Been Kinda Busy

Sorry folks - I have been swamped and simply haven't had the time to blog recently. Hopefully I can get back to it soon. Until then, all the best.

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Smart New Year’s Resolutions for Your Call Center (First of Three)

1. Expect more from your dialer

For companies that place a premium on outbound calls, a predictive dialer makes agents more productive by auto-dialing, detecting answering machines, and connecting live agents to the right party. And while many call centers already have some type of system to accomplish these tasks, they must resolve to ensure they are using a system that cost-effectively meets their business requirements today and well into the future. 

Ask yourself, “Is my dialer…”

a. …all-inclusive, giving me all the needed features for a single price?”

b. …able to integrate easily with other business applications?”

c. …capable of providing true real-time access to data without IT involvement or downtime?

d. …open and flexible to accommodate frequent change and intensive customization without relying on costly and time-consuming professional services?”

e. …paying for itself in a reasonable timeframe?”

If, after taking a sober assessment of your current dialer investment, you answer “no” to any of these questions, then you should seriously consider other available options. This may seem draconian at first blush, but the crippled economy has given rise to numerous incentives and price reduction programs by hungry call center software vendors that, in many cases, can offer you a brand-new system for a lower price than you’re currently paying for your deficient one.

And for those contact centers who have hitched their wagon to “industry leaders,” make sure you are receiving a legitimate ROI, and not just the comfort of ‘being with a brand name.’ When you fairly assess multiple vendors, you are likely to find that some of the so-called leaders are offering products that are years behind in innovation, require additional hardware and software purchases, and all for a price much steeper than competing products.

Remember, it’s about expecting more from your dialer, not more from your wallet.

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An Oldie But A Goodie - The Top 20 Contact Center Metrics

Penny Reynolds of the Call Center School is one smart cookie. Even though her list of the Top 20 Contact Center Metrics was originally published waaaaay back in 2006, it still holds water today and is worth a refresher here in early January, 2009. 

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End of Year Deals

I get a lot of "end of year deal" offers where software and services vendors offer specials if I conduct business with them before the end of the year. I'm sure you get these offers, too - this is not a new sales technique.

But in a down economy there are real potential savings that can be obtained by taking-up such an offer from a vendor. 

Of course you have to go through the same vetting process to confirm feature and benefits align with your business and technical requirements, but if you're freezing the budget until the new year, make the most of this opportunity while you can.

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ATA vs. SOCAP

While at the American Teleservices Association's annual convention & expo, held this year in San Antonio, I couldn't help but notice that the crowd was much, much smaller than previous years. I'm sure the troubled US economy played a role in making it a leaner affair, not to mention the fact that SOCAP's annual convention was taking place at the same time! But I did hear quite a few conversations where folks are considering increased participation in SOCAP instead of the ATA in the future.

Now, I am a member of both organizations, though I am more involved in the ATA where I serve as a board member of a regional ATA chapter. And I think that many other call center professionals take the same approach of participating in both organizations.

My company has attended two ATA conventions and we've had considerable success from each. But we've not yet attended SOCAP's shows, and we'd like to give them a try. With budget constraints ever-present, we'll probably chose one to participate in next year. That said, I'm looking for advice. Any of you who have been to both and have a frame of reference, please be a dear and let me know your opinion.

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