TMCnet Contact Center Solutions Week in Review

News in the Contact Center Solutions Community spanned a variety of subjects this week, but an area of growing interest where there were a series of related articles focused on social media and improving the customer experience. In fact, not just because I wrote it, but the issues surrounding the importance, ownership and impact of social media on contact centers is a hot topic.  

Other postings related to the subject include one about how Nevahold’s 'Consumer Advocates' can amplify your company’s tweets. There is also how JW Maxx is recommending three ways to enhance reputation management. In addition:

• Hypatia Research is out with and interesting study entitled, “Exploiting Social Intelligence for Customer Service and Support Excellence."
• FordDirect revealed the results obtained from its Digital Automotive Shopping Survey at the National Automotive Dealers Association showing that it is imperative for dealers to have a strong online presence, as there are remarkable changes in the way people shop for new or used cars nowadays. 
• TMCnet Contributor Tracey Schelemtic had a really interesting piece on how long hold time can sabotage the customer interaction before they begin.

Other industry news related to new products and services, recognition and even further concerns about out-sourcing of contact center jobs in the U.S. Highlighted articles include:

• ServicePower has acquired Stratix's Software Group to enhance field service workforce management.
• ShoreTel (News - Alert) announced an enhancement to its contact center solutions with the introduction of its brand new Contact Center 8. 
• TMCnet Contributor Robbie Pleasant focused attention on how interactive whiteboards can help take meets and customer interactions up a notch.   
• The Historic Plains Hotel of Wyoming selected Travel Outlook, a provider of Premium Reservations service, as its customer service partner.
• Community host Interactive Intelligence’s (News - Alert) flagship CIC platform was selected by property management company Yardi for upgrading its distributed call centers.   
• RecordFee, which offers a customer service solution for public records reports, is making a huge effort to keep customers happy and satisfied by introducing its new Gold Star customer service program, which helps ensure that the company’s service reps work to their full potential.

In wrapping up the news, it should also be noted that in the U.S., the Communications of America Workers (CWA) union is worried T-Mobile (News - Alert) may do away with call center jobs after Metro PCS merger. And, eGain announced it has been positioned in the 'Leaders' Quadrant of Gartner’s (News - Alert) Magic Quadrant for making multichannel customer engagement easier.

Weekend reading  

If you have time this weekend to catch up on industry trends and insights, in case you missed it download the archived version of the webinar, Key Contact Center Trends and Priorities for the Upcoming Year – How you can be ready. Also be sure to take advantage of all the resources on the community which include a variety of extremely valuable white papers, demos, videos, etc. And, for a deeper dive on subjects of your interest, our affiliated channels — Accounts Receivable Management, Business Process Automation, CaaS, Cloud-based Contact Centers and Insurance Technology, can be invaluable.