Those of you who have been following the recent financial turmoil in Asia are fully
aware that such an economic downturn will impact the United States in two ways:
- Lower sales of U.S. goods and services in Asia for multinational companies.
- Promote severe belt-tightening by the companies in the region, which will eventually
lead to lower wages in these countries and thus lower the price of goods entering the
United States. It seems that the only way U.S. companies can survive this new and
farreaching economic challenge is to simply GET MORE DONE WITH LESS. That, of
course, means far superior productivity with less and less manpower at much lower cost.
The Required Strategy
In my humble opinion, about the only way to achieve the above
objective is by:
- Selecting cutting-edge technology.
- Using the technology to the fullest extent of its potential.
This, for a majority of companies, is easier said than done. Indeed, if you were to
visit a typical U.S. company, youd probably find that more than one-half of the
available technology on the premises is not being used to the fullest extent!
Another related matter that delays the application of cutting-edge technology in business
is the huge time lag between the development and introduction of a new technology and the
actual adoption of new technology. This is the Continued from page 6 case because of
extremely poor marketing on the part of the majority of hightech companies. As I have
stated in previous editorials in this column, hightech companies are typically founded and
run by engineers or scientists who are largely technology driven and rarely market driven.
These entrepreneurs tend to think the marketplace exists because of their product,
whereas, in reality, it is the other way around, i.e., their product exists because the
marketplace has a need for it.
Its been my experience that IF YOU DONT MARKET, YOU DONT
EXIST or if you prefer, NO ONE BUYS ANYTHING SIGNIFICANT FROM A COMPANY THEY
HAVE NEVER HEARD OF.
Balancing Call Center Technologies, Services And Human Resources
Another vitally important area that should be on everyones New Years
resolution list is to balance call center technologies, services and human resources. As I
travel around the country and visit many companies, I often find that companies either
tend to ignore the advent of cutting-edge technology or feverishly attempt to adopt some
new technology without giving any thought to balancing the new technology with services
and human resources.
Part of the reason for this problem is that the convergence of computer and
telecommunications technologies, otherwise known as CTI, has created such a vast
proliferation of new products and services that companies are literally unable to make
well-informed technology purchases. To address this need, we have added two new technology
features to our balance of technology, services and human resources coverage.
One of these features is indepth product reviews, which are conducted by our in-house
TMC Labs personnel. These reviews, which will appear on a quarterly basis, will give
you an inside view of pertinent technologies along with our engineers experience
installing and using the products.
The second new feature is a monthly column called TechnoTalk, which is written
by our staff technology editor, Matthew Vartabedian. He intends to prepare these articles
as a service to our readers in an effort to inform and alert us to the changes that we
should all be cognizant of if we are to successfully manage this industry for excellent
customer service and ever improving efficiency a profit-improving management
approach that will help to ensure a healthy industry and our continued participation in
it.
In addition to these enhancements to our editorial balance, we are, for the first time,
presenting Editors Choice Technology Awards to products that deserve your attention.
We hope this increased focus on technology, as well as our traditional features, will help
you make more astute buying decisions and more important, make better use of your
investments and resources.
Selecting Appropriate Technology
In the race to adopt new technology to increase productivity, buyers are likely to make
poor decisions unless they have done appropriate and extensive research. See the
Publishers Outlook in the December 1997 issue of Telemarketing &
Call Center Solutionsmagazine for purchasing guidelines. In that particular
editorial I have enumerated several factors to consider before selecting any kind of
technology or service. Suffice it to say, technology alone will not solve your
productivity problems, and that is why making it all work together is vitally important.
Call Center Market/Technology Trends For 1998
One of the hottest trends among technology providers seems to be the development of
industry-specific products for vertical markets. There is obviously a considerable amount
of logic behind this new concept and one wonders why this type of technology was not
developed earlier. In addition, more and more technologies are being developed to enable
businesses to respond to customers needs in whichever manner they (customers)
request the information. At this point, one of the areas that is receiving major interest
on the part of technology vendors is adapting all new and existing products to be Internet
compatible.
New Technology Trends
CTI EXPO is in high gear! We expect fabulous overall conference attendance,
especially at our state-of-theart Call Center Solutions and Internet Telephony
pavilions. Some key features of the industrys original, most comprehensive and
credible convention in the call center/CTI industry are as follows:
- Conference seminars on a variety of topics dealing with telephony, CTI, call center
operations, the Internet, Internet telephony, integrating voice and data, presented in a
nononsense, educational form
- The Exhibit Hall will feature, in addition to a stellar representation of the
worlds leading exhibitors, two learning centers devoted respectively to the latest
technologies in the PCPBX and Internet telephony fields. Each learning center will have
about six vendors offering objective demonstrations and allowing you to experience the
products for yourself.
- Ingram Micro is giving a free session on Wednesday, May 20 on How to Become the
Most Profitable CTI Reseller. They will be sharing their front-line experience with
all attendees. This session will be of great value to all our attendees, as well as
resellers of all types and interconnects.
- Days one and two will begin with outstanding keynotes from William R. Price III, vice
president and general manager of MCI Call Center Services, Mark Lee, product manager,
Windows Communications, at Microsoft Corporation and Peter Alexander, executive director,
multiservice and voice access marketing unit at Cisco Systems.
- Every main conference attendee will receive a certificate of achievement to document
their accomplishment.
- CTI EXPO is also a unique opportunity to network and exchange views with your
colleagues. I look forward to seeing you there.
Sincerely yours,
Nadji Tehrani
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
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The Call Center Transforms Into The
Customer Interaction Center At CTI EXPO!
Technology, and more specifically data networks and the Internet, has dramatically
changed the way we conduct business now and into the future. As the paper catalog becomes
augmented or replaced by the Web, the call center business is seeing the most dramatic
change it has ever seen. It no longer handles calls only. Call centers today must also
handle e-mail, fax, chat and soon video. The call center has become the customer
interaction center.
Data communications and telecommunications convergence is taking place in the call center
and telecommunications market. In 1997, we began to see PBXs and ACDs housed inside a PC.
Companies such as Sphere and CellIt have introduced a PBX and ACD respectively that run
over data networks, thus eliminating traditional telephone lines. You simply must keep up
with the latest technology in this market. It is imperative to make purchasing decisions
that will carry you into the next millennium without frequent forklift
upgrades.
Readers of this magazine have been exposed to most of these technologies within the pages
of this magazine. These are exceptionally exciting times for the call center industry and
it is important to keep up with the latest technology before it passes you by. Now is the
time to plan for the future. It is not enough to implement new technologies in a piecemeal
fashion. You must develop a strategy for today and the future as to how to roll out these
exciting new technologies in an organized, cohesive manner that does not disrupt the flow
of your call center operations.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a live demonstration is worth a million.
Fortunately, we sponsor a trade show that allows you to come face-to-face with the leading
call center technology vendors. I urge you all to come to CTI EXPO, May 20-21 in
Baltimore, Maryland and see these exhibitors. They will be demonstrating technologies that
will benefit your call center today and in the future. A trade show affords competitive
product comparisons while product features are fresh in your mind. There is simply no
other way to gain as much information in such a short amount of time. Additionally, we
have developed an in-depth conference track (May 19-22) that explains what you need to
know in laymens terms, so you dont need an engineering degree to understand
how to take advantage of this technology. Please see the brochure between pages 96 &
97 of this magazine for more information. Some of the conference tracks are outlined
below, and more information is always available at www.ctiexpo.com/ctiexpo
I look forward to seeing you there.
Conference Tracks
- Web & Call Center Integration How & Why
- Saving Your Center Cash On The Net
- Call Center & The Internet As Your Global Distribution Center
- The Synergy Of CTI & The Internet In Your Call Center
- Next Generation Customer Service/Customer Service Solutions
- Electronic Commerce In Health Care
- Direct Banking Technology Strategies
- Internet Content In The Financial Services Industry
- Internet Strategies For The Financial Services Industry
- Linking The Internet To Your Call Center In The Telecommunications Industry
- Integrating The Web & The Help Desk For Optimal Performance In The Insurance
Industry
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