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1/9/08 - It's Scary Outside the Box
It's the middle of winter. Right now, it's cold outside and inside is a much more pleasant and safe place to be. So living outside the box can be down right uncomfortable. For many organizations, encouraging employees to work "outside the box" implies a negative hit to the bottom line. Consider these thoughts from one reader:
"While I totally agree with 'out of the box' thinking for agents, that takes some empowerment that many manager are not willing to give. Too many centers have very specific scripts and rigid rules that agents must follow, leaving little room to do what the caller needs or wants. Management fears that agents will give away the store, but our experience suggests that empowered agents give away less than supervisors do when calls are referred to them. This improves the customer experience through one call resolution with someone who appears to care and be able to help, reduces transfers to supervisors, and increases agent satisfaction. How bad is that??"
In my opinion, that is not bad at all. Here's a thought. Recall my story about the agent that shared her "I don't live in a box" exclamation. She was not the first person I talked to. I was passed to this empowered seasoned pro but it took me 54 minutes to get to the person that could help me. Would I be more loyal if it had been 14 minutes? I think so. Do you think so?
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)
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TODAY'S NEWS (more)
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The PerformanceEdge Group of Aspect Software announced its customer, ANWB (Royal Dutch's Roadside Assistance Service), is implementing the workforce management capabilities of PerformanceEdge in its two contact centers.
Cabinet NG set a new standard for SMB document management with the latest release of its flagship product, CNG-SAFE 6.0. CNG-SAFE 6.0 is the first automated document management system to provide all the cutting-edge capabilities SMBs need for successful electronic document management - advanced data protection, state-of-the art user interface and the ability to integrate with most third party applications.
Exstream Software announced that Norwich Union Life has selected its Dialogue enterprise document automation software.
As part of their objectives to improve efficiency, effectiveness and control of operations, Animal Health, working with IBM, has selected SmartBPM and Customer Process Manager (CPM) contact management framework from IBM Platinum Partner, Pegasystems to drive operational improvement and provide agility throughout the organisation.
Macrosoft has entered into an agreement with Central Vermont Public Service to provide its emergency resource management tool, Resources on Demand (RoD), to the Rutland, VT-based utility. RoD is a multi-user system that manages resource requests and allocations, tracks personnel movements, and supports lodging and logistics during restoration events.
Rainmaker Systems announced it has signed a contract with Magma Design Automation to deploy its ViewCentral Classroom and vClassroom Learning Management Services (LMS) platform for the company's customers and employees.
Sage Software announced it will host free Webcasts featuring Nucleus Research analysts Rebecca Wettemann and Marc Songini. Wettemann will present "Maximizing ROI For Your CRM Solution" on January 15th at 11:00 a.m. PST, and Songini will present "Maximizing ROI For Your Contact And Customer Management Solution" on January 16th at 11:00 a.m. PST. Attendees can register at www.sagecrmsolutions.com/nucleus and www.act.com/nucleus, respectively.
Echopass announced the appointment of Brian Galvin as Chief Technology Advisor (CTA). In his new role, Galvin is advising the senior management team on architecture and technology strategy for improving customer service for the Fortune 500 enterprise customer segment.
NCR has extended its self-service portfolio into the digital media market with the announcement of NCR Xpress Entertainment. The solution includes a high-capacity kiosk that enables rentals, sales of shrink-wrapped media or a combination - with a capacity of nearly twice that of competing units on the market today.
TeleTech Holdings announced that it has renewed a multiyear agreement with a current broadband communications client.
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 FEATURE WEBCAST (more) |
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"8 CRM Essentials"
Dan Chiazza, Director, Global Sales Operations, Harris Interactive
For the most successful companies, CRM is an area of continual innovation and assessment. And your CRM processes and technologies must keep pace with-or ideally stay ahead of-changes in your market and customer base. Whether you are searching for the right CRM technology for your business, re-evaluating your current use of CRM, or looking to derive more value from an existing investment, understanding the essential factors of CRM success can help you get the best results. This webinar highlights eight proven essentials distilled by over 30,000 global companies of all sizes and industry experts.
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| CRMAdvocate Stock Index |
| CRMSI | 55.14 |  | -0.67% |
| Dow Jones | 12,589.07 | | -1.89% |
| Nasdaq | 2,440.51 | | -2.42% |
| S&P 500 | 1,390.19 | | -1.87% |
| Top Gainers |
| SAP | 47.78 |  | 57.90 |
| HP | 43.19 | | 49.78 |
| NCR | 21.84 | | 47.99 |
| Top Losers |
| eOn | 0.46 | | 0.78 |
| Selectica | 1.72 | | 1.75 |
| Broadvision | 1.91 | | 2.20 |
| Complete Stock Index |
| As of close 01/08/08 | |
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April 21-23, 2008: Services Industry Summit - eService Strategies and Challenges - 2008 Services Industry Summit - eService Strategies - April 20-23, 2008 - Charleston, SC - Details coming soon!
|  | | January 28-31, 2008: 3rd Annual Call Center Summit - Leveraging Measurements And Technology To Drive Performance And Improve The Customer Experience - January 28 - 31, 2008* Colonnade Hotel Coral Gables* Miami, FL
| | | February 20-21, 2008: Support Centre Showcase Sydney - Service Strategies Asia Pacific is preparing for its annual "Services Industry Best Practice Showcase" event in North Ryde Sydney, Australia, February 20 - 21, 2008. The Showcase will highlight best practices from SCP participating organizations and others. Topics include Breaking Through The Talent Barrier, Fuelling Organisational Growth Through Employee Engagement, Surviving and Thriving Through Huge Growth, and much more. Join us for the 2008 Services Industry Best Practice Showcase!
| | March 26-28, 2008: Celebrating Customer Service Excellence - Celebrating Customer Service Excellence, March 26-28, 2008 at the Disney Yacht and Beach Club Resort in Orlando, FL. This is our premier customer service conference and will focus on the seamless collaboration between the back end of operations, adjacent departments and the front end customer experience.
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"OUR TAKE"
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