Customer Interaction Solutions articles from February 2004

Customer Interaction Solutions archives from February 2004

Congratulations to the 2003 MVP Quality Award winners.(Publisher's Outlook)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... I'd like to take this opportunity to extend heartfelt congratulations to all the honorees of the 2003 MVP Quality Awards. This year's winners exemplify the search for excellence. They have demonstrated to the editors of Customer Inter@ction...

Join us at GCCOS ... and network with the industry's finest minds!(Publisher's Outlook)
February 1, 2004... The Global Call Center Outsourcing Summit[TM] (GCCOS) this May 3-5 in St. Louis, Missouri will provide a unique opportunity for you to network and start business relationships with the upper management of many of the companies that are winners...

How to win friendly agents and influence customers.(High Priority!)(learning management system)(Interview)
February 1, 2004... Speak with any contact center manager, and though many of their practices and opinions may differ, most will agree that the biggest problem in any contact center is agent retention and turnover, followed by customer churn. Companies spend time...

Google's fatal flaw?(High Priority!)
February 1, 2004... I love Google. What a wonderful search engine and more... a pop-up blocker, an incredibly useful calculator that does conversions on the fly, an address finder... and I'm just scratching the surface. The fact that search sites like Google...

Executive Spotlight.(Interview)(Cover Story)
February 1, 2004... This month, the Executive Spotlight focuses on Edward L. Rucinski, senior vice president and general manager of CRS & International Divisions, Dictaphone Corp. CIS: What is your company's specialty and mission statement? [ILLUSTRATION...

4OfficeAutomation launches EmailUnlimited 6.0.(New Products ...)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... 4OfficeAutomation has announced the availability of EmailUnlimited 6.0, the latest version of its e-mail marketing software. The upgrade includes EmailUnlimited Web Services, which offers three add-on modules that are fully integrated with the...

Inquisite 6 hits market.(New Products ...)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Inquisite has announced the release of Inquisite 6, an automated Web survey system for enterprises across multiple industries and professional disciplines that deploy online surveys for high-volume data collection. Inquisite said its latest...

C3 launches call recording solution.(C3 Computer Telephony Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... C3, a supplier of voice processing platforms, has announced the availability of a new call recording solution for enterprises, public sector companies and service providers. C3's call recording software supports most popular telephony systems...

Mindfabric Enterprise gets an upgrade.(New Products ...)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Mindfabric, a supplier of next-generation customer interaction solutions, has announced the release of the latest version of its flagship product, Mindfabric Enterprise 4.1. The company said the release includes new platform support, enhanced...

GWI Software's Web-based training available.(New Products ...)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... GWI Software has announced the general availability of its new computer-based training. The program is designed to educate help desk professionals on how to quickly utilize c.Support[R] by providing training online. The company said Web-based...

Gryphon Networks introduces Exemption Advisor.(New Products ...)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Gryphon Networks has announced the release of Exemption Advisor, an addition to the Gryphon Networks Compliance Suite of outbound calling technologies. Exemption Advisor was designed to increase the effectiveness of sales campaigns while...

TASKE launches new suite of products.(Taske Technology Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... TASKE announced the availability of a number of new products for the Mitel Networks 3300 Integrated Communications Platform (ICP) and Mitel Networks SX-2000 with MiTAI 11.1. The new products, TASKE Essential and myTASKE Reporter, use the Mitel...

Open Solutions debuts Channel Management Center.(New Products ...)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Open Solutions Inc., a provider of integrated enabling data processing technologies for banks and credit unions, announced the general availability of its Channel Management Center (CMC) suite, which is designed to facilitate the building and...

ASC Telecom launches MARATHON EVOlite.(New Products ...)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... ASC Telecom, a provider of performance improvement solutions for contact centers, financial institutions, public safety and government organizations, has announced the launch of MARATHON EVOlite, a plug-and-play communications recording...

Black Pearl releases new CIS for Brokerage and Derivatives industries.(New Products ...)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Black Pearl has announced the release of two new industry solutions: Interaction Advisor for Brokerage and Interaction Advisor for Derivatives. Based on the Black Pearl platform, they are preconfigured solutions designed to enhance existing...

Intervoice announces suite of applications.(New Products ...)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Intervoice, Inc. has announced its new suite of business-process-based packaged speech applications that were designed to meet the requirements of today's enterprises and service providers. Omvia Voice Express Packaged Applications are...

KANA releases Agent IQ for financial institutions.(New Products ...)(Kana Software Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... KANA, a provider of knowledge-powered CRM applications, has announced the availability of Agent IQ for Branch Banking, a solution designed to help companies with a large number of distributed retail outlets or branches achieve greater agent...

ePeople Teamwork 5.1 integrates directly with Microsoft Outlook.(New Products ...)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... ePeople, Inc., a provider of enterprise software that enables teams in support, sales, service and development to turn informal interactions into valuable corporate knowledge, has announced the release of ePeople Teamwork 5.1. Without leaving...

Aspect and SER team up for contact center solution.(Happenings ...)(Aspect Communications Corp.)(SER Solutions Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Aspect Communications Corp., a provider of enterprise customer contact solutions, and SER Solutions Inc., a provider of outbound contact center solutions, have announced an agreement for Aspect to market and sell SER's outbound solution, Call...

Primus Knowledge Solutions acquires Amacis Group Limited.(Happenings ...)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Primus Knowledge Solutions, Inc. has announced the acquisition of European-based Amacis Group Limited, a provider of electronic commerce management solutions to global enterprises. Primus said the acquisition further extends its breadth and...

Half of sales reps not meeting quotas.(Happenings ...)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... CSO Insights' 2004 Sales Effectiveness Report, which includes responses from more than 1,300 sales executives, found that over 50 percent of sales reps are not meeting quota; which represents the poorest performance level in the 10 years the...

Magma Design Automation selects salesforce.com.(Happenings ...)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Magma Design Automation, a provider of chip design solutions, has chosen salesforce.com for on-demand customer relationship management (CRM) service. Magma has implemented sales force automation and customer service and support for 400...

VEXIS Systems partners with Envox Worldwide.(Happenings ...)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... VEXIS Systems, a V-Commerce products and services company specializing in the delivery of interactive voice response (IVR), Internet and call center software and services technologies, has joined the Envox Worldwide Global Partners Network....

Accenture and Acxiom join forces.(Happenings ...)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Accenture and Acxiom have joined forces to help clients in the retail financial services, telecommunications, consumer products and government sectors better use customer information to improve business results. The relationship enables Acxiom...

Churchill Downs Incorporated bets on E.piphany.(Happenings ...)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) has licensed the E.piphany CRM software suite to enable them to better identify, service and market to their customers. The E.piphany E.6 software suite will provide the technology foundation for CDI to...

NICE joins forces with IBM.(Happenings ...)(International Business Machines Corp.)(NICE Systems)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... NICE Systems has announced it is working with IBM to pursue various joint opportunities on a global basis, in digital video surveillance and Voice over IP for contact centers, financial trading and command and control. As part of the agreement,...

Digisoft, Artisoft and Calltrol announce a new single-server solution.(Happenings ...)(Digisoft Computers Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Digisoft Computers, Inc., Artisoft, Inc., and Calltrol Corp. have announced they integrated Telescript 5.5 and Tele Vantage 5.0 with Calltrol's Object Telephony Server to create a single platform, integrated predictive dialer and software-based...

Acxiom acquires Claritas Europe.(Happenings ...)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Acxiom Corporation announced it has reachedf an agreement to acquire the Claritas Europe group of companies from VNU N.V., a global information and media company based in Haarlem, The Netherlands. Acxiom will pay 33.5 million (approximately $40...

Inwoo Tech CRM Service Center achieves certification to COPC-2000 Standard.(Happenings ...)(customer relationship management)(Customer Operations Performance Center Inc)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Customer Operations Performance Center Inc. (COPC) has announced the certification of Inwoo Tech Inc., the first professional call center outsourcing company in Korea to be certified to the COPC-2000 Standard. This certification is for the...

VASCO opens U.S. Sales and Support headquarters in Boston.(Vasco Data Security International Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... VASCO Data Security International, Inc., a global provider of security products for e-business and e-commerce, announced it will expand its North American Sales and Support operations into the Boston area. The office will coordinate VASCO's...

Comergent Technologies acquires Profile Systems, Inc.(Happenings ...)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Comergent Technologies, Inc. has announced its acquisition of Profile Systems, Inc., a developer of product information (PIM) and inventory management solutions for business-to-business e-business. Under the terms of the agreement, Comergent...

John Kerry speaks out on call centers.(Political Candidate News ...)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... On his website (http://www.johnkerry.com), Presidential Candidate John Kerry (D-Ma.) makes the following statements pertaining to the Call Center industry and U.S. Jobs: "I. FIGHTING FOR GOOD JOBS FOR AMERICAN WORKERS [ILLUSTRATION...

Consumers "right to know" on call center workers.(Addressing Outsourcing Jobs Overseas)
February 1, 2004... Consumers "Right to Know" on Call Center Workers. In today's economy, consumers increasingly use the telephone or Internet to buy goods and services, inquire about transactions and bills, and get technical support or other information. More...

Investigate outsourcing.(Addressing Outsourcing Jobs Overseas)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Investigate Outsourcing. In the U.S. alone, the value of IT services provided by offshore labor will double to $16 billion next year and triple again to $46 billion by 2007, according to market research company IDC, in Framingham, Mass. More...

Use government contracts for U.S. workers.(Addressing Outsourcing Jobs Overseas)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Use Government Contracts for U.S. Workers. Some states have begun outsourcing government contracts. For example, New Jersey has outsourced government services to help move people from welfare to work. The idea of using taxpayer dollars to send...

Stop giving government contracts to corporations breaking the rules.(End Incentives to Move Jobs Abroad)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Stop Giving Government Contracts to Corporations Breaking the Rules. John Kerry will also make sure the Federal government does not give lucrative contracts to companies that have a record of accounting fraud--like WorldCom--or are moving...

End every single tax credit that gives corporations breaks for moving jobs offshore.(End Incentives to Move Jobs Abroad)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... End Every Single Tax Credit That Gives Corporations Breaks for Moving Jobs Offshore. John Kerry will close every single loophole that gives companies incentives to move jobs abroad, including stopping American companies from setting up virtual...

Reducing new hire costs: increasing speed to competency with innovative "Jump Start" program.(Case Study)(Advertisement)
February 1, 2004... SITUATION: Agent Attrition Strains Financial and Human Resources Even with best-in-class agent attrition rates, attrition still costs Center Partners hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. Mitigating those costs is a high...

Improving customer loyalty through proactive communications.(Customer Relationship Management)
February 1, 2004... "Improving customer loyalty" has been the traditional mantra of the call center since inception. As economic and regulatory pressures continue to squeeze the enterprise, however, the need to ensure customer satisfaction has reached a tipping...

Eleventh-annual MVP Quality Award winners.(Outsourcing)
February 1, 2004... With the Customer Inter@ction Solutions[R] 2003 Quality Awards, we celebrate eleven years of the continual refinement of the methods, the technologies and the human quest for smarter, more efficient business services and communications that now...

American Teleservices Association: Hall of Fame welcomes Nadji Tehrani!
February 1, 2004... Chairman & CEO recognized for contributions to $600 billion industry! Last year, the ATA began a tradition of honoring those who paved the way in the teleservices industry and created the ATA Hall of Fame to honor industry leaders by...

E-learning and quality--a marriage made in heaven.(Call Center/CRM Management Scope)
February 1, 2004... Ask a contact center manager to name the top five problems in his or her contact center and the manager will almost always mention agent turnover. While there are many reasons for this problem, overall employee dissatisfaction is usually at the...

Approaching training from the human side.(Call Center/CRM Management Scope)
February 1, 2004... The fallout from corporate scandals over the past few years has placed a great deal of emphasis on promoting responsible corporate leadership, while largely ignoring the mechanics of bringing workforces into compliance with today's complex and...

Real-time CRM: a competitive advantage today, a competitive imperative tomorrow?(Cutting-Edge Technologies for the Contact Center)
February 1, 2004... Lost productivity, lost sales and lost customer satisfaction all make a compelling case for addressing customer issues as quickly as possible by bringing the right people and information to the discussion on the first contact. Ideally, this...

Providing quality Web-based customer service.(Cutting-Edge Technologies for the Contact Center)
February 1, 2004... Companies around the globe need to address the changing face of customer service. With customers expecting instant gratification from the Web, every company is faced with the challenge and the opportunity to provide customers with a less...

People's People need software upgrade.(Cutting-Edge Technologies for the Contact Center)(customer service representative)(Editorial)
February 1, 2004... I've got a joke for you. How many People's Bank customer service representatives does it take to get your wife a MasterMoney card? Give up? Four--three that work at separate bank branches and one contact center representative who replies...

The seven myths of outbound telemarketing after DNC.(Compliance Technologies & Solutions)
February 1, 2004... Don't think for a minute that I believe the national do-not-call list is here to stay. There is no doubt in my mind that the United States judicial system will strike this regulation down as unconstitutional. As monumental as that day will be,...

The power of one in Call Center Staffing.(Managing By the Numbers)
February 1, 2004... One of the hardest things to manage in many call centers is getting frontline staff to adhere to their daily work schedules. Most think, "Hey, there are dozens of other people on the phones now. What possible difference could it make if I just...

Barbados: an attractive offshore location.(RE: Locations)
February 1, 2004... About a million people a year visit Barbados for its white sandy beaches and crystal clear waters. But its economic stability and a commitment to free enterprise make Barbados an equally attractive environment for an offshore call center. ...