| Are you feeling the results of
the 80/20 rule in your sales force? You know'20 percent of your force is
selling 80 percent of your product? Perhaps there isn't such a huge
difference between your top performers and the rest of your team, but I
would venture to say you have salespeople who you wish the rest of the
force could emulate more successfully. Sales managers are constantly
trying to get the average and below average performers to perform like
their best agents. I once knew a teleservices outsourcer that had an
interesting way of improving the worst performers. Every day, the worst
performer was singled out and brought into a room with the best performer.
Both agents listened to recordings of one another in the hopes that the
'good' would rub off on the 'bad.' If the worst performer achieved
this dubious rank three days in a row, he or she was let go. This method
worked for the company.
Many salespeople fail because they don't understand that sales is a
process and requires an ongoing relationship. In a perfect world, there
would be a way to ensure your sales team understands this process and,
more importantly, follows it with every customer in order to ensure
success. A company called Salesnet has created a system that is designed
to help you and your sales team manage the process from start to finish.
The first step is to define a blueprint for sales success using something
the company calls 'workflow technology.' The next step is to prompt
the user through the process, capture appropriate results and track
performance.
The company claims this is the way to take sales from an art form and
turn it into a science. In this fashion, they feel they can drive the
fastest ROI and improve sales performance. Salesnet is designed to be used
online, offline and via mobile devices (28 different devices are
supported). A dashboard is included in the package, telling you the
activities you must perform. For example, you may need to send a
presentation to one account while another account needs a contract. Color
coding helps the team easily see which activities are to be done today,
which were supposed to be done yesterday, etc. The company told me they
feel their system is better than other packages that are milestone-based
because they are activity-based. This makes it hard to skip steps and
virtually impossible to cheat.
The software is available as an ASP model and at the moment integrates
with 200 different products, such as Siebel, SAP, PeopleSoft, Notes and
GroupWise. Salesnet points out that you don't need $100,000 to integrate
their system like many in-house software packages, you pay $5 to $15 per
user per month for each integration that you desire. Currently, there is
no PBX integration, but there are clever touches like sales training built
in as well as a 'new user' interface.
Aural Innovation
If hosted contact center applications are the leading edge of technology,
the headset must be the trailing edge. Yet if you haven't paid attention
lately, you would be surprised to see that headset vendors are using
cutting-edge technologies to woo users by making us more productive,
comfortable and efficient.
A case in point is Plantronics, the world's largest supplier of
headsets. They have been on a roll lately, introducing a variety of
different products at different price points in a variety of markets. For
example, the company's new M3500 is an upgrade to M3000, a product that
I have reviewed in the past (see 'Plantronics
M3000 Bluetooth Headset'). The M3500 is improved, as it leverages
its built-in DSP to actively reduce background noise. Additionally, the
headset takes certain frequencies that compose the quieter parts of the
voice signal and amplifies them specifically without adding distortion.
While this device is not intended for contact centers, it gives you an
idea of how headset technology is progressing. It is important to note
that you can use this and other Bluetooth headsets to communicate via VoIP
through your computer. I am looking forward to a hands-on review of the
M3500 in the future.
Wireless At A Distance
Plantronics has also released a wireless headset called the CS50, and I
have had the opportunity to use it for a few weeks. It is very impressive,
allowing eight hours of talk time and clear communication up to 300 feet
away from the base. (In case you aren't aware, Bluetooth headsets
generally work up to 30 feet away from a phone or base.)
The headset features 64-bit encryption and operates at 900 MHz. I
couldn't find any devices that interfered with the signal, and the sound
quality is excellent. This is the perfect headset for call center
supervisors who need to be mobile, as well as other office workers who can
benefit from avoiding missing phone calls when they are away from their
desks. Keep in mind that some estimates put missed office calls at 70
percent! Wireless technology is the best way to reduce this wasted time
and effort. The headset is light, only 26 grams, or for the metrically
challenged, less than an ounce. One drawback to this device is its
excessive length, which makes it difficult to store in a pocket when not
in use. Other than that, it is a winner and priced reasonably with a MSRP
of $299.
The Call Center Headset Evolved
While wireless is great for many applications, you don't find this
technology in many call centers. SupraPlus is Plantronics' newest
headset for this market. As you might expect, it is the evolution of the
Supra. This is a more stylish and durable headset than the one it
replaces, while incorporating a better receive-side frequency response
curve, which means that agents should be able to understand customers
better. Most people don't think about headset clarity as part of call
center productivity, but one of Plantronics' customers points out that
if they can save their company an average of one second per call, they
would realize a savings of five million dollars per year! This headset is
much bigger than the wireless headsets I have been reviewing lately. It
works well for a call center headset, but is still a good-sized product
that is lighter and more comfortable than it looks.
Support At Speed
Other positive twists in the headset department are Plantronics'
QuickWeb and QuickFax repair programs that cross-ship headsets to you via
expedited mailing while you mail your defective units back via ground
shipping. A further area of improvement is TCO, where Plantronics supplies
a video to help train agents on how best to wear their headsets for
maximum comfort and productivity.
One Wire To The Desktop
Plantronics also recently announced its DA60 amplifier, which enables you
to take advantage of Plantronics' sound quality when using VoIP
applications. The device connects to the USB port and features echo
suppression and a noise-canceling microphone.
A Headset Audiophile's Dream
The DA60 comes with PerSono Pro 2.0 software, which allows users and
supervisors to have immense control of VoIP calls. The software allows
agents to tailor sound quality by altering bass or treble tones according
to personal preference. There are also preset profiles that can be
utilized. A supervisor can enable or disable these features as needed to
maintain consistency among agents if desired. There is also a feature that
maintains comfortable volume levels over time to ensure that agents'
exposure to loudness levels over time is not exceeded. Agents can switch
headsets and their personalized settings will be restored when they log
in. Supervisors can further monitor to see if a connection is broken by an
agent.
As the market for headsets becomes commoditized, Plantronics does its
best to differentiate itself with superior sound quality and technological
innovations. By using technology that is widespread in their gaming
headsets, where sound quality can be critical, Plantronics is able to
continually increase the sound quality of their telephony headsets.
Amps Go Digital
GN Netcom, too, has been innovating like crazy. Aside from coming out with
the 6110 dual-use Bluetooth headset (see 'Product
Reviews: GN Netcom GN 6110 And GN 6210 Bluetooth Headsets'), the
first Bluetooth headset to allow you to connect to both a mobile phone and
a second landline phone, the company has come up with a completely digital
amplifier for office use. While digital amplifiers are used in some
countries in response to strict headset regulation, this technology is not
commonly used around the world.
Analog amplifiers are very capable; they amplify volume and are also
capable of cleaning up sound to some degree. When you enter the digital
realm, you can perform many more functions such as canceling incoming
noise. This is important because there are an increasing number of phone
calls to call centers from mobile phones. Aside from the noise that most
cell phones already introduce, agents must struggle to hear over engine
sounds and road noise.
The GN 8210 amplifier can further reduce noise on both ends when paired
with the proper headset. In addition, the amplifier is able to adjust
volume based on the incoming signal. An agent today can take a VoIP call,
then a mobile call, then a landline call, and each of these might be at
different volume levels. This amplifier can correct for the noise level
differences and ensure agents have clear sound on all calls without risk
to their ear drums.
While the current GN 8000 analog amplifier, GN Netcom's most high-end
analog amp, can stop noise peaks over a certain threshold, the new GN 8210
is able to ensure that noise levels never exceed a weighted average of 85
decibels, which is the international standard for noise. The ability to
monitor noise over time is an advantage of using digital over analog. I
should point out that with appropriate circuitry, you could achieve the
same result with an analog amp'it just isn't very easy to do. No
matter how it is achieved, reducing noise in this fashion also reduces
agent fatigue.
Improvements For The Elderly
As the number of older agents working in call centers increases, it
becomes important to ensure they are able to hear as well as their younger
counterparts. This amp can accomplish this task by boosting higher
frequencies (this is where we usually experience hearing loss as we age),
allowing for crisper and louder sound. Credit GN Resound, GN Netcom's
sister hearing aid company, for pitching in with the technology to make
this happen. One last attribute of the amp is its ability to compensate
for headsets with foam cushions by effectively increasing sound volume.
In The End
If there is a single theme throughout this column, it's that technology
suppliers are increasingly launching products and services that are aimed
directly at boosting productivity and ROI. In my discussions with each of
the above companies, there was continuous talk of productivity, efficiency
and ROI. As the economy picks up, it is clear that companies are still
spending money cautiously and they are looking for immediate returns on
their investment dollars. The good news is that the vendors are listening
and responding with products that are meeting marketplace needs more than
ever before. This is a great trend, and thankfully isn't limited to just
the top 20 percent of the industry.
Sincerely,
Rich Tehrani
Group Publisher, Group Editor-in-Chief
[email protected]
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To The April 2004 Table Of Contents ] |
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