Moving the Call Center from Good to World Class

What makes a contact center world class and how do I get there? This question is on the minds of more and more call center executives and leaders today because of the successes realized by companies — Amazon, Zappos, USAA and others — that have positioned service as their key differentiator.

These companies operate successfully in low-margin, high-competition industries because they’ve created loyalty and volume by focusing on a great customer experience. A recent study by the DiJulius Group found that only about 5% of companies fall into the world-class category. The majority provide customer service at average or below-average levels.

Based on how the shift by companies to a focus on customer service, the number of world-class ratings should be much higher, but many companies fall short in the area where the rubber meets the road — the contact center. If a company doesn’t get the contact center part of the customer experience right, that company will never be able to move the customer’s perception of them to anywhere near world class.

What makes a contact center world class and how do I get there? This question is on the minds of more and more call center executives and leaders today because of the successes realized by companies — Amazon, Zappos, USAA and others — that have positioned service as their key differentiator. These companies operate successfully in low-margin, high-competition industries because they’ve created loyalty and volume by focusing on a great customer experience. A recent study by the DiJulius Group found that only about 5% of companies fall into the world-class category. The majority provide customer service at average or below-average levels. Based on how the shift by companies to a focus on customer service, the number of world-class ratings should be much higher, but many companies fall short in the area where the rubber meets the road — the contact center. If a company doesn’t get the contact center part of the customer experience right, that company will never be able to move the customer’s perception of them to anywhere near world class.

Read the entire article here:

http://cooneysolutionsgroup.com/files/LTmar10_WorldClass.pdf

We can help you deliver world-class:

http://cooneysolutionsgroup.com/Overview.html

Articles and free downloads can be found at

http://www.servicelevelgroup.com

Call Center Outsourcing Success

Economic change often drives a company to consider outsourcing, or to increase the amount of work they already outsource. One of the main reasons that companies outsource is to reduce expenses – people, dollars, time, etc.   From a corporate perspective, the call center is a prime outsourcing candidate. Most companies don’t consider the call center a core function; many see it as a necessary evil. That the call center is challenging to manage only adds to a company’s desire to outsource call center functions.

Starting about 10 years ago, many companies rapidly moved to searching for cheaper, offshore alternatives to customer service processes. As with domestic outsourcing, some offshore initiatives succeeded, while others failed. In our consulting work, we’ve found that, in most cases, outsourcing failure isn’t due to geographic location; rather, it’s the result of companies not fully understanding and appreciating their customer service processes and not understanding the direct link between those processes and revenue generation and customer satisfaction.

The outsourcing industry has evolved, and many call center-focused providers are now known for delivering excellent service – sometimes even better service than that provided by the client company’s in-house call centers. Call center outsourcers that excel recognize that they have to be “the experts” in contact center operations. They work diligently to ensure that all of their leaders are prepared to perform exceptionally in this challenging environment. Top outsourcers also understand the call center’s real value. They know that it goes far beyond merely processing transactions; they must be focused on delighting customers and getting a real ROI out of every interaction.

Download the entire article here

http://www.servicelevelgroup.com/files/CC Pipeline Outsourcing.pdf
Articles and free downloads can be found at
http://www.servicelevelgroup.com