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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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Ensim announced its support for Microsoft's highly anticipated Dynamics CRM 4.0, the multi-tenant version of Microsoft's customer relationship management (CRM) application.
SpringCM announced the availability of SpringCM 4.1, the newest version of the company's document management and workflow software as a service. This new version offers enhancement to features that enhance business productivity, including major updates in search, advanced view and markup, preview mode and electronic signatures.
Accenture has opened an Innovation Centre at Oracle's U.K. headquarters in Reading to accelerate the development, delivery and commercialization of innovative business solutions based on Oracle technology.
Panoratio, developers of real-time dynamic data discovery and analysis solutions, has chosen and implemented Marketbright's on-demand platform to execute and track their on- and off-line direct marketing initiatives. The Marketbright system has enabled a limited marketing staff to manage multiple simultaneous campaigns and track the resulting return on investment.
Convergys announced it has signed an agreement to provide debt collections for a major financial services firm.
Residential broadband penetration in Western Europe is set to rise by 48 million households over the next six years, from 44 percent penetration at the end of 2007 to 71 percent by the end of 2013, according to a new study by Forrester Research.
WealthCraft Systems has become the first hosted Microsoft Dynamics CRM Solutions Provider Partner in Asia-Pacific.
Amdocs announced it has signed an agreement with AT&T Services to provide application management services in support of AT&T's legacy customer care and billing platforms beginning later this year.
Global Retail Insights, an IDC company, announced the release of its annual Top 10 Predictions report, Worldwide Retail Industry 2008 Top 10 Predictions, which identifies the major market and technology trends that will directly influence global retailing and the resulting shopper experience around the world. According to this new study, retailers are preparing for what will no doubt be a turbulent 2008.
Interactive Intelligence announced preliminary results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year, ending Dec. 31, 2007. The company expects to report fiscal year revenues of between $109.0 million and $111.0 million, with GAAP operating income between $8.0 million and $8.5 million.
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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 | 55.92 |  | 1.42% |
| Dow Jones | 12,735.31 | | 1.15% |
| Nasdaq | 2,474.55 | | 1.38% |
| S&P 500 | 1,409.13 | | 1.34% |
| Top Gainers |
| SAP | 48.1 | | 57.90 |
| HP | 44.44 | | 49.78 |
| NCR | 20.97 | | 47.99 |
| Top Losers |
| eOn | 0.46 | | 0.78 |
| Selectica | 1.69 | | 1.75 |
| Broadvision | 1.84 | | 2.20 |
| Complete Stock Index |
| As of close 01/09/08 | |
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"OUR TAKE"
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