Editor’s Note: When a company announces a new client contract, the announcements that flood the press wires always talk about the new agreement and what’s to expect going forward. But, how often do you hear about the success of a company’s after a customer has used the system for a period of time? Not as often. So, when I came across a case study that reported how SugarCRM’s (News - Alert) open source CRM system transformed a company’s operations, I had to report.

 

As more and more companies in various geographical areas expand in the telecom industry, it is imperative that the possibility of locating virtual call centers in the smaller, more rural bastions is achievable.

 

For Tacamor, a provider of nearshoring call center services based in Newfoundland, with the assistance of open source CRM provider, SugarCRM, the possibility has now turned into a reality.

 

Looking for a compatible system, Tacamor selected SugarCRM for its versatility and reliability.

 

“The combination of SugarCRM’s open source architecture and on-demand offerings, com­bined with the company’s telephony infrastructure, has proved the perfect fit for operating a low-cost, virtual call center and providing clients worldwide with superior cus­tomer service,” company officials said.

 

And for Tacamor’s CEO, Ken Hann, who believes the value of Newfoundland as a hotspot in terms of employment and resources, the rural area was poised well for the call center space. With a population of well-educated, hard working, friendly, customer service-oriented people, the company thinks the area is ripe for the call center space.

 

“People that live in rural areas like the lifestyle and lower costs and want to stay there,” Hann said. “We have a loyal and dedicated workforce, so we don’t have the high turnover rates amongst our CSRs like most call centers do.”

 

Starting in 2008, Tacamor selected a new CRM suite solution as a way to provide an open source solution for the company’s operations.

 

“After considering the results of several RFPs, SugarCRM on-demand was selected in March as the desktop CRM solution, with ShoreTel (News - Alert) providing the back-end IP phone system to handle incoming calls,” company officials said, adding that integrating the two turned Tacamor into a partner with SugarCRM.

 

“The idea of running a virtual call center has been around for a long time, but the technology has only recently existed to do it in a cost-effective manner, opening up those capabilities to SMBs,” said says Jim Love, managing partner at Performance Advantage. “Such was the case with Tacamor.”

 

So, how exactly did SugarCRM influence a change – and, therefore, results – for Tacamor?