CRM News: Call Centers

Outsource Your Processes, Keep Your Customers
May 08, 2009

Driven by the housing market landslide and seizure of the global credit markets, economies the world over have slipped into retrenchment and recession. Many organizations are tightening capital and expense budgets, closing locations, shortening hours or reducing staff. Still others are tempted to reduce the level of service and support they extend to customers.

Differentiating Your Company in a Tough Market
April 30, 2009

Several years ago, while selling software in the British telecom market, I met the CMO of a smallish network operator. He described the issues his business was facing, and when I asked him his churn rate, he replied, almost casually, that it was "about normal for our industry: 37 percent." He must have seen my jaw drop.

Moving as Fast as We Can: Q&A With inContact CEO Paul Jarman
April 06, 2009

Right now, about 2 percent of the contact center infrastructure market uses Software as a Service, said inContact CEO Paul Jarman, citing research by Gartner. That statistic seems reasonable, given that the contact center infrastructure space has traditionally been dominated by on-premise players -- but Jarman hopes to change that.

Acquiring Outsourcing Companies: Not for the Squeamish
February 24, 2009

Shrinking client pools, lack of access to credit and competition from offshore destinations are squeezing some business process outsourcing service providers in the United States. With declining revenues come cheaper valuations. This creates opportunities for other entrepreneurs seeking to expand their outsourcing business quickly through acquisitions.

Speech Analytics: Can You Hear Me Now?
February 12, 2009

Society's expectations for more personalized products and services have risen. As a result, vendors need to better understand their customers and prospects in order to remain competitive in the marketplace. One of the best ways for a company to do this is to spend time examining the interactions between its employees and customers. Speech analytics delivers the insights organizations require to do just that.

Web 2.0 Stars Are Aligning: Q&A With Genesys CEO Paul Segre
February 10, 2009

Genesys has always been a distinct entity within the Alcatel-Lucent line of divisions, products and services. On Jan. 1, though, it was folded into a larger group called the "Applications Software Group." Genesys' mission of offering contact center products and services geared toward enterprises and telecommunication firms will still be part of Alcatel-Lucent's mix.

We're Hiring: Q&A With Alpine CEO Christopher Carrington
February 05, 2009

The home-agent contact center model has undergone a metamorphosis in the last few years. A few short years ago, it was the refuge of small companies that couldn't afford to outsource operations to typical brick-and-mortar contact centers, said Alpine CEO Christopher Carrington. However, larger companies are increasingly drawn to the model.

All About the Bottom Line: Q&A With Avaya Global Services President Chris Formant
February 02, 2009

Chris Formant, president of Avaya Global Services, has been on the job since March 2008. It is no small irony that one year ago he was tasked with the assignment of strengthening the services group's financial and operating performance -- a significant undertaking, given that the services division touches upon more than half of Avaya's revenue and workforce.

Best Practices in the Call Center: Make Every Contact Count
January 23, 2009

It's no secret that customers aren't buying much these days. The economic engines have locked and stalled, leaving businesses everywhere in freefall. While companies around the globe are jettisoning anything they can to slow the descent, none are ditching CRM. In fact, CRM may be the last remaining parachute: a fact realized during earlier turbulence.

Salesforce and the Service Cloud
January 21, 2009

Last week Salesforce.com introduced its new support concept dubbed "The Service Cloud." I have to say it makes a lot of sense both as a product direction and as a business decision. The announcement is in line with many of the business initiatives that the company has made over the last decade in that it is a leapfrog event.

Avaya Pitches In-Store, Web Video Customer Service Apps to Retailers
January 12, 2009

Avaya is rolling out two new industry-specific applications at the National Retail Federation's annual trade show on Monday. One, Avaya Video Assist, leverages the company's contact center expertise. The other, In-Store Connect, allows retailers to do away with siloed commnication systems such as intercoms or telephones.

Live Chat's Not Just for Sales Anymore: Q&A With Conversive CEO Robert Williams
December 31, 2008

For many e-tailers, online chat is a closer. Packaged and offered up to site visitors as a service, it provides an opportunity to close a sale when an uncertain customer wavers. Retailers were early adopters of this technology precisely because of the distinct return on investment, Conversive CEO Robert Williams told CRM Buyer.

Bundled Service, Unbundled Customer Service
December 30, 2008

Memo to telecom service providers: "We never thanked you, but you did a great job offering us consolidated billing. It is hard to remember now, as for the last few years you have been so aggressive in promoting bundled services, but five years ago, this was a major pain point. Three bills for ISP, cable and telephone, and usually three different due dates as well."

Broadening the Contact Center Platform: Q&A With Avaya VP Bob Lyons
December 29, 2008

This summer, Bob Lyons was tapped to lead Avaya's contact center division. The new general manager and vice president of customer service applications joined the company at a crucial time. It was in the midst of reorganizing its operations around three business units: the contact center, unified communications, and small and mid-sized business applications.

Oracle Profit Slip May Signal Deepening Recession
December 19, 2008

In yet another sign of weakening in the technology sector, enterprise software giant Oracle announced a decline in profits on Thursday. The Redwood Shores, Calif.-based company reported $1.29 billion in earnings during the fiscal quarter ended Nov. 31, down 1 percent from $1.3 billion in earnings during the same period last year.

Create a 'Voice Cloud' to Reinvent Communications
December 09, 2008

Voice today is at center stage in the enterprise. Carrier Session Internet Protocol trunks, enterprise SIP trunks, converged IP networks, federating private branch exchanges, unified communications and communication-enabled applications are but a few of the many voice initiatives you'll find underway in any large enterprise today.