Take a look at what four call center professionals have to say about getting IVR right, in this CMI article, “Characteristics of a Customer-Focused IVR System.”
call center management
Archive for the ‘ICMI’s CMI’ Category
ICMI’s Customer Management Insight magazine
CMI: Characteristics of a Customer-Focused IVR System
Posted by Ted Hopton on February 5, 2008
Posted in Call Center Management, Call Centers, Customer Sat, Customer Service, ICMI, ICMI Publications, ICMI's CMI, Technology | Tagged: Call Center Management, Call Centers, customer-focused, IVR | Leave a Comment »
CMI: Sales and Analytics Driving Contact Center Compensation
Posted by Ted Hopton on February 5, 2008
If you’re looking for (or considering) a call center management position, you should read Layne Holley’s article in ICMI’s Customer Management Insight (CMI), “Sales and Analytics Driving Contact Center Compensation,” first. In addition to being a rich source of call center management salary data compiled from various sources, the article offers valuable insights regarding the skills being sought in call center management roles.
“The individuals who are going to be highly sought out or compensated differently to some degree are those with the proven ability to develop a sales or service strategy — or both — and who have strong analytical competence to measure and manage metrics — not just look at the numbers, but interpret that data and either develop a successful customer segmentation strategy or a cross-sell or upsell component to get more value out of each call,” he says.
Check it out.
call center management
Posted in Call Center Management, Call Centers, Career, ICMI, ICMI's CMI, Management, Research | Tagged: Call Center Management, compensation, salaries | Leave a Comment »
CMI: Tactics of Truly Customer-Centric Centers
Posted by Ted Hopton on February 5, 2008
Great article by Greg Levin in ICMI’s Customer Management Insight (CMI), Tactics of Truly Customer-Centric Centers.” I recommend reading it. Here’s a taste:
If I had a dollar for every contact center that claims to be highly customer-centric, I’d be able to purchase a condo in Aspen. If I had a dollar for every contact center that truly embodies customer-centricity, I’d be able to purchase a lift ticket in Aspen — maybe.
To get you started, here are the seven (7) “critical tactics of the most customer-centric contact centers” that Greg identifies: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Call Center Management, Call Centers, Customer Sat, Customer Service, ICMI, ICMI's CMI, Technology | Tagged: Call Center Management, customer satisfaction, Customer Service, customer-centric, Technology | Leave a Comment »
The Key to Innovation Is Maintaining Your Strengths
Posted by Ted Hopton on January 14, 2008
Jay Minnucci, ICMI’s Vice President of Consulting Services, is one of the foremost experts on call centers anywhere, so I always make sure to read any articles he’s written. This one, The Key to Innovation Is Maintaining Your Strengths, in ICMI’s Customer Management Insight (CMI), offers up a new concept to add to your business continuity planning (I know that sounds boring, but read on!): “strength maintenance.”
All forms of contingency planning for quick-strike events are critical to business success. It’s not easy, and truth be told, many managers either don’t have the necessary plans in place or readily admit that they are not as robust as they should be. But at least there is an awareness of the risk. Erosion is much more mysterious and less often discussed, but it’s every bit as dangerous as a service disruption from a disaster. A strength maintenance program helps to highlight your success and ensure that it remains a strength in the future. Without having to worry about taking “two steps back,” any positive change from innovation will then truly leave you one step ahead.
Posted in Call Center Management, Call Centers, ICMI, ICMI Consulting, ICMI's CMI, Management, Strategy | Tagged: business development, Call Centers, ICMI, ICMI Consulting, Jay Minnucci, Management, Strategy | Leave a Comment »
Pajama Calls
Posted by Ted Hopton on January 14, 2008
Sitting here in my pajamas and bathrobe in my home office, I have to admit that I really like the fact that I can pick up the phone and call anyone without concern that they can detect, let alone see or critique, what I am wearing (and I won’t even try to describe my unshaven bed-head appearance, either — Monday morning came way too fast).
“Too much information,” you are probably thinking! Well, that’s my point. I’m reading Greg Levin’s article in ICMI’s Customer Management Insight, The Viability of Video Contact Centers, and I’m not feeling too excited about the idea. Maybe it’s just because I am in my PJ’s right now . . .
The technology that drives video contacts may be maturing, but are customers and contact centers ready for video calls? Industry experts offer their views.
What do you think? Is it just me, or is there going to be significant demand for video call centers? Of course, there are certainly specialized contact centers where video would be a wonderful added-value. I’ll guess we’ll just have to wait to see what develops. Greg’s article is a great place to start if you’re wondering.
call center management
Posted in Call Center Management, Call Centers, ICMI, ICMI's CMI, Technology | Tagged: Call Centers, Customer Sat, Customer Service, ICMI, ICMI's CMI, Technology, Trends, Video, Web 2.0 | Leave a Comment »
Got Knowledge in Your Contact Center?
Posted by Ted Hopton on January 14, 2008
If you want a good primer on Knowledge Management systems for call centers, check out Got Knowledge in Your Contact Center? in ICMI’s Customer Management Insight (CMI).
Leverage the intelligence in your center in a way that adds value for your customers. An introduction to Knowledge Management processes, tools and practices.
Posted in Call Center Management, Call Centers, ICMI, ICMI's CMI, Technology | Tagged: Call Centers, ICMI, ICMI's CMI, KMS, knowledge management, Technology | Leave a Comment »
