In Focus
What's Next In Monitoring Technology? Data Mining Finds A Calling In Call Centers
By Linda DiLauro, Dictaphone Corporation
With over 70 percent of business transactions taking place over the phone, call centers are important cogs
in the customer retention wheel. Consider also that customer interactions are becoming increasingly
complex. Today, companies are likely to segment their customers into many categories, and route
customers to the ideal agent based on virtually any conceivable criteria. Given the growing complexity of
customer interactions, how can a call center get to the root of the problems that can cost it money and
customers? The author explores the evolution of monitoring systems and how call centers can
leverage customer-centric monitoring technology and data mining tools to automatically identify hidden
patterns in call center data that can point to opportunities for improving customer service and
operational effectiveness.
Teleservices
Outsourcing
Capturing Customers -- How The New Wave In Call Centers Is Aiding The Financial Industry
By Peter Bendor-Samuel, The Everest Group
Banks, insurance companies and other organizations within the financial industry today face the dilemma
of increased competition, low customer loyalty and few opportunities to sell something new to their
customers; and all the while, it costs far more to recruit a new customer than it does to retain a
current one. Without a doubt, these organizations within the financial industry can reap enormous
benefits by outsourcing call center and customer relationship management (CRM)
services.
Customer
Relationship Management
It's Y2K. Do You Know Who Your Customers Are?
By Soren Kirchner, Ph.D. And Mike Bradway, Net Perceptions, Inc.
The ultimate purpose of data mining for direct marketers is to solve business problems. In most
cases, the ideal outcome of effective data mining is a newfound ability to target the right customer
with the right product at the right time. Traditionally, "targeting" was the task of hitting enough targets
with your product offer to move sufficient inventory. The more targets, the more chances for a hit.
E-Sales--E-Service.com
If Only Columbus Had A Web-Enabled Mobile Phone
By Evan Koblentz, Technology Editor, TMC� LABS
The author recently found himself in an unfamiliar city with a destination and an appointment, but
no map and no street address. Luckily, TMC� LABS editors are like the Boy Scouts when it comes to
toting technology -- they are always prepared. So using his celluar telephone's built-in
minibrowser, he was able to navigate safely through the ether and, as a result, to his destination -- with time to
spare.
E-Sales--E-Service.com News
The Recipe For E-Commerce Success
By Tracey S. Roth, Managing Editor, C@LL CENTER CRM Solutions
What separates a good e-commerce experience from a bad one? Those of us who
buy off the Web have had both good experiences and bad, but many of us have not
stopped to examine what, in particular, separated these experiences from one
another. Most of us would agree that a superb e-business Web site is one that
meets all of our needs as quickly as possible. Many companies have invested an
extraordinary amount of time and money in creating Web sites off of which to sell their
products, only to fail miserably because they made the mistake of assuming that
customers will somehow "find" their sites with a virtual divining rod
and that their Web sites are there to serve the companies, not their
customers.
Building The
Perfect Call Center
Telephone System Trends Increase Productivity
By Doug Boyd, ESI
In the small to medium-sized business environment, the explosive growth of converged voice and data
applications on both traditional and server-based PBX platforms has enabled the development of
competitive, low-cost front-office phone systems that are easy to use and offer a variety of feature-rich
computer-telephony integration (CTI) applications. These integrated phone systems are helping
companies dramatically increase internal productivity while enhancing these companies'
ability to respond more effectively to customer needs.
How Fast Can You Deliver? Using LAN Telephony
To Power Your E-Business (Sidebar)
By Barry Castle, 3Com Corporation
Success in the new e-commerce marketplace will be determined by how fast companies can introduce new
services. Flexible IT systems will be a prerequisite for supporting the migration to quicker, more reactive
methods of marketing and delivery of these services. While many companies have already begun their
transformation into e-businesses, legacy voice and data networks have slowed their progress and
hampered their success. For these companies -- and the rest that have yet to commence the inevitable
e-business migration -- LAN telephony can provide the key to success.
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Call Center News
TMC LABS
Skills-based routing provides an automated mechanism for routing calls to find the best
available match between the needs of the customer and the various proficiencies
of available agents. It can be an ideal solution for providing callers with a quality
experience in an automated manner. This review investigates the implementation of a skills-based
routing plan for a fictional call center using the Lucent Definity Enterprise
Communications Server.
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