ContactCenterSolutions Contact Center Solutions Week in Review
May 05, 2012
The week’s activities in contract center solutions can be summed up with one word, WOW! From industry trends to the need to include mobility and adding a social component to a number of recognition and deals items, there was a lot to cover.
Industry buzz
A good place to start is with the featured item written by my ContactCenterSolutions executive editor, Paula Bernier, who had a very interesting piece about how mobility is changing the way customers would like to interact with contact centers and hence accelerating inclusion of mobility solutions in contact center transformations.
Turning to trends and survey results there were several things of note:
- That other 800 pound gorilla they needs to be incorporated into improving customer awareness and experiences, social media, was the subject of a new report by research firm Sword Ciboodle which found that more and more businesses in the U.S. and UK are allowing their employees to spend at least some of their work time on social media. Not only does it make for happier employees who are more efficient, but more businesses use social media to handle their customer service interactions.
- Speaking of the UK, an Aspect study looked at whose customers dislike them most, at least in the contact center? What aggravates callers and who has the lowest customer satisfaction rates? The results should be of interest and not just for those with business in the UK.
- Are you listening to the voice of your customer? You probably are, if you're like most companies. Enterprise feedback management solutions provider Vovici, a Verint Systems company, announced findings from its Voice of the Customer (VoC) survey, "Don't Be in the 4%: New Research Reveals That 96% of Companies are Leveraging the VoC to Improve Business Performance." The study was conducted in collaboration with customer strategy consultancy Peppers & Rogers Group and 1to1 Media.
Community host Interactive Intelligence had some news this week that demonstrated its global reach and commitment to training, and there was related news in its channel:
On the recognition front, Avaya noted that that Azercell Telecom, a large mobile operator in Azerbaijan and part of TeliaSonera, has received an international certificate of compliance for its contact center.
In other industry news of interest:
- Michigan-based CUSO Xtend reported record call center volume.
- Specialty retailer of sportswear, Eddie Bauer selected Merkle to manage CRM activities including marketing database, email marketing, campaign management and analytics.
- Case management solutions for health and human services (HHS) that are “citizen-centered,” cost-effective and easily configurable without code are the focus of the partnership between InRUle Technology and MidAmerica Consulting Group.
- ContactCenterSolutions contributor, Tracey Schelmetic reported on Jacada Inc.’s release of Jacada Integration and Automation—focused on integration and automation of legacy Windows and Web applications to reduce Average Handling Time (AHT).
- To make sure the right intelligence is being delivered at the right time to the right people in the right way, Customer Relationship Metrics, L.C. recently launched Desktop Activity BI, the company's latest in a suite of managed analytics services.
As is my custom, I’d like to recommend for your weekend reading enjoyment the free Contact Center Solutions eNewsletter, videos, podcasts, eBooks, and the links to valuable white papers. In addition, be sure to click on Interactive Intelligence’s CaaS QUick Spin demo, and check out check out the Ask the Expert area where special guests Tim Passios and Blair Pleasant’s article, “A Realistic Look at Social Media and the Contact Center.”
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
