[October 12, 2000]

Kowal Associates Unveils Comprehensive Outsourced Teleservices Audit Program

Kowal Associates, a customer relationship management (CRM) consulting firm, announced its new CCAudit program, an exclusive call center auditing plan that helps companies determine whether they are getting the most out of their outsourced teleservices programs.

Designed to inspect the workings of both the service providers and the companies that hire them, the CCAudit process examines the data, staff and technology being used by call centers. According to Kowal Associates consultant Chris Stanvick, the CCAudit ensures that a company's selection of a call center is the right one to meet their needs.

"What many companies will do when looking for a call center provider is just check an industry magazine that ranks the top 100 or so," he said. "But those rankings are based on how much money they make, their size, and so on. Just because a call center is big doesn't mean it's the right choice."

Using CCAudit, Kowal Associates' consultants can identify what a company's goals are and ensure that those goals are being shared by their call center. Toward this end, CCAudit uses an intense and comprehensive set of questions for assessing a teleservices provider.

An important part of the CCAudit, Stanvick said, is its examination of personnel issues, checking to make sure everyone in the teleservices program knows their role and is performing their job effectively. Since CCAudit looks at the entire operation objectively, Kowal Associates can make suggestions that businesses wouldn't hear from an in-house source.

"Both the company and the service provider should see their relationship as a 'win-win' situation," Stanvick said. "The management teams should get along and be compatible."

After the audit has been completed, Kowal can provide feedback to both the company and its present service provider. By the end of the process, both the business and the outsourced call center have a better understanding about each other and the teleservices program -- how they work together, what works successfully, and what needs improvement.

Kowal Associates also encourages follow-up audits that are done between three months and a year after the initial audit.

"Businesses outsource their teleservices for a number of reasons," Stanvick said. "With CCAudit, they can be assured that they have put their call center management in the right hands."

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