| As
we begin the celebration of 20 years of publishing
excellence in the contact center industry, I would
like to take the opportunity to reflect on our
beginnings and how we got to where we are today.
Although we were unaware of it at the time, TMC
literally laid the foundation of the telemarketing,
CRM and CIS industries with the launch in June 1982 of
this pioneering publication, then called Telemarketing.
TMC also launched the industry's first official
conference and expo in April 1985, which was called TBT
(Telemarketing And Business Telecommunications).
Together, Telemarketing and TBT became
the world's first and most preeminent sources of
information on the industry and were responsible for
training the first and second generations of
telemarketing, CRM and call center practitioners. In
fact, the Wall Street Journal called Telemarketing
magazine "The Bible of the Industry." It was also
referred to as "The Standard Industry Source" by Fortune
magazine and "The Only Credible Source of
Information" by Alex Fraser of Hewlett-Packard. We
are indeed humbled by these great testimonials coming
from the most prestigious sources.
However, we cannot dwell on our own
accomplishments. The industry as a whole deserves the
accolades. This is an industry that has grown from
obscurity to world-class international prominence:
From zero revenue to a multibillion-dollar industry,
from zero employment to three percent of the American
workforce, from the concept of telemarketing to the
call center to the contact center to CRM to e-CRM and
e-sales and e-service. It is remarkable that even the
technologies that drive this industry are no longer
unknown phenomena to the general public. Thanks to
daily television advertisements by companies such as
Siebel, PeopleSoft, EDS, Computer Associates, Oracle,
Microsoft and Lucent, among others, CRM and its
associated technologies are common household concepts.
In June 1982 when Telemarketing
magazine was launched, I never in my wildest dreams
would have imagined that this industry would someday
attract so much worldwide acceptance. I wouldn't
have guessed that literally hundreds of billions of
dollars would someday be transacted through the phone.
I wouldn't have guessed that someday we would see
regular  advertising on major television stations for CRM
products. I wouldn't have guessed that three percent
of the U.S. workforce would eventually be employed by
the industry, and I certainly wouldn't have thought
that former Vice President Al Gore, "the next U.S.
President for a short while," would keynote TMC's Communications
Solutions EXPO in the spring of 2001. Mr. Gore's
participation in an event centered around the world of
call center, contact center, CRM and communications
showed how far we've come as an industry. In my
eyes, this event represented not only a culmination of
two decades of growth for TMC and its hard-working
employees, but for the call center, contact center and
CRM industry as a whole.
In addition to a tradition of editorial excellence,
another thing that TMC has been able to maintain is
the first editor of TMC, Linda Driscoll, who joined
our staff in 1981 and is still directing the editorial
team of Customer Inter@ction Solutions
(formerly Telemarketing). Who could be better
qualified to walk you through what happened yesterday,
and how it has affected the current state of the
industry? With that, I'd like to introduce Linda
Driscoll, vice president of TMC and executive
editorial director of Customer Inter@ction
Solutions magazine. Linda will share some
experiences and information that show where we started
and how far our industry has come.
"It's hard to believe I'm writing a recap of
the telemarketing/call center/contact center industry
for the magazine's 20th-year anniversary issue. When
I joined TMC back in 1981, I was fresh out of college
and could hardly fathom coming into an office five
days a week, let alone for 20 years. I'm still not
too keen on the five-day-a week thing, but I've
developed a passion for the industry described by the
man with the unusual name during a three-hour-long job
interview back when I was just 21 years old. That man
was, of course, Nadji Tehrani and I accepted his job
offer mainly because of his enthusiasm for developing
a first-of-its-kind magazine that would be devoted to
a concept very few knew anything about, but which he
was absolutely positive would evolve into something
huge, with far-reaching impact. His vision was
profound, and I am grateful for being drawn into this
exciting journey.
"In what has become a job-hopping world, where
longevity in a job is often viewed more as a curiosity
than a virtue, I am frequently questioned about how I
could have remained in the same company, with the same
publication, for so many years. While there are many
factors that have contributed to my tenacity, the most
dominant is the fact that this industry is constantly
evolving: it's never the same from year to year. And
since this publication has built its reputation on
being on the cutting-edge, of always anticipating the
next trend and direction, of guiding its constituents
to the next level, there has never been time to be
bored.
"Chronicling all of the changes we have witnessed
over the past 20 years is almost impossible, as they
have been so numerous. On the other hand, some of the
events have been so dramatic, they're impossible to
overlook.
"Before this magazine debuted as Telemarketing
magazine and laid the foundation for the industry, the
following was true:
- It was not unusual for telemarketing to be
conducted using 3x5 index cards.
- Companies could get an 800 number only from
AT&T (MCI introduced its toll-free number
service in 1987).
- The only formal organization to serve the
industry was called the Direct Mail Marketing
Association (now the Direct Marketing
Association).
- Ergonomically designed call centers were not
popular. Call centers located in basements and
warehouses, furnished with rows of long tables
with no partitions between the callers, who used
rotary-dial black phones, were more the norm than
the exception.
- Marketing managers patted themselves on the back
for getting a 1 percent return on their direct
mail marketing campaigns.
"Despite its crude beginnings, the industry
took shape quickly and rapidly embraced emerging
technologies. The headlines from this magazine in the
early 1980s clearly tell the story of the industry's
remarkable technological development. Following is a
sample of the more memorable headlines:
- 1982: 'Telemarketing And The Micro Computer,' 'Considerations In Implementing A PBX System,'
and 'Compatible Systems: Electronic Mail.'
- 1983: 'Telemarketing & Ergonomics -- Synergy & Symbiosis,'
'Selecting
Telemarketing Technology In A Deregulated
Environment,' 'New Technology: Electronic
Mail,' an article that contained the memorable
line, 'Because of its time-saving, productivity
features, this unique information processing tool
is likely to become as permanent a part of
business and industry as the typewriter,' and 'Telecommuting
-- A New Frontier For
Telemarketing.'
- 1984: 'Selecting The Data Network That's
Right For You,' 'Cutting Telecommunications
Costs With Private Line Service,' 'The Manager's
Guide To Automating The Outbound Phone Room,' 'Using Facsimile To Boost Telemarketing
Productivity,' 'Telephone Cost Accounting For
Operations Management,' 'Teleconferencing For
The Small And Medium-Sized Company,' 'The
Basic Components Of Network Planning And
Development,' 'Voice Recognition And Response -- High-Tech Developments With Exciting
Applications,' 'Cellular Mobile Communications
And Its Impact On Metro Areas -- What is it? How
does it work? And why do investors believe it will
grow to a 10 billion-dollar industry in six years?'
Of course, as the years progressed, so did the
technologies used to enhance the practices of the
contact center. But it is amazing to see how long ago
some of the technologies were introduced. Looking
ahead, can we expect continued rapid growth? Here's
what my colleague, editorial director Erik Lounsbury,
thinks."
"The industry is on a path to provide lighter,
more flexible systems that can be adapted with
relative ease to fit the particular business needs of
a company instead of forcing a company to adapt to the
needs of the system. Flexible systems will also allow
faster development and implementation of new services.
This will be aided by the continuing converge of voice
and data for richer interactions. Internet
applications will allow for the provisioning of
resources so that there will continue to be a
decentralization of contact centers. Basing contact
center applications on Internet Protocol will allow
better communication between departments, partners and
customers, allowing information to flow between all
and not be trapped in silos. Thus, the right person
with the right information is more likely to be put in
touch with the customer, cutting down on wasted time
in transferring a call or e-mail around an enterprise.
Voice recognition and VXML will soon enjoy greater
deployment and allow access to more Web-based
applications from phones, thus providing more choices
for interaction with a company and increased mobility.
Service Delivery Options
"Application service providers (ASPs) will be able
to provide infrastructure in the same manner as
turning on a tap, directing the great flow of data
(and telephony enhancements) where and when needed.
There will continue to be a focus on CRM and customer
retention, which is becoming more evident in the slow
economy of 2001. Going hand-in-hand with CRM will be
better data mining and customer analytics so companies
will be able to more easily identify who their most
profitable customers are and market and respond to
them better."
I agree with Erik. I, too, see continued evolution
of the industry. I'd like to reinforce the fact that
the future of our industry will be strongly centered
around emerging technologies that will continue to
streamline business processes. The Internet,
e-commerce, business-to-business and
business-to-consumer e-sales and e-service, and e-mail
management will dominate our immediate future. I think
the smart companies will learn from the traditional
principles of telemarketing, where inbound fuels
outbound, when it comes to e-mail management.
Companies must view inbound e-mail as an incredible
source of sales leads for cross-selling and upselling.
If they do not, they are missing a vast opportunity.
In addition, teleservices agencies must pay close
attention to the current trend of contact centers
being located offshore. In today's market, things
have certainly heated up with international
competitors rapidly emerging and representing fierce
competition for domestic teleservices. Many of these
international threats are not only equipped with
advanced technologies, but also have TSRs who are
extremely well educated, many with Master's degrees
and PhDs, who are working for a fraction of domestic
TSR salaries.
This new breed of TSR in countries such as Canada,
Mexico, India, Pakistan, Indonesia and the Philippines
can handle all forms of contact center matters with
equal finesse to their U.S. counterparts. With
international businesses offering this level of
service, coupled with drastically lower prices, the
solution is simple: do or die. Whether outsourcing
teleservices or using private enterprise contact
centers, domestic organizations must understand that
their businesses are now faced with a serious business
threat that could drastically impact their share of
the market. The bright side is that it's not too
late to out-think and out-market those international
competitors.
In Conclusion
TMC staff and I are proud to have been the founding
pioneers of this fabulous industry that has created
and protected millions of jobs, not only in the U.S.,
but also around the globe. Together with thousands of
readers, exhibitors, and managers and employees of
contact centers, we have built a powerful industry
that not only touches many lives, but is
mission-critical to the survival and prosperity of
each and every corporation around the globe, for
without effective CIS and CRM, no company can exist.
I thank all of you who have helped our industry
achieve so much. I know great days are ahead of us,
maybe even greater than what we have already
witnessed. I am enthusiastically looking forward to
it!
As always, I welcome your comments.
Sincerely,
Nadji Tehrani
Executive Group Publisher
Editor-In-Chief
[ Return
To July 2001 Table Of Contents ]
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