TMCnet Feature

As call centers continue to move the cloud, customers are raising their demands. To provide users with everything they need, LiveOps (News - Alert) is the only cloud contact center solution provider that delivers a complete solution which encompasses both technology and talent. Currently, the company powers a cloud contact center platform, applications and a network of 20,000 independent at-home agents.

Recently, Sanjay Popli, vice president, Business Development at LiveOps, spoke with TMC’s CEO Rich Tehrani about the technology advancements that debuted in 2011, current trends in the industry, biggest obstacles users are currently facing and what impact cloud has had on their business.

Prior to being responsible for LiveOps’ strategy and M&A activities, Sanjay was the general manager for the company’s cloud-based platform for enterprises. Before coming to LiveOps, Sanjay was the vice president of Marketing & Business Development at Salesforce.com, held management roles at Alcatel / Genesys (News - Alert) Telecommunications and worked with Fortune 100 CEO’s at the management consulting firm of A.T. Kearney. To read the full interview, see below.

1.       What was the most significant technological advancement in the past 12 months and why?

Social and mobile applications are elevating that sense of community that populations and cultures worldwide are consistently striving for—the ability to work together for the common good. Sometimes that common good is one person asking for advice on a new hybrid car. Sometimes that common good is a movement such as Occupy Wall Street, where people are working together to affect change. As a result of this sense of community, we are creating the “we generation.” Unlike labels given to past generations that focused on specific age ranges, this label doesn’t describe an age range, instead it describes how the power of technology can affect all ages.

2.       What has been the biggest trend in your market segment and how is it impacting your customers?

The integration of social media channels in cloud contact centers to directly interact with customers on their channel of choice. It is this strong sense of community that is driving the enterprise to interact socially or get left behind. When hundreds of people are responding to one person’s request for advice on which brand of 3D TV they should purchase and from which store, that’s a powerful impact that companies can’t ignore.

3.       What is the biggest challenge facing your customers today and how is your company helping address that challenge?

The biggest challenge is what to do with social media. We know that marketing departments have traditionally been monitoring social media to protect their company’s image and at times they launch social media campaigns to promote the brand. But companies are learning that the sheer amount of interaction required to keep up with their customers in the social media world is typically more than the marketing department can handle. This need for more customer-savvy people is forcing marketing and the customer service contact centers to work together. After all, it’s the customer service center that has people who are specially trained to communicate with happy and not-so-happy customers in order to maintain loyalty and brand preference.

4.       How has the cloud impacted your business? How has it impacted your customers?

Cloud is our business. Cloud is where business gets done. LiveOps has been developing cloud-based software and services for 10+ years. Every week our existing customers are expanding on our platform because they are realizing that the benefits of cloud applications such as access to social and mobile channels can be leveraged beyond customer service to include marketing, inside sales, HR, etc.

5.       Will cloud-based communications expedite the end of the premises-based PBX (News - Alert) market?

Given the need for mash-up’s/integration with public social networks (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, etc.) – technologies which are cloud-based and leverage recent advances in Web-based architectures, cloud based solutions are the only viable option. Most premise-based technologies have code bases/architectures that are steeped in proprietary client-server models and have difficulty with integrating with outside communities.

6.       What approach has your business taken to social media?  If you have implemented a social media program, have you been able to evaluate your program’s success?

LiveOps has been using social media for many years to grow and maintain its community of home-based, independent contact center agents. Having a community of 20,000 people who are all hired using online tools only, who use e-Learning to learn new or improve existing skills, who use online tools to self-schedule for their work week and file their paperwork…their whole world is in the cloud and they never see anyone else. Yet, the sense of community that exists online via the use of social media channels creates a virtual work culture that is comparable to work culture in a brick-and-mortar building.

7.       Does every business need a social media presence? Why or why not?

Having a proactive social media presence and having access to social media are two different things. Social media is a 24x7 commitment and not all businesses have the head count or daily need to manage an active social media presence. But enabling a social media channel so that your social media savvy customers can interact with you is a necessity. And there is no better place to activate those social media channels than in the contact center where people are trained to communicate with customers in order to maintain brand loyalty and drive brand preference.”

8.       With Microsoft (News - Alert) touting tight integration between its mobile and desktop OS, can it become a major competitor in the enterprise mobile market?

Mobile is becoming a predominant device for consumers to interact with contact centers. Additionally, mobile devices offer a platform for richer customer interaction with voice, video and image based multi-modal collaboration – that will offer a new experience for consumers

9.       What can attendees expect from your company at ITEXPO (News - Alert)?

LiveOps is participating in the panel titled, “Social Media Channel Integration.” The panel begins at 11 and ends at 11:45 on Wednesday, February 1. Last time I spoke on a social media panel at ITEXPO in Austin last year, it was standing room only. This particular panel is one I’m greatly looking forward to. LiveOps has a number of clients in the U.K. and around the world who have successfully integrated social media channels in their contact centers and transformed their businesses. I’m looking forward to being able to share some of their stories.”

10.   Make one technology prediction for 2012 and consider its impact.

The rapid of rise of integrating social media channels in the contact center has the potential to do to the contact center what we’ve all been talking about for decades: finally turn the contact center from a cost center into a profit center.

To find out more about Sanjay Popli and LiveOps, visit the company at ITEXPO East 2012. Happening now from Jan. 31- Feb. 3 at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami, Fla.  ITEXPO is the world’s premier IP communications event. Popli is speaking during “Social Media Channel Integration.” Don’t wait. Register now.

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