Contact Center Solutions Featured Article

Nuance Communications, a speech products vendor, has announced its "Can't Stop the Stupid Calls" contest, described by company officials as "a light-hearted program designed to provide call center agents a forum where they can shed light on the realities of trying to help some of those customers out there who really cannot help themselves."

 

Through sharing their stories, call center agents will earn a chance to win a number of cash prizes. The first 20 entries automatically win $100.  Please see the official rules for details.

 

Giving an example, the site tells of one call center agent who received a call from a customer who tried to thaw peas in a microwave, which didn't work. Then she placed peas in a clothes dryer, resulting in -- guess what? -- smashed peas on the interior of the machine.

 

So why did she call customer service? To ask how to get the smashed peas out of the lint capture container. Some calls you just don't get trained for.

 

"Nuance wants to acknowledge some of that heroism that happens in call centers every day and have some fun while doing it," said Lynda Kate Smith, general manager, of the Care business unit at Nuance. "Sometimes there are problems you just can't resolve." 

 

The Web site is designed to not only capture stories, Nuance officials say, but to "create a sense of community where people can share stories, offer comments and have fun.  It will be closely moderated and no actual customer or company names will be referenced in the publicly shared story." 

 

First 20 entries win $100 automatically. Judges will award $1,000 each to the following category winners -- "You've Got to Be Kidding Me!," "Sounds Like Fiction" and "Vacation Day Earned!" Plus $1,000 goes to the entry receiving the most votes online by October 6.

 

The contest begins today, and winners will be announced the week of October 27.

 

Last November Nuance closed the acquisition of Viecore, a consulting and systems integration firm specializing in the deployment of contact center products for large enterprises.

 

Viecore "expands Nuance's professional services capabilities and complements its existing partnerships," Nuance officials say, allowing the company to "deliver end-to-end speech products and system integration for speech-enabled customer care in key vertical markets including financial services, telecommunications, healthcare, utilities and government."