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Is it Possible to Do More with Less in Contact Centers?

Art Hall's picture
by: Art Hall

Call center executives often struggle with the difficult challenge of doing less with more. With the right strategy in place, it is absolutely possible to improve operations with minimum resources to deliver maximum impact to the bottom-line.

The Business Case for IVRs and Automated Speech Recognition

Art Hall's picture
by: Art Hall
Situation

Over the last five years, leveraging self-service to drive down costs and improve customer satisfaction has garnered a lot of attention from chief executives looking to optimize call center organizations. Providing quality customer service to quickly become both a competitive and comparative differentiator in the marketplace in which core product offerings are being commoditized is more important than ever before.

Smart marketing: The Customer Conversation

Scott Hornstein's picture
by: Scott Hornstein

Can we all agree that there is something to what we call the customer "relationship," something that has a lot to do with revenue and profitability? Let me see a show of hands.

By relationship, I think we mean a connection between the marketer and the customer. Not the gooey-kind-of-relationship stuff, but a connection that is defined by, and measured by, the creation of a pattern of preferential repurchase.

Preparation for CRM in Government Entities: Understanding the Culture & Getting Buy In

Art Hall's picture
by: Art Hall

Implementing a new CRM implies, almost by definition, changing the culture of the way business is done. This constitutes a unique challenge in government entities where standard processes and ways of doing business are cemented in place. Understanding the basis for the political and practical issues surrounding cultural change in government entities, can be critical to a successful CRM implementation.

Two areas that must be conquered in the quest for successful cultural change prior to CRM are as follows:

A Prescription for the C-Suite

Scott Hornstein's picture
by: Scott Hornstein

The doctor is in. And after an examination, we find the patient can only see things that are close and immediate. Long-term goals appear to be out of reach. There appears to be substantial room forimprovement.

The paradigms upon which our practice is based:Happier customers stay longer and buy more. Anyone disagree? Let me see a show of hands.

And the flipside: The number one reason a customer chooses to sever a relationship is dissatisfaction. Again, anyone disagree?

The Wise Trolls Under the Bridge, Part 1

Scott Hornstein's picture
by: Scott Hornstein

I don’t get it, but there seems to be a line of thinking that customer care is just about the call center. You know, the trolls who sit under the bridge—the lowest-paid employees who spend the most time with customers.

Each professional troll is trained, measured, and rewarded for delivering a process of customer care. Right? Just send me the reports.

As Dion once said about Sue: People, let me put you wise…