Financial Status
Information Technology Infrastructure
Human Resources, Morale and Knowledge Capital
Current Tactical Opportunities and Plans
Strategic Vision
ADVISE
How can I get to where I want to go?
Alternative Courses of Action
Risks, Costs, Schedules and Benefits
Recommended Direction and Blueprint
ACT
What do I need to do to get where I want to go?
Master Program Plan
Project Plans and Milestones
Resource Requirements
Change Management Plan
Funding Requirements
about infosis Overview
Infosys International Inc. has a solid reputation as a business and information technology consulting company.
Our Vision
To help our clients meet their goals through our people, services and solutions
Our Mission
Infosys International Inc. is dedicated to providing the people, services and solutions our clients need to meet their information technology challenges and business goals.
To do this, we:
Infosys International Headquarters
110 Terminal Drive, Plainview, NY 11803
Work to understand the needs and requirements of our clients before proposing a solution
Develop responsive proposals that provide cost-effective solutions to our clients needs
Deploy the right mix of people and products to deliver value-added services and solutions to our clients
Follow-up on the quality of our services and solutions to our clients
Appreciate the trust that our clients put in us as we work with them to improve their business and information technology.
Our Vision
To help our clients meet their goals through our people, services and solutions
Our Mission
Infosys International Inc. is dedicated to providing the people, services and solutions our clients need to meet their information technology challenges and business goals.
To do this, we:
Infosys International Headquarters
110 Terminal Drive, Plainview, NY 11803
Work to understand the needs and requirements of our clients before proposing a solution
Develop responsive proposals that provide cost-effective solutions to our clients needs
Deploy the right mix of people and products to deliver value-added services and solutions to our clients
Follow-up on the quality of our services and solutions to our clients
Appreciate the trust that our clients put in us as we work with them to improve their business and information technology.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
North America branches
North America is a continent in the Earth's northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the south and west by the North Pacific Ocean; South America lies to the southeast. It covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 sq mi), about 4.8% of the planet's surface or about 16.5% of its land area. As of July 2007, its population was estimated at nearly 524 million people. It is the third-largest continent in area, following Asia and Africa, and is fourth in population after Asia, Africa, and Europe. North America and South America are collectively known as the Americas
Sunday, March 30, 2008
BPO increasing the flexibility of organizations
One of the most important advantages of BPO is the way in which it helps to increase a company’s flexibility. However, several sources have different ways in which they perceive organizational flexibility. Therefore business process outsourcing enhances the flexibility of an organization in different ways.
• Most services provided by BPO vendors are offered on a fee-for-service basis. This helps a company becoming more flexible by transforming fixed into variable costs. A variable cost structure helps a company responding to changes in required capacity and does not requisite a company in investing in assets and hereby making the company more flexible . Outsourcing of for instance a fraction of the workforce provides firm flexibility and reconfiguring resource deployments and reduce response times to major environmental changes.
• Another way in which BPO contributes to a company’s flexibility is that a company is able to focus on it’s core competencies, without being burdened by the demands of bureaucratic dictate . Key employees are herewith released from performing non-core or administrative processes and can invest more time and energy in building the firm’s core businesses . The key in this lies in knowing, which of the main value drivers to focus on – customer intimacy, product leadership, or operate excellence. This is exemplified by for instance the case of Dell. Focusing on one of these drivers instead of more helps a company create a competitive edge. Herewith the company becomes more responsive and is able to react faster on changes in a an organization’s environment .
• A third way in which BPO increases organizational flexibility is by increasing the speed of business processes. Using techniques such as linear programming is a way to reduce cycle time and inventory levels, which reduces a company’s slack. Supply chain management with the effective use of supply chain partners and business process outsourcing increases the speed of several business processes, such as the throughput in the case of a manufacturing company.
• Finally, flexibility is seen as a stage in the organizational life cycle. For instance in the case of Nortel, which used to be a very rigid and bureaucratic organization, BPO helped to transform the company from a bureaucratic organization into a very agile organization by means of BPO. A company can hereby help maintaining ambitious growth goals, which do not fit with regular incumbent strategies. BPO therefore allows firms to retain their entrepreneurial speed and agility, which they would otherwise sacrifice in order to become efficient as they greatly expanded. It avoids a premature internal transition from its informal entrepreneurial phase to a more bureaucratic mode of operation.
• Most services provided by BPO vendors are offered on a fee-for-service basis. This helps a company becoming more flexible by transforming fixed into variable costs. A variable cost structure helps a company responding to changes in required capacity and does not requisite a company in investing in assets and hereby making the company more flexible . Outsourcing of for instance a fraction of the workforce provides firm flexibility and reconfiguring resource deployments and reduce response times to major environmental changes.
• Another way in which BPO contributes to a company’s flexibility is that a company is able to focus on it’s core competencies, without being burdened by the demands of bureaucratic dictate . Key employees are herewith released from performing non-core or administrative processes and can invest more time and energy in building the firm’s core businesses . The key in this lies in knowing, which of the main value drivers to focus on – customer intimacy, product leadership, or operate excellence. This is exemplified by for instance the case of Dell. Focusing on one of these drivers instead of more helps a company create a competitive edge. Herewith the company becomes more responsive and is able to react faster on changes in a an organization’s environment .
• A third way in which BPO increases organizational flexibility is by increasing the speed of business processes. Using techniques such as linear programming is a way to reduce cycle time and inventory levels, which reduces a company’s slack. Supply chain management with the effective use of supply chain partners and business process outsourcing increases the speed of several business processes, such as the throughput in the case of a manufacturing company.
• Finally, flexibility is seen as a stage in the organizational life cycle. For instance in the case of Nortel, which used to be a very rigid and bureaucratic organization, BPO helped to transform the company from a bureaucratic organization into a very agile organization by means of BPO. A company can hereby help maintaining ambitious growth goals, which do not fit with regular incumbent strategies. BPO therefore allows firms to retain their entrepreneurial speed and agility, which they would otherwise sacrifice in order to become efficient as they greatly expanded. It avoids a premature internal transition from its informal entrepreneurial phase to a more bureaucratic mode of operation.
Industry size
India has revenues of 10.9 billion USD[3] from offshore BPO and 30 billion USD from IT and total BPO (expected in FY 2008). India thus has some 5-6% share of the total BPO Industry, but a commanding 63% share of the offshore component. This 63% is a drop from the 70% offshore share that India enjoyed last year, despite the industry growing 38% in India last year, other locations like Eastern Europe, Philippines, Egypt and South Africa have emerged to take a share of the market. China is also trying to grow from a very small base in this industry. However, while the BPO industry is expected to continue to grow in India, its market share of the offshore piece is expected to decline.
The top five Indian BPO exporters for 2006-2007 according to NASSCOM are Genpact, WNS Global Services, Transworks Information Services, IBM-daksh, and TCS BPO.
Acccording to McKinsey, the global "addressable" BTO market is worth $122 - $154 billion, of which: 35-40 retail banking, 25-35 insurance, 10-12 travel/hospitality, 10-12 auto, 8-10 telecoms, 8 pharma, 10-15 others and 20-25 is finance, accounting and HR. Moreover, they estimate that 8% of that capacity was utilized as of 2006.
Business process outsourcing
Business process outsourcing (BPO) contains the transmission of processes along with the associated operational activities and responsibilities, to a third party with at least a guaranteed equal service level and where the client contains a firm grip over the (activities of the) vendor for mutual long term success. BPO is positively related to the search for more efficient organizational designs: cost reduction,productivity growth and innovative capabilities. Hence, a source for strategic advantage.
Traditionally, BPO is undertaken by manufacturing firms. For instance Coca Cola, where almost the entire supply chain is outsourced and the company is essentially becoming a marketing organization.[1] However, BPO is nowadays rapidly conquering the service oriented firms as well. A well-known example is provided by the Bank of America, who outsourced their entire HR function to Exult, one of the leading Human Resources BPO vendors.[2]
BPO is often divided into two categories: back office outsourcing, which includes internal business functions such as billing or purchasing, and front office outsourcing, which includes customer-related services such as marketing or tech support. The endless opportunities IT provides, stimulates (cross-border) BPO activities. BPO that is contracted outside a company's own country is sometimes called offshore outsourcing. BPO that is contracted to a company's neighboring country is sometimes called nearshore outsourcing.
Use of a BPO as opposed to an application service provider (ASP) usually also means that a certain amount of risk is transferred to the company that is running the process elements on behalf of the outsourcer. BPO includes the software, the process management, and the people to operate the service, while a typical ASP model includes only the provision of access to functionalities and features provided or 'served up' through the use of software, usually via web browser to the customer. BPO is a part of the outsourcing industry. It is dependent on information technology, hence it is also referred to as information technology enabled services or ITES. Knowledge process outsourcing and legal process outsourcing are some of the subsets of business process outsourcing
Traditionally, BPO is undertaken by manufacturing firms. For instance Coca Cola, where almost the entire supply chain is outsourced and the company is essentially becoming a marketing organization.[1] However, BPO is nowadays rapidly conquering the service oriented firms as well. A well-known example is provided by the Bank of America, who outsourced their entire HR function to Exult, one of the leading Human Resources BPO vendors.[2]
BPO is often divided into two categories: back office outsourcing, which includes internal business functions such as billing or purchasing, and front office outsourcing, which includes customer-related services such as marketing or tech support. The endless opportunities IT provides, stimulates (cross-border) BPO activities. BPO that is contracted outside a company's own country is sometimes called offshore outsourcing. BPO that is contracted to a company's neighboring country is sometimes called nearshore outsourcing.
Use of a BPO as opposed to an application service provider (ASP) usually also means that a certain amount of risk is transferred to the company that is running the process elements on behalf of the outsourcer. BPO includes the software, the process management, and the people to operate the service, while a typical ASP model includes only the provision of access to functionalities and features provided or 'served up' through the use of software, usually via web browser to the customer. BPO is a part of the outsourcing industry. It is dependent on information technology, hence it is also referred to as information technology enabled services or ITES. Knowledge process outsourcing and legal process outsourcing are some of the subsets of business process outsourcing
ITES
Information technology enabled services, or ITES, is a form of outsourced service which has emerged due to involvement of IT in various fields such as banking and finance, telecommunications, etc. Some of the examples of ITES are medical transcription, back-office accounting, insurance claim, credit card processing and many more.
Firms usually from developed countries outsource such services to countries like Egypt, India, Bangladesh, China, Romania and Philippines in order to gain from large talent pool and low labor cost.
Firms usually from developed countries outsource such services to countries like Egypt, India, Bangladesh, China, Romania and Philippines in order to gain from large talent pool and low labor cost.
Friday, March 14, 2008
History of Infosis BPO
Infosys Technologies Limited was founded on July 2, 1981 in Pune by N. R. Narayana Murthy and six others: Nandan Nilekani, N. S. Raghavan, Kris Gopalakrishnan, S. D. Shibulal, K. Dinesh and Ashok Arora[1], with Raghavan officially being the first employee of the company. Murthy started the company by borrowing INR 10,000 from his wife Sudha Murthy. The company was incorporated as "Infosys Consultants Pvt Ltd.", with Raghavan's house in Matunga, north-central Mumbai as the registered office.
In 2001 it was rated "Best Employer in India" by Business Today,[2]. Infosys won the Global MAKE (Most Admired Knowledge Enterprises) award, for the years 2003, 2004 and 2005, being the only Indian company to win this award and is inducted into the Global Hall of Fame for the same.
In 2001 it was rated "Best Employer in India" by Business Today,[2]. Infosys won the Global MAKE (Most Admired Knowledge Enterprises) award, for the years 2003, 2004 and 2005, being the only Indian company to win this award and is inducted into the Global Hall of Fame for the same.
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