Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Inbound Call Center : Giving Customers strong Solutions

Inbound call centers can be lifesavers. After all, when your phone's ringing off the hook, it's proof that business is finally booming. When you're too busy to answer, however, it's a sign that your business is buckling. Inbound call centers can help.

Designed to help you improve both customer service and relationship management, inbound call center solutions are an affordable, effective means for accommodating growth while satisfying customers. In fact, inbound call centers offer many benefits, and can make life easier for your business on several fronts. For starters:

1. Inbound call centers are ideal for taking and processing orders via phone.
2. Inbound call centers offer a fast and affordable solution to sudden surges in business.
3. Inbound call center software can double as an answering service.
4. Perfect for customer service, call centers are an excellent instrument for managing and improving customer relationships.
5. Outsourced call centers are an accessible option for companies that want to provide round-the-clock tech support.


Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Assess your inbound call center needs

For smart management, inbound call center shopping begins with a needs analysis. Decide what inbound call centers can do for you -- order collection, customer service, tech support -- as well as how much volume you expect to throw their way, then proceed accordingly.


Compare outsourced call centers with inbound call center software

If your inbound call volume is low, and consists mostly of informational inquiries, consider on-site call management; inbound call center software is an ideal do-it-yourself solution. If your call volume is high, however, and includes more complex customer interactions, outsourced call centers, which are vendor-driven, are a better option.


Research offshore outsourced call centers

While controversial, outsourced call centers in other countries are worth considering because they are cheaper by far than U.S.-based inbound call centers. You can minimize controversy and still take advantage of lower rates by employing inbound call centers closer to home, in Canada or the Caribbean, for example.

I recommend: There are outsourced call centers worldwide, including Call Centers in India; International Market Access, in the Caribbean; Asian Call Centres, in the Philippines; and TigerTel/UTR, in Canada.

Inbound 'call' centers? Try inbound 'contact' centers.


Focused increasingly on comprehensive customer service, call centers are turning more and more into generalized contact centers, answering inquiries made not only by phone, but also by e-mail, instant message and web chat.

I recommend: Popular vendors providing inbound call center software with wider contact center capabilities.


Find inbound call centers with the special services you need

Many inbound call centers offer unique services such as subject matter specialties and multilingual customer service reps, which can truly differentiate you with your customers.

I recommend: Look for inbound call centers via the American Teleservices Association; its member directory is searchable by company type, location and specialty.


Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

Keep in mind that inbound call centers are more than commodities; they're also instruments with which to brand and publicize your business. Because they're often companies' primary point of contact and customer service, call centers should be treated not as products, but as partners.

• Because most inbound call centers charge you based on usage, ask vendors to give you price quotes for an average month, a slow month and a busy month.

• While some inbound call centers offer shared agents, which handle calls for multiple companies, others offer dedicated agents that are assigned exclusively to your company. The former agents are more affordable, but the latter tend to produce more satisfied customers; know the difference and choose accordingly.

• If you're looking at inbound call center software, ask for a free trial. If you're looking at full-blooded outsourced call centers, ask to visit the call center in person and to listen in on live calls being answered for other customers.

• While many inbound call centers will offer to set up your customer service phone number for you, it's important to own your line. Acquire your own number, therefore, and have it assigned to your inbound call center.

• Because most service contracts with inbound call centers are binding for at least six months to a year, make sure yours includes pricing and terms that are clear and correct. What's more, make sure your vendor signs a service level agreement (SLA); not always standard, it guarantees short response times for your customers.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Offshore outsourcing Today

Offshore outsourcing isn't as gratifying as it used to be, according to consulting firm.

Diamond Cluster International's annual study of information technology outsourcing found that the number of buyers satisfied with their "offshoring" providers has fallen from 79 percent to 62 percent. In addition, the number of buyers prematurely terminating an outsourcing relationship has doubled to 51 percent.

"The blame cannot be heaped solely on the shoulders of providers," DiamondCluster consultant Tom Weak land said in a statement. "Many buyers are now several years into at least one outsourcing relationship, but they still lack effective measures to gauge the success of their outsourcing initiatives, which are critical for knowing and getting what you want."

The report is based on surveys and in-depth discussions with 210 senior IT executives at "global 1000" companies and with 242 senior executives at outsourcing service providers in the United States, India and other countries. Research was conducted in late 2004 and early 2005.

Outsourcing refers to farming out tasks to a separate company. That company's operations might be in a lower-wage nation, which makes for so-called offshoring. IT head honchos are planning to push more of their tech tasks to low-wage countries, according to a Merrill Lynch survey earlier this year.

Business leaders defend offshoring as ultimately good for the U.S. economy and its workers. Critics of shipping high-wage work to lower-cost countries are concerned about job loss in the United States.

In the short run, at least, U.S. techies may be more the losers than gainers when it comes to offshore outsourcing of IT work. A report last year sponsored by the Information Technology Association of America trade group on offshore outsourcing of software and IT services indicated that sacrifices by U.S. IT workers would result in an improved U.S. economy overall.

Politicians have entered the fray. Recently, the House of Representatives passed "Buy American" legislation that would force the Department of Homeland Security to buy products mostly made in America.

According to the new Diamond Cluster report, worries about anti-outsourcing legislation and political pressure have waned, but 88 percent of buyers remain concerned about employee backlash.

The study also found increased interest in sending tech work to China. Forty percent of buyers expect to outsource some IT functions to China during the next three to five years compared with 8 percent last year, the report said.
During the course of a service engagement, the scope of the project, deliverable or even the agreed upon price may change. Make sure that you clearly communicate any schedule, scope or payment changes to your service provider and get confirmation from them - in writing - that they understand and agree to the changes. Similarly, keep a record of any agreement changes requested by the service provider and whether you accept or reject those modifications. Save copies of any email exchanges that you have

Friday, July 10, 2009

EMEA Call Center Outsourcing Growth Expected to Continue

By positive economic movement in central and eastern Europe, the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), the call center outsourcing market is likely to grow at a steady pace. The vast majority of large, medium and small businesses in EMEA continue to seek cost reductions, focus on building core competencies and gain economies of scale through smart investments in outsourcing. New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, EMEA Contact Center Outsourcing Market, reveals that the market earned revenues of $11.20 billion in 2006 and estimates to reach $16 billion in 2012.

"While the UK outsourcing market is very mature and has almost reached saturation, there are significant opportunities in other European nations," says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Michael DeSalles. "The Netherlands along with Central and Eastern Europe hold tremendous promise for new outsourcing contracts, especially in financial services, communications and information technology."

There is a significant percentage of in-house (not outsourced) business in EMEA that represents a rich, viable opportunity for outsourcing providers to gain more wallet share. To some, it may be a surprise that contact center offshoring for EMEA is taking place in Northern Africa, particularly Egypt and Tunisia for French–speaking customer care. South Africa is fast becoming another important contact center destination for UK clients. Given the current status of contact center technology, distance is no impediment in the quest for less expensive call center destinations – often outside the European continent.

In this very complex and fragmented market, successful providers have come to grips with the fact that they must provide native-tongue, multilingual agent capabilities – often termed a 'pan-European' solution to attract and keep key clients.

"Not unlike the trend in North America, enterprises serving customers in EMEA look to enhance customer experience through high quality contact center interactions," explains DeSalles. "Customer retention activity is becoming more important with growth in outbound calling to expand company value and branding with existing customers and acquire new ones."

Increasingly, clients are looking for outsourcing service providers that offer comprehensive, globally expansive solution sets. This helps to mitigate operational (and political) risks without sacrificing quality or customer retention and satisfaction. From a technological perspective, the emergence of IP technology along with hosted contact center offerings, have been important drivers for EMEA outsourcing growth.

The EMEA Contact Center Outsourcing Market is part of the Contact Centers Growth Partnership Service, and it provides an overview of this customer care outsourcing sub-set. It includes a complete analysis of key market challenges, drivers, restraints and trends that are impacting market penetration and growth in the industry. In this research, Frost & Sullivan's expert analysis thoroughly outlines market size, market share by major providers, and pricing strategies. Interviews are available to the press.

Frost & Sullivan, a global growth consulting company, has been partnering with clients to support the development of innovative strategies for more than 40 years. The company's industry expertise integrates growth consulting, growth partnership services and corporate management training to identify and develop opportunities. Frost & Sullivan serves an extensive clientele that includes Global 1000 companies, emerging companies and the investment community by providing comprehensive industry coverage that reflects a unique global perspective and combines ongoing analysis of markets, technologies, econometrics and demographics.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Inbound Call Centers for Customer Support Services : know your Needs

Inbound Telemarketing Services able to communicate more effectively with service providers about your inbound call center needs, truly getting what you want.

In order to find out more about inbound call centers for customer service and support, please visit our helpful buyer’s guide to inbound call centers. It can help you answer important questions like “What should I look for in an inbound call center?” and more.

Inbound call centers are business centers dedicated to assisting companies with inbound customer service and support calls. There are a wide variety of inbound call centers available, including those with bilingual customer service representatives, 24 hour capabilities, and both dedicated and diverse customer service representatives at your service. Inbound call centers employ service and support experts whose specialty is to best serve you through excellent service to your customers.

Inbound Call Center : Giving Customers strong Solutions

Inbound call centers can be lifesavers. After all, when your phone's ringing off the hook, it's proof that business is finally booming. When you're too busy to answer, however, it's a sign that your business is buckling. Inbound call centers can help.

Designed to help you improve both customer service and relationship management, inbound call center solutions are an affordable, effective means for accommodating growth while satisfying customers. In fact, inbound call centers offer many benefits, and can make life easier for your business on several fronts.

1. Inbound call centers are ideal for taking and processing orders via phone.
2. Inbound call centers offer a fast and affordable solution to sudden surges in business.
3. Inbound call center software can double as an answering service.
4. Perfect for customer service, call centers are an excellent instrument for managing and improving customer relationships.
5. Outsourced call centers are an accessible option for companies that want to provide round-the-clock tech support.


Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Assess your inbound call center needs

For smart management, inbound call center shopping begins with a needs analysis. Decide what inbound call centers can do for you -- order collection,

customer service, tech support -- as well as how much volume you expect to throw their way, then proceed accordingly.


Compare outsourced call centers with inbound call center software

If your inbound call volume is low, and consists mostly of informational inquiries, consider on-site call management; inbound call center software is an

ideal do-it-yourself solution. If your call volume is high, however, and includes more complex customer interactions, outsourced call centers, which are vendor-driven, are a better option.


Research offshore outsourced call centers

While controversial, outsourced call centers in other countries are worth considering because they are cheaper by far than U.S.-based inbound call centers.

You can minimize controversy and still take advantage of lower rates by employing inbound call centers closer to home, in Canada or the Caribbean, for example.

I recommend: There are outsourced call centers worldwide, including Call Centers in India; International Market Access, in the Caribbean; Asian Call Centres, in the Philippines; and TigerTel/UTR, in Canada.

Inbound 'call' centers? Try inbound 'contact' centers

Focused increasingly on comprehensive customer service, call centers are turning more and more into generalized contact centers, answering inquiries made not only by phone, but also by e-mail, instant message and web chat.

I recommend: Popular vendors providing inbound call center software with wider contact center capabilities include Avaya, Nortel and Genesys.

Find inbound call centers with the special services you need

Many inbound call centers offer unique services such as subject matter specialties and multilingual customer service reps, which can truly differentiate you with your customers.

I recommend: Look for inbound call centers via the American Teleservices Association; its member directory is searchable by company type, location and specialty.


Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

Keep in mind that inbound call centers are more than commodities; they're also instruments with which to brand and publicize your business. Because they're

often companies' primary point of contact and customer service, call centers should be treated not as products, but as partners.
• Because most inbound call centers charge you based on usage, ask vendors to give you price quotes for an average month, a slow month and a busy month.

• While some inbound call centers offer shared agents, which handle calls for multiple companies, others offer dedicated agents that are assigned

exclusively to your company. The former agents are more affordable, but the latter tend to produce more satisfied customers; know the difference and choose

accordingly.

• If you're looking at inbound call center software, ask for a free trial. If you're looking at full-blooded outsourced call centers, ask to visit the

call center in person and to listen in on live calls being answered for other customers.

• While many inbound call centers will offer to set up your customer service phone number for you, it's important to own your line. Acquire your own

number, therefore, and have it assigned to your inbound call center.

• Because most service contracts with inbound call centers are binding for at least six months to a year, make sure yours includes pricing and terms

that are clear and correct. What's more, make sure your vendor signs a service level agreement (SLA); not always standard, it guarantees short response times for your customers.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Call Center Outsourcing News and Trends

Contact center outsources are a growing piece of the business landscape for many industries. A call center business can be a profitable enterprise that serves the needs of business with customer service, help desk and telemarketing activities. As more call center outsourcing for small businesses open up opportunities, you should keep an eye on the call center outsourcing news and trends to remain competitive.

Information about outsource call center opportunities are available if you take the time to look for it. Whether you need the services of an outsourcing call center, or run one of the many call center outsourcing companies, you need to stay on top of emerging technology and other resources that can add to your profitability. Follow call center outsourcing news and trends in a number of ways.

1. Follow trends in call center outsourcing for businesses

2. Subscribe to call center publications

3. Meet with industry experts to get the latest outbound call center management information


Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find the latest inbound call center trends

As call center outsourcing providers learn more about the needs of their clients and what businesses are willing to outsource, they are becoming savvier about where to place calls to reach your audience. B2B contact center outsourcers are a growing business trend that you should consider suing if you haven't yet.


Stay on top of call center outsourcing providers

While you need to spend time watching the industry trends and the latest emerging technology that is affecting the industry, you should find the best publications that address your specific needs. Find niche publications that can narrow your focus and regularly feed you with the important news that you need so have each day.


Get to know call center operations professionals

A good networking group can be your best source of call center outsourcing news and trends. By getting involved in industry trade groups and associations you can be on the front lines of new information and find out what's going on in the industry from those who are most active in it.


Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

Request each of your employees to join a call center business trade group so that your company is well represented at all events and you don't miss out on any break news and trends.
Compiled from business.com

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Profitable Customer Relationships through off shoring call Center Services

The fundamentals that will help your organization achieve greater success

If you’re still trying to sort out what customer relationship management really means, you're not alone. The term has been so hyped and so broadly interpreted that it remains a source of confusion. And once codified as a popular business movement, terms tend rise and fall with the trends of the day.

But it’s important to remember that building profitable customer relationships will never go out of style. From the days of the corner store in centuries past, to the global enterprises of the future, the following 12 principles will remain the backbone of building a successful business. Each is both compelling on its own and intertwined with the others — there is no question, though, that customer relationship management as an integrated whole is greater than the sum of these parts.

1. Continuously Learn About Your Customers. This is the first principle of managing customer relationships because it is the most fundamental. From this everything else follows. When you know your customers, you can make sound business decisions about how to develop your relationships with them. Collect and analyze information about your customers to get to know them well. Maintain your knowledge in customer profiles that are available to all who need them. But don’t stop there. Apply everything you know to building a customer valuation model. Knowing the value of customer relationships is essential for managing them wisely.

2. Handle Different Customers Differently. This idea has been repeated so many times that it’s practically taken for granted now. But the power of this principle lies in the potential for optimizing the value of each customer relationship through differential treatment. Based on customer segmentation, call centers can provide user-appropriate Web and interactive voice response (IVR) interfaces, routing routines, service levels and content. It is important, however, not to differentiate simply because technology exists that can do so. Segment customers sensibly. There are hidden costs to differentiation that must be weighed against the increased value that personalization can be expected to produce. Effective strategy ultimately seeks to optimize the value and "wallet share" of each customer segment.

3. Anticipate Customer Needs. Building strong customer relationships positively alters the selling process in many ways. Knowledge of your customers presents new opportunities for making the right offer to the right person at the right time. Analysis of customer profiles, especially using powerful analytics tools, can provide insight about who buys what from you when. Contact management systems can detect cross-sell and upsell opportunities and act upon them by presenting suggestions to agents during service calls, dynamically responding to customer input or automatically presenting customized offers in Web pages and IVR systems. Even government and nonprofit organizations can use these principles to better fulfill their charters and anticipate the needs of their constituents.

4. Interact With Customers. Desirable relationships are not one-way. Relationships result from interaction. Knowing your customers is just the first step. Use that knowledge to deepen relationships with customers whenever you interact with them. No matter how sophisticated the technology that organizations and customers use to communicate, your customers are people and people appreciate being recognized, listened to and understood. Letting your customers know that you care enough about them to get to know them is an important part of managing the customer relationship.

5. Focus on Revenue and Retention. Unlike many other management initiatives, building strong customer relationships is not first and foremost about cost savings — although that will often be the end result. Instead, the emphasis is to increase the revenue received from current customers and heighten the retention rate of valuable customers. A renewed focus on customer relationships can require so many organizationwide process changes that operational cost savings may well be realized, but in other ways. Talk time on customer calls may increase as agents make the most of each opportunity — it takes time to service customers well, to listen to them, to collect information about them and to upsell and cross-sell to them. But these steps can pay off in multiples. The return on investment for building customer relationships should not be expected from short term operational cost savings.

6. Increase Value for Your Customers and the Organization. The bottom-line reason for building customer relationships is to increase value both for customers and the organization. There are many ways to deliver increased value, including being “easy to do business with,” creating efficiencies for your customers and making timely offers of products or services that perceptively address customer needs. Similarly, there are many ways to increase the value of your customer relationships, and the most fundamental of these appear in this list of key principles. When executed properly, building customer relationships is a “win-win” for all parties.


7. Present a Single Face Across Channels. One of the ways to create value for your customers is to simplify the ways that they deal with your organization. Take a holistic view of your customers and consolidate information from across the organization, regardless of geography, department, function or product line. When you have a complete picture of each customer’s relationship, you can design customer interaction processes from the customer’s perspective, thus increasing value and letting customers know that you know them.

8. Enable Information Sharing and Interaction Across the Organization. Building customer relationships requires all parts of an organization, not just the call center. It is both a requirement and a benefit that organizations improve their internal communication processes. The only way to develop a comprehensive view of each customer’s relationship with the organization is with the full participation of every part of the organization. This requires strong support from top management and across the board. As the central point of contact with customers, the call center has a vested interest in driving the development of organizationwide interaction processes.

9. Create Business Rules to Drive Decisions. Business rules codify and automate processes, specifying what should happen in specific situations, thus enabling both differentiated customer treatment and automation. Developing organizationwide business rules is a monumental task, and how well it is done directly affects your success in building customer relationships. Business rules define the ways that the strategy is executed.

10. Empower Employees with Information and Training. Capable desktop tools may be the most visible technological feature of customer relationship applications. Just as the cockpit of an airplane displays all the information a pilot needs to fly in any condition, the contact management screen should pull together cleanly and clearly all that the organization knows about its relationship with that customer. Furthermore, business rules should dynamically change that screen to support and guide the agent in optimizing the customer relationship. Empowerment is a key principle, however, because no set of business rules can or should fully anticipate every conceivable situation: Agents need training, information and support offered by business rules so that they can make good decisions that are consistent with the organization’s strategy.

11. Retain the Right Customers. One of the truisms associated with customer relationship management is that it is cheaper to retain a customer than to acquire a new one, but that idea can be taken a step further. In order to maximize value, organizations should focus on retaining valuable customers, not necessarily all customers. Be warned, however, that misapplication of this principle can be dangerous. Mistreating “low value” customers, even if you are losing money on them, is hard to justify in the court of public opinion (which is where your future high-value customers are sitting).

12. Remember That Cultivating Customer Relationships is a Way of Doing Business. These efforts go beyond tools, techniques or programs. Building customer relationships is about the way you do business. It requires participation and hard work by people throughout the organization, and if done right, the work never ends. Results from these efforts should be fed back into the process to continuously refine business rules, marketing efforts and information systems. True optimization has no finish line — it’s an ongoing mission.

Source : cmsight.com