Customer Interaction Solutions articles from September 2008

Customer Interaction Solutions archives from September 2008

32 Principles of Modern Marketing part 3.(Publisher's Outlook)(Column)
September 1, 2008... As indicated in previous editorials, it is our paramount responsibility as the industry's preeminent and pioneering publication, since 1982, to address the greatest needs of our industry. My close contact with--and observation of--the...

While you were out this summer ...(High Priority)
September 1, 2008... Like many of you, I recently returned from some R&R this past summer and as I head into the fall, I think it would be instructive to take a look at the important news from the past few weeks so we can accurately gauge where things are headed...

Smoothstone intros Intelligent Call Control apps for iPhone.(ONLINE EXCLUSIVES)(Smoothstone IP Communications)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Smoothstone IP Communications, a company that provides managed communications services for mid-size enterprises, has developed what it claims is the first mobile interface for Apple iPhone 3G on AT&T's nationwide network. Smoothstone technology...

CRM from Maximizer signs up turkish partner.(ONLINE EXCLUSIVES)
September 1, 2008... Maximizer Software, a vendor of CRM products, announced the appointment of a new certified business partner in Turkey: E&M Computer and Engineering. The first customer of the partnership is Alarko Real Estate Development Company, a subsidiary...

Focus on customers helping retailers survive in uncertain economy.(ONLINE EXCLUSIVES)
September 1, 2008... While customers have always played a key role in the success of a business, the need to better meet customer demands is increasing as concerns of economic uncertainty grow. Retailers are especially looking more closely at customer data and...

The key elements of self regulation.(On The Line)(American Teleservices Association)
September 1, 2008... As many of you know, the American Teleservices Association is creating the first self regulatory organization for our industry that will incorporate audits and certification. The ATA represents the call centers, trainers, consultants, and...

Seven steps to a coherent CRM strategy.(Headset)
September 1, 2008... CRM has become something of a dirty word in today's contact centers. Many companies have deployed large and expensive systems only to find that they are not reaping the promised benefits from their technology. So what happened? Why hasn't CRM...

Convergys to buy Intervoice.(NEWS)
September 1, 2008... Convergys has purchased Intervoice, a software and professional services firm with voice portal, IP contact center, hosted and mobile messaging, and self-service applications for $335 million. Convergys says that by integrating Intervoice's...

Nuance's new SmartListener enhances speech rec apps.(NEWS)
September 1, 2008... Nuance has launched its new SmartListener software technology that will enhance automated speech applications at contact centers. Using SmartListener a speech rec system can better focus on the concept behind caller's words and decipher...

Downturn slowing U.S. contact center expansion.(NEWS)
September 1, 2008... The U.S. economic downturn has led to a slowdown in contact center job creation, reports the Site Selection Group. There has been a year-to-date decrease of 27,189 new jobs to July 2008 as compared to July 2007 with 1,990 jobs in July displaced...

Philippines contact centers look beyond U.S. for clients.(NEWS)
September 1, 2008... The Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) has reported that local contact centers are tapping other English-speaking markets, such as Australia, Canada, and the UK as the economic slowdown is impacting growth from contact center...

Do not call works fine: FTC.(NEWS)
September 1, 2008... The federal Do Not Call (DNC) registry may be a mixed bag for some telemarketers and teleservices firms but from the consumers' and regulatory standpoints the DNC has worked well. The Federal Trade Commission told Congress July 10 that more...

Soffront CRM supports multiple currencies.(NEWS)
September 1, 2008... Soffront Software now provides multicurrency support in version 8.7 of its CRM software. This feature increases efficiency of sales teams in conducting business globally using worldwide currencies. Multi-currency support is available in all...

Semi-Annual feedback session.(Cartoon)
September 1, 2008... AND BEFORE WE CONCLUDE YOUR SEMI-ANNUAL FEEDBACK SESSION, I WANT YOU TO EXPLAIN WHY IT ALWAYS TAKES. YOU 6 MONTHS TO REALIZE YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING WRONG? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

OrecX launches open source IP recording.(NEWS)
September 1, 2008... OrecX LLC, a purveyor of open source voice recording solutions, formally announced its Oreka Total Recording (TR) software solution. The solution takes advantage of open source to enable more efficient contact center deployments. The Oreka...

Compliance Coach partners with Identity Theft Resource Center.(NEWS)
September 1, 2008... Compliance Coach has partnered with the Identity Theft Resource Center, Inc. to jointly promote each other's services to combat identity theft. They will also raise awareness among the business community for the need to comply with the FACT Act...

CallRex saves ARM firm thousands of dollars.(NEWS)(accounts receivable management)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Telrex's CallRex suite of IP call recording and call center optimization products has saved accounts receivable management (ARM) firm Evergreen Professional Recoveries tens of thousands of dollars. The solution closed off agent training,...

Asia-Pacific contact center industry to keep growing: Frost.(NEWS)
September 1, 2008... The current economic slump in the United States has not had a major impact on the market for contact center solutions in Asia-Pacific according to Frost & Sullivan. Its new report on this topic: Asia Pacific Contact Center Applications Market,...

Metro one introduces internal do not call list hygiene product.(NEWS)
September 1, 2008... Companies and non-profit organizations engaged in telemarketing efforts now have a convenient way to cleanse their internal do-not-call lists. Metro One Telecommunications' new Internal Do-Not-Call (IDNC) Cleanse product helps telemarketers by...

Get the 'performance edge' in eLearning, hiring.(NEWS)(PerformanceEdge)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... PerformanceEdge, from Aspect Software now offers PerformanceEdge eLearning and PerformanceEdge Job Match. These two solutions will enable contact centers to get an edge in agent recruitment, retention, and training and in contact center...

Hotels, retail, onshore, outscore cable/satellite. PC firms, offshore: satisfaction study.(NEWS)
September 1, 2008... A study of eight vertical marketers conducted by CFI Group found that hotels and retailers ranked at the top of the list and cable/satellite and PC suppliers were at the bottom when it comes to customer satisfaction and performance. It also...

Diamond resorts international selects noble.(NEWS)
September 1, 2008... Diamond Resorts International has selected Noble Systems Corporation's Noble Solution for blended inbound and outbound contact management in its new 177-seat membership sales and service center. Noble's unified system is expected to give it a...

Toshiba debuts largest-ever Strata CIX IP switch.(NEWS)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Toshiba has unveiled the newest and biggest member of its family of Strata CIX IP-enabled switches, the Strata CIX 1200. Its main features include 1,152 ports, networking with up to 128 sites, and 200 to 1,000 users network capacity. Prior to...

South African contact center industry: will growth match goals?(NEWS)
September 1, 2008... South Africa's outsourced contact center industry is experiencing the growth, but it may not reach the government's target. A study by Frost & Sullivan predicts the total number of outsourced seats will reach about 60,000 in the next five to...

Comm, financial services better at customer service: study.(NEWS)
September 1, 2008... A study commissioned by Genesys Communications Laboratories revealed that communication and financial services companies are doing a better job at using customer service as a strategic differentiator than other companies. One common...

SoundBite intros new collections platform.(NEWS)(SoundBite Communications)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... SoundBite Communications has released a new product, Intelligent Communications Platform for Collections. It incorporates field-proven technology to help organizations maximize profits, accelerate debt recovery and mitigate risk. Its SoundBite...

Contact center and service provider similarities.(from the TMC net [TM] BLOGS)
September 1, 2008... In his VoIP blog, Rich Tehrani writes: I have been seeing an interesting trend in the communications space. In the last 2-3 years, more and more companies who used to focus on service providers have expanded their focus into the call center...

The IP-PBX energy wars ...(from the TMC net [TM] BLOGS)(Brief article)(Column)
September 1, 2008... In his VoIP and Gadgets Blog, TMC CTO Tom Keating writes: So today I get a new report from the Tolly Group stating that the ShoreTel Unified Communications system is significantly more energy efficient than the Cisco Unified Communications...

End of line for toll-free numbers?(from the TMC net [TM] BLOOS)(New Jersey. NJ Transit Corp.)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... In his Readerboard blog, Customer Interaction Solutions' Brendan B. Read writes: July 31 was the 'last run' for the toll-free number connecting New Jersey Transit, the third largest transit agency in the US, with its customers. Could this...

PCI compliance.(from the TMC net [TM] BLOGS)(Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... In his "On Rad's Radar?" blog, Peter Radizeski of RAD-INFO, Inc. writes: PCI DSS is like HIPAA in a lot of ways: buzz but no one has a handle on it. There's more myth than fact, but who is going to sift through the hundreds of pages of...

The SaaS market: as bad as Larry Ellison says?(CRM, BPO & Teleservices)(software as a service)(Oracle Corp.)
September 1, 2008... In a recent earnings call, Oracle founder Larry Ellison "dissed" the SaaS industry, calling it a laggard that isn't really living up to the hype. "If you look at the leader, Salesforce.com, they don't make very much money and they've been at...

Adding value to business process outsourcing.(CRM, BPO & Teleservices)(Company overview)
September 1, 2008... These are, to cite the old Chinese curse 'interesting times' for organizations seeking to outsource their contact center services and for business process outsourcers (BPOs) alike. That is because serving end-customers has never been more...

Infocision: the highest quality call center company in the world!(SOLUTIONS)
September 1, 2008... Customer Retention We all know it is much more expensive to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one. In fact, studies indicate that it is somewhere between six and ten times more expensive. Companies that are fortunate enough...

Contact center recording: more than Logging calls.(WORKFORCE)(Company overview)
September 1, 2008... Call recording used to be about taping, utilizing, and archiving calls to obtain better performance from agents or in case there is a customer issue and the information is needed to resolve the matter. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] No more....

Maximizing agent productivity with Closed-Loop Coaching.(SOLUTIONS)
September 1, 2008... In today's challenging economy, contact center managers are expected to meet seemingly impossible demands and are pulled in multiple directions by conflicting priorities. The executive team demands high levels of customer satisfaction while at...

Get ready for Canada's new telemarketing regulations (eh?).(Compliance Desk)
September 1, 2008... On September 30, 2008, Canada will flick the switch on a long-anticipated new set of tougher telemarketing regulations including a national Do Not Call (DNC) list and calling hours, backed up by tougher enforcement including stiff new fines on...

Customer Interaction Solutions TMC Labs Innovation Awards 2008.(AWARDS & Recognition)(Company overview)
September 1, 2008... This is our ninth installment of the TMC Labs Innovation Awards recognizing the truly unique and innovative products and services within the call center industry. We proudly bestow a TMC Labs Innovation Award on 20 deserving winners. ...

Qualitative improvement: how call center managers can influence their companies.(Listen and Learn)
September 1, 2008... When I visit call centers, agents and managers often share with me why they have chosen careers in customer service. The reasons agents cite often include flexible hours, opportunities for career growth, and most important, the fulfillment that...

Contact center study identifies strengths and weaknesses.(From The Analysts' Desks)(Report)
September 1, 2008... A common theme throughout commercial enterprises is the emphasis placed on quality customer service and maintaining customer loyalty. At present, communication and financial services companies are doing a better job at using customer service as...

Study recommends contact center self-assess to ensure optimal hiring practices.(From The Analysts' Desks)
September 1, 2008... Hiring in the contact center industry is one of the most daunting tasks as it is layered with high costs, high probability of attrition, a specific desired skill set for a job that can be both challenging and stressful. For some...

Already spent millions on premise-based solutions but still need more? Hosted solutions can help.(VOLTDELTA HOSTED SOLUTIONS)
September 1, 2008... "Hosted solutions" is the latest revolution in contact center technology and it seems that every technology and provider has at least some hosted offering and contact centers have been taking advantage of what they have to offer. Centers that...

Aumtech, with help from Microsoft, breaks through speech rec cost barrier.(CALL CENTER)(Company overview)
September 1, 2008... Automated speech recognition (ASR) or speech rec, where people converse with computers, has long been a 'tomorrow' technology. ASR's promise lies in its ability to provide near-contact center agent-quality customer care for basic interactions...

Planning for the unforeseen.(CALL CENTER)
September 1, 2008... Disaster planning and response, also known as business continuity, is one of those key functions that no one likes to think about, and which costs money to set up right and execute. Yet when these events happen, and they will, those contact...

The new contact center: virtual, and virtuous.(Logout)
September 1, 2008... There appears to new type of contact center on the horizon, one that is becoming more a consultant to customers rather than as a lowly servant. A center that has moved beyond the old-fashioned call floor and into networks of empowered agents...

Ask the expert: impact of agent frustration on customer satisfaction.(Ask the EXPERTS)
September 1, 2008... Q I've been seeing some of the wild stories from your Outrageous Interactions promotion. I am a supervisor of a fairly large call center, I hear a lot of stories every day like those submitted to your contest. Im my call center, I see just...