3rd Party Remote Call Monitoring Feature

In continuing with last week’s discussion, I sat down with 3rd party remote call monitoring provider BPA International’s director of Client Strategies, Craig Antonucci, to find out more about BPA’s progress in the seemingly difficult 2009. 

However, despite the tough economy, it seems as if BPA stayed above the plateau, and proved to have a success year, recession aside. Besides the major release of the BPA Builder, the company also expand its customer base and branched off in to a few new industries as a way to find new professional opportunities at a time when business activity was scarce.

With an end goal of extreme customer success and a comprehensive understanding of each market, it’s no surprise BPA has a lot to be thankful for in this past years success, and even more to look forward to in 2010.

Our full exchange below.

TMCnet: How did your company perform this year? How close did you come to meeting your guidelines as you entered 2009?

Craig Antonucci: BPA did extremely well this year. We’ve added several new customers and a few new industries, including Credit and Utilities, two growth markets for Quality Monitoring. We are also branching out our branded services internationally to include Corporate Image Management services and consultation…our goal is to help companies understand what their current market image is, where it needs to be, and how to get there…it’s an exciting opportunity for us in the next year.

TMCnet: What major product, services and partnership announcements did your company report? 

CA (News - Alert): We’ve had a few large happenings at BPA. First, we’ve released the newest version of our online tool, the BPA Builder. The technology is cutting edge for providing access to customer data and analysis. Second, we have started going through PCI (News - Alert) certification to become a level one service provider under the PCI guidelines. Aside from it being a very marketable feature of our service, it gives existing and new customers the peace of mind that we have the proper data security features in place, something that most companies in our industry do not have. Finally, we have begun the development of strategic sales partnerships in new channels, starting with Call Copy, a provider of call recording services for call centers. It’s a natural fit for us, as they provide the recording and we provide the monitoring through the use of their tool.

TMCnet: At the start of 2009, the economy slowed to a deep recession. How did that affect your company’s performance? More specifically, what affect did it have on demand for your goods and services, if any?

CA: The economy was tough on everyone early in the year, including BPA. However, we have recovered well and are actually at a better position at the end of this year than we were at the beginning. The market froze for a while, but quickly realized that in such a competitive situation, the quality of their service was the last thing they wanted to cut from the economic equation. Additionally, we represent a cost savings for call centers, so in cases that budgets got tight, outsourcing Quality services to BPA became an even more attractive option. 

TMCnet: Talk to us about the major news item – whether it was a new product, an acquisition or something else – in your market segment this year?

CA: The biggest news that BPA has for this year is the aforementioned release of our new tool, the BPA Builder. Its cutting edge technology allows our clients to access and analyze their data like never before. The largest benefit of the new tool is that it emulates our general philosophy of the continuous Quality loop…making sure that not only is the data available, but that something is done with the data to force improvements in the entire process. Interactive graphing, drill down reporting, automated event features and a full suite of coaching tools are just a few of the features that make it so successful. 

A very close second to our tool is our introduction of our Corporate Image Management services and consultation. We look at the market presence, call center activity, retail operations and customer contact for the entire organization. The goal is to help companies understand what their current market image is, where it needs to be, and how to get there…it’s an exciting opportunity for us in the next year.

TMCnet: With signs that the economy is pulling out of the recession, what are you expecting in 2010?

CA: We are expecting a big year for BPA. With improved processes, certifications and a new marketing position, the early signs are already there for a big first quarter. We are already expecting a 25-40 percent increase in revenues from upcoming commitments. As the market looks to outsource this function, it’s only natural that BPA is the preferred choice. BPA is the most experienced Quality Monitoring Company in the market, with over 20 years of experience worldwide. We are taking this expertise to the next level, into new industries and looking for innovative ways to deliver quality services to our clients so they can enjoy the financial returns of these activities. Our customers get personal service, attentive account managers, educated and experienced analysts and now the best tools available for their Quality Control system. With all of this new and exciting news, now is definitely the time to contact BPA about Quality Monitoring for any contact center.