In today’s world, organizations whether big or small from every industry rely on CRM solutions to support their contact centers. It’s not always easy to determine what to look for when sourcing a new CRM solution. Some offer more than others when it comes to supporting contact center operations. Every contact center is unique, this article link explores some qualities that should be considered essentials when evaluating options. They are – Integration, Ease of Use, Understandable Analytics, Campaign Management, List Management, Customization, Scalability, Follow-Up and Follow-Through, and Survey Capabilities. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/the-best-qualities-of-a-contact-center-crm-tool-71058

Customers nowadays expect much more from organizations. So, every business must provide a world class customer experience that wants to win and keep customers. Hence, more and more contact centers are using analytics to collect both structured and unstructured data – from phone conversations to e-mails to social media to buying habits. This helps companies are to customize the experience for each customer. Analytics, can help organizations to go far beyond offering personalized support to each customer and also help you to understand what your customers want from you at the product and service level. Read more at: http://www.tmcnet.com/channels/call-center-management/articles/416191-benefits-customer-analytics-go-beyond-customer-relationship.htm

Many people worry about reaching out to unknown professional. Here are some tips to introduce yourself to new faces. 1) Personalize your invitation letter to connect avoiding usual generic format. 2) Don't waste time in getting to the point after your personalized introduction. One must be straightforward and state your intentions up front. 3) Whenever a person receives an invitation, they try to find common ground with another individual. Don't let him hunt for it, instead mention it in brief example, common skills or organization. 4) End with a call for action and lastly, always keep your profile updated before sending messages to new contacts. Read more at: http://www.business2community.com/linkedin/5-tips-connecting-strangers-linkedin-01412129#AVQmfkk5uvJit3qh.97

The customer support (CS) department is an important department as it helps in customer retention and customer satisfaction. According to a research, it was found that 78% of customers indicate competent CS agents are the key in keeping their satisfaction levels high. Contact center software plays a crucial role. If the software is updated if one wants to invest in a positive customer experience and increase employee engagement. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/voip-news/your-customer-support-department-would-kill-for-these-contact-center-features-70686

IVR has become important for call centers. It acts as a doorway to your company. IVR includes call routing, prompts, voice talent and more and these must be optimized in order to initiate the best customer service possible. IVR is efficient for the company and effective for the customer, if it is installed properly. Read more at - http://www.callcentertimes.com/Home/tabid/37/ctl/NewsArticle/mid/395/CategoryID/1/NewsID/1096/Default.aspx

Companies are finding that online fraud includes a phone call by the fraudster. Fraudsters call the bank or card issuer to check the available credit on stolen cards before making fraudulent purchases online. Banks are building a database of known fraudster voice prints in the call center with a new generation of voice biometrics. Passive voice biometrics can collect and examine a caller’s voice print in the background of a normal call. Banks can now detect fraudsters by voice, e.g.  They can detect calls like available credit inquiry by screening live calls against the fraudster database. When a known fraudster’s voice is detected, banks can flag the customer account as possibly compromised. Read more at: http://www.paymentssource.com/news/paythink/biometrics-in-the-call-center-can-combat-digital-fraud-3022703-1.html

Speech analytics is helping companies in recording customer experience. Cloud-based speech analytics also utilize audio mining technology to give contact center leadership an easy to implement platform that can analyze thousands of calls in real time. Agent knowledge assessments help companies to improve training practices that in turn increase revenue and productivity. Customer comment analysis adds “voice of the customer” observations that help in improving products and services. Jeanne Landau (author) in her article writes how leading companies are using speech analytics to enhance their customer engagement strategies at:  http://customerthink.com/three-ways-leading-businesses-use-speech-analytics-to-improve-their-customer-engagement-strategies/

Nowadays, the demand for home-based agents and hosted contact services is increasing and is affecting the dynamics of the provider ecosystem, which results in contributing new challenges and opportunities. According to a survey, it was found that the employee population, as a whole, grew by 1.8% from 2014 to 2015, while the employee population that telecommutes grew an impressive 6.5%. A new forecast issued by International Data Corporation (IDC) estimates that U.S. spending on customer care BPO using home-based delivery resources is increasing at a CAGR of 25.1% to $6.1 billion in 2017. Dave Walsh (StatesideBPO), writes in his article about why businesses are embracing the home-based agent model. Read more at: http://www.callcentertimes.com/Home/tabid/37/ctl/NewsArticle/mid/395/CategoryID/1/NewsID/1087/Default.aspx

Remote agents are becoming important these days. There are three reasons for that: lower contact center costs; improved customer service; and, improved employee satisfaction and retention. The other reasons are lower operating costs, less need for brick & mortar facilities, support staff, increased labor pool, and reduced training costs. But, proper tools must be used in order to maximize the use of agents. There are three essential tools for managing remote agents. They are: Agent Self-Scheduling Tools, Real-time Agent Adherence, and Online Productivity Tools. Read more at: http://www.callcentertimes.com/Home/tabid/37/ctl/NewsArticle/mid/395/CategoryID/1/NewsID/1054/Default.aspx

In today’s business world, customers are the most important. If you are not providing good customer service, they will tell the negative experience they had with your company. Hence, customer experience has become the most important part of business initiatives. So, in order for a customer experience initiative to be executed properly, it requires an investment in time and resources. Jeanne Landau (Director of Marketing, 800response), writes in his article about four things companies need to do to satisfy their customers and earn repeat business. Read more at: http://www.callcentertimes.com/Home/tabid/37/ctl/NewsArticle/mid/395/CategoryID/1/NewsID/1020/Default.aspx

Companies who want to save money for their call center, employ at-home workers. But, they should also take into consideration about the security aspect of the company. A cloud-based call center will combat security concerns. To know more about call center security, follow: http://www.blogher.com/ins-and-outs-call-center-security?wrap=blogher-topics/news-politics/technology&crumb=29

Remote agents are becoming popular in today’s business world. They are becoming popular because of lower contact center costs; improved customer service; improved employee satisfaction and retention. The other advantages are - operating costs such as lower starting wages and reduced benefits, less need for brick and mortar facilities and support staff, increased labor pool with flexible scheduling options, and reduced training costs associated with increased agent retention. There are three essential tools for managing remote agents. They are: Agent Self-Scheduling Tools, Real-time Agent Adherence, and Online Productivity Tools. To know about these tools, follow:  http://www.callcentertimes.com/Home/tabid/37/ctl/NewsArticle/mid/395/CategoryID/1/NewsID/1054/Default.aspx

Customers or clients are important in today’s world. If a customer doesn’t have a good experience, they will not only leave your company, but also tell about their negative experience. That is why customer experience has become important for any competition. Jeanne Landau (Director of Marketing, 800response), in her article writes about four things companies need to do to satisfy their customers and earn repeat business. They are: Engage in a dialogue with customers; properly train your employees; provide a seamless cross-channel experience; and invest in the right tools. Read more at: http://www.callcentertimes.com/Home/tabid/37/ctl/NewsArticle/mid/395/CategoryID/1/NewsID/1020/Default.aspx

Supervisory roles are important in any contact center. These roles require the ability to lead and inspire both in personnel management and operational competence. “The supervisor role in the call or contact center is the most critical and demanding of all and often gets the least attention,” says John O’Brien, CEO and founder of Sales Talent Group. But, being good at job will not hold good for supervisory role. It was found that contact center turnover rates averaged 30 to 45% in 2014. The costs associated with combating employee attrition are the reason for high turnover rate. These losses can be prevented by implementing strategic supervisor training. Read more at: http://www.callcentertimes.com/Home/tabid/37/ctl/NewsArticle/mid/395/CategoryID/1/NewsID/1037/Default.aspx

Workforce management is needed in every company and is very important for contact center success. A contact center is at risk of losing revenue if there is no workforce management. But, in spite of this, there are still confusions that discourage companies from investing in a quality workforce management solution. Bob Webb (VP Sales) writes in his article about some common myths about workforce management. They are: Workforce management is an ancillary application; all workforce management solutions are the same with algorithms that can produce a statistically valid forecast; only large centers benefit from Workforce Management - WFM is cost prohibitive for small centers; internal productivity metrics cannot tie in with workforce management tools; supervisors lose control of at-home agents; and customer data is at risk with hosted solutions. Read more at: http://www.callcentertimes.com/Home/tabid/37/ctl/NewsArticle/mid/395/CategoryID/1/NewsID/1027/Default.aspx

Attrition is often seen as a health check for any business. If a high number of people are leaving then something is wrong. The question is what, and what can be done to improve it. Micah Solomon (CONTRIBUTOR), in his article writes about the ways improvement can be done. They are: 1. Optimize recruiting and hiring

2. Enhance training programs

3. Enhance customer satisfaction focused monitoring

4. Establish clear communication channels

5. Enhance recognition and rewards programs

6. Coaching culture

7. Provide skill development programs

8. Offer continuous opportunities for promotion

9. Provide excellent software and tools

10. Improve work conditions

Read more here- http://www.forbes.com/sites/micahsolomon/2015/02/22/improving-customer-service-by-reducing-contact-center-agent-stress-and-attrition/

The atmosphere in an organization has a huge impact on the creativity and productivity of its employees. The kind of work culture you choose as an entrepreneur or businessman will determine whether your employees are loving the job or diminishing their efficiency under the immense pressure presumably being put on them. The importance of creativity and innovation is crucial for a company to grow out of the box and possibly become the next billion dollar company. In order to know more about the approaches to work, and their relevance and impact, click on the following link: 

http://www.callcentertimes.com/Articles/tabid/59/ctl/NewsArticle/mid/407/CategoryID/1/NewsID/1010/Default.aspx

The best of form of marketing is through your customers! If they're happy, you'll find your products selling, but if customers aren't happy, you'll find yourself in a bit of a tough spot. Success of a brand not only depends on how awesome the product is, but also on customer satisfaction. Keeping customers happy is more than a prerequisite in today's world for the success of a brand. Right from respecting your customers to investing in improving customer loyalty, each impacts the performance of the company; this is reflected directly on the sales! Follow the below link to find out ways to keep your customer happy: 

http://www.listenupespanol.com/News-Resources/bid/92851/4-ways-to-keep-your-customers-smiling

All major corporates employ customer call centers to incline to the needs of their customers. A client usually calls the customer center and the first impression he receives is that of the service tended to him by the customer care representatives. So, organizations have started using automatic voice response systems to reduce the workload of their agents, attain to their customers round the clock and reduce operational costs. However, it has been found that many customers are disappointed with the automatic voice response systems due to various reasons. Companies need to design effective voice response systems that are brief and serve the needs of the customers. Find the detailed view point here: 

Call centers control nearly 90% of the communications with organization's field representatives and customers and thus have a tremendous impact on the credibility and perception of the organization. This makes training of its voice a crucial aspect. Four steps to evaluate your training program are-

1. Building the fundamental skills

2.Technology training program- so that the voice of your organization is up to date on the new technologies.

3.Training staff about how the company do business

4.Regular audit of training program.

To know more-http://www.callcentertimes.com/Articles/tabid/59/ctl/NewsArticle/mid/407/CategoryID/1/NewsID/989/Default.aspx