In Focus
From Intelligent Call Routing To Intelligent Contact Management
By Pat Kelly, Cisco Systems, Inc.
Intelligent call routing (ICR)
will play an ever more strategic role in maintaining the highest levels of
service. As enterprises expand and distribute their call center operations
-- with multiple locations, more agents and specialized agents -- they
also increase the likelihood of misdirected calls and the number of
confused, impatient and irritated customers.
Teleservices
Outsourcing
Outsourcing In The Telecommunications Industry
By Mukesh Sundaram, Telera
Outsourcing of voice
telecommunications is a mature and prevalent practice in the industry.
With the expansion of Internet technologies into the world of
telecommunications, new outsourcing options are being made available to
businesses that allow them to retain control of applications while still
outsourcing much of the headaches and expense. We will explore how the
Internet is changing telecommunications outsourcing and discuss what
advantages this trend can bring to your business.
Customer
Relationship Management
I Know What You Bought Last Summer: Predicting Customer Behavior
By Jerome Nadel, SLP InfoWare
CRM has become a fundamental
operating requirement for any service provider or merchant. CRM is about
maximizing customer relationships: addressing the needs and opportunities
associated with each customer, increasing revenue per customer, customer
loyalty and overall customer base. But while CRM is essential to
profitability, its benefit is limited without the ability to predict
customer behavior before it occurs.
Empowering Customers With An Organic Knowledge Base
By Doug Warner, RightNow Technologies, Inc.
Effective customer service is
all about delivering the answers customers are seeking. How information is
stored, augmented and organized will determine how effective any
organization's customer service efforts will be. The best knowledge base
technology uses customers as the driving force behind the service
organization. Using customers to guide the content and structure of the
knowledge base improves the level of service and decreases the customer
service representative's workload.
E-Sales--E-Service.com
The New CRM Dichotomy: Great Service, Wrong Information
By Dara Bloom Mirsky, Editorial Director,
TMCnet.com
On the surface, it was a
perfect customer relationship management scenario. But TMCnet.com's
editorial director Dara Bloom Mirsky's recent purchase of cellular phone
service reminded her that things are not always what they seem.
Turning Browsers Into Buyers Using Your Call Center
By William Durr, Rockwell Electronic Commerce
Putting up a Web site with
interesting content and an interactive design increases the likelihood
that a Web surfer will visit your site. That's step one. But how do you
ensure that when the surfer leaves your site, you have something to show
for his or her visit and your expense?
The Next Route To Customers: Tele/Web Integration
By Fred Fassman, IBM.com
For companies trying to win
business on the Internet, the newest wrinkle on the World Wide Web is
real, live people. Many e-business firms are moving fast to link their Web
sites with their customer support call centers -- what some call tele/Web
integration. This new route to market offers an opportunity for companies
to boost their e-commerce revenue, improve customer service and leverage
their existing call centers.
Customer Experiences On The Web Shouldn't Be A Roller Coaster Ride (Sidebar)
By John Gray, CustomerAssistance.com
There's no doubt about it:
e-commerce is here to stay. Sure, the hackers will continue their
shenanigans and try to bring online businesses to their knees. However, in
the long run, the real culprit for the breakdown or failure of many online
businesses will not be the occasional prankster, but rather the perennial
lack of reliable customer assistance online.
E-Sales --
E-Service.com News
Building The
Perfect Call Center
Headset Selection For Your Call Center
By Joe McGrogan, Plantronics
A telephone headset is the
tool of choice for most call center agents because of its many
conveniences and because it facilitates more natural and effective
communication. The quality of that headset, which in turn affects the
quality of the voice it is carrying, depends on numerous factors. This
article discusses some of the factors that should be considered when
purchasing or upgrading a communications device as important as a headset.
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DEPARTMENTS
Publisher's
Outlook
High Priority
Technology Highlights
Call Center News
TMC LABS
TMC� Labs Innovation Awards
The TMC� Labs Innovation
Award is bestowed on products that demonstrate raw innovation, unique
features and significant contributions to the contact center industry. The
engineers of TMC� Labs recognize the challenges of developing a
first-class product that integrates many components into one unified
product suite. With the convergence of voice, data and various media types
comes increasing complexity that, properly engineered, results in a
product that may be considered an engineering feat. Hats off to the
developers and engineers of these products that have earned a TMC� Labs
Innovation Award.
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