The new paradigm for market dominance: for VoIP technology, teleservices & CRM ...Introduction As I indicated in my January 2005 editorial, the contact center/CRM industries are positioned for tremendous growth in 2005 and beyond. Barring unforeseen developments, we firmly believe that this will be the case. By the time you finish reading this editorial, I am sure you will be convinced as well. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] During the past month, I attended a call center conference and exhibition. I am happy to share with you that better than 90 percent of the companies I contacted indicated that sales has definitely picked up and the outlook is exceptionally bright for continuous growth. As the leading publication of the call/contact center and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) An integrated information system that is used to plan, schedule and control the presales and postsales activities in an organization. industry since 1982, it is our responsibility to look at every possible new way to help our industry, readers and vendors to avail themselves of the latest trends for successful and profitable operations within the call center/CRM industry. Having said that, I would like to bring to your attention our new vision. We firmly believe that teleservices companies will, be the bridge that connects technology and CRM for every corporation. I will now look at each one of these sectors and how they are interrelated in·ter·re·late tr. & intr.v. in·ter·re·lat·ed, in·ter·re·lat·ing, in·ter·re·lates To place in or come into mutual relationship. in . A. VoIP Technology In my view, and as I have indicated in my last dozen editorials, a golden opportunity exists for savvy contact center management to become early adopters of VoIP technologies in order to take advantage of this truly cutting-edge and advanced technology, not only to vastly increase the capabilities of your contact center, but also to drastically reduce cost. As we all know, in today's highly competitive global business environment competitive cost structure is the key for survival. Proper convergence of people with emerging new technologies such as IP contact center and speech technologies is the key. There are those who feel they can compete effectively by acquiring advanced technologies. Nothing could be further from the truth. Far more important than technology is the development and enhancement of the abilities of the contact center personnel, which play a far greater role than just technology. In other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently , senior management must realize they need to effectively converge con·verge v. con·verged, con·verg·ing, con·verg·es v.intr. 1. a. To tend toward or approach an intersecting point: lines that converge. b. and blend the new technologies with well trained and cultivated cultivated, n in herbal medicine, used to describe plants that are commercially farmed rather than collected from the wild. call center personnel in order to ensure success. And let me make it abundantly clear that this is a zero-tolerance situation. In other words, there is no room for mistakes and/or shortcuts See Win Shortcuts. . B. Teleservices: The Bridge That Connects Technology And CRM The philosophy of outsourcing (1) Contracting with outside consultants, software houses or service bureaus to perform systems analysis, programming and datacenter operations. Contrast with insourcing. See netsourcing, ASP, SSP and facilities management. the teleservices side of a business to a reputable rep·u·ta·ble adj. Having a good reputation; honorable. rep  u·ta·bil , award-winning teleservices agency stems from the fact
that not every company has what it takes to be an expert in technology,
teleservices and CRM. This is where teleservices outsourcing companies List of Outsourcing Firms<ref name="who" />Revenue (USD) Logo Company Headquarters Country of Largest Employment Service $3300 million function as the bridge that connects technology, people and CRM functions. As I have frequently stated, "If it is not your core-competency, outsource it." C. Domestic Outsourcing Companies Enjoying Significant Growth The outsourcing companies that have demonstrated award-winning quality, training, flexibility and adaptability a·dapt·a·ble adj. Capable of adapting or of being adapted. a·dapt a·bil to customer needs are
those that will continue to grow domestically for the reasons explained
previously.
Companies that have the above attributes and have the ability to use powerful marketing skills are the fortunate ones that will enjoy phenomenal growth (please refer to my February 2005 Publisher's Outlook at www.tmcnet.com/cis/0205/po.htm). Over the last two years, I have maintained in these editorials that savvy companies do not need to go offshore for high-end services such as CRM, customer care, customer retention and customer acquisition. All of these functions can be done effectively with a reputable domestic outsourcing company. The fact that several high-quality, award-winning teleservices companies are showing phenomenal growth domestically shows that companies have discovered that: 1) it's not prudent to send your customer database, let alone CRM functions, halfway around the world; and 2) you will only lose customers when you expose them to non-English speaking agents who are rude and not culturally aligned with U.S. customers. I am sure that you have read my comments in these editorials that "companies live or die from repeat business." When rudeness, lack of proper communication due to poor English and drastically different culture problems come in, then customers are lost by the hundreds. When there is no customer, there is no repeat business! The Logic Behind The New Paradigm New Paradigm In the investing world, a totally new way of doing things that has a huge effect on business. Notes: The word "paradigm" is defined as a pattern or model, and it has been used in science to refer to a theoretical framework. Successful companies are those that focus on what they do best and outsource what is not their core-competency to a reputable company. This outsourcer will speak the language of your customers and share the values and culture of your customers. Common sense dictates that it is nearly impossible to be 100 percent proficient pro·fi·cient adj. Having or marked by an advanced degree of competence, as in an art, vocation, profession, or branch of learning. n. An expert; an adept. in advanced technology, teleservices operation and applications, as well as all of the sophistication so·phis·ti·cate v. so·phis·ti·cat·ed, so·phis·ti·cat·ing, so·phis·ti·cates v.tr. 1. To cause to become less natural, especially to make less naive and more worldly. 2. needed in the implementation of CRM. The absence of this philosophy may be the main reason why many companies that have tried to implement CRM within their organizations have failed. The only logical solution that comes to mind is that organizations must allow teleservices companies to do the job of bridging the gap to avoid loss of customers. Winning Companies In The Spotlight As explained in my January 2005 editorial titled, "The Dawn of a New Era" (www.tmcnet.com/cis/0105/po.htm), the domestic contact center industry is, once again, enjoying rapid growth and profitability. In this issue, I would like to feature three exemplary companies that have demonstrated outstanding performance. Concerto concerto (kənchâr`tō), musical composition usually for an orchestra and a soloist or a group of soloists. In the 16th cent. concertare and concertato implied an ensemble, either vocal or instrumental. Software Posts Another Record Year: 75 Percent Revenue Growth in 2004 For the year ended December 31, 2004, Concerto Software achieved total revenue of $188.5 million, an increase of 75.7 percent over 2003 total revenue of $107.3 million. Product revenue for the year ended December 31, 2004, was $84.7 million, an increase of 76.4 percent over 2003 product revenue of $48.0 million. We at TMC TMC Technology Marketing Corporation (Norwalk, Connecticut) TMC Texas Medical Center (Houston, TX) TMC Traffic Message Channel TMC The Movie Channel TMC Traffic Management Center congratulate Concerto Software for their truly outstanding success. Millennium Teleservices Earned The No. 1 Ranking In The Top 50 Outbound out·bound adj. Outward bound; headed away: outbound trains. Adj. 1. outbound - that is going out or leaving; "the departing train"; "an outward journey"; "outward-bound ships" We asked Lisa Slader, President of Business Operations Business operations are those activities involved in the running of a business for the purpose of producing value for the stakeholders. Compare business processes. The outcome of business operations is the harvesting of value from assets at Millennium Teleservices, to share with us the key to the company's admirable ad·mi·ra·ble adj. Deserving admiration. ad  mi·ra·ble·ness n.ad success. Here are the results: NT: To what do you attribute your success at being the No. 1-ranked outbound teleservices agency? LS: Much of Millennium's success can be attributed to our decision to remain committed to outbound telemarketing telemarketing, the practice of selling goods or services to customers by means of the telephone or of surveying consumer preferences in telephone conversations. while many of our competitors chose to abandon this channel. Additionally, in response to the challenging regulatory environment, we chose to invest in our most valued asset, our people. Through increased training and development, we have been able to remain both compliant and competitive. NT: During our last conference call, you spoke of "a highly sophisticated training program." Would you please briefly elaborate/explain? LS: Actually, our training programs focus on the basic principles of selling skills, effective communication and product knowledge. It is the reinforcement reinforcement /re·in·force·ment/ (-in-fors´ment) in behavioral science, the presentation of a stimulus following a response that increases the frequency of subsequent responses, whether positive to desirable events, or and ongoing coaching and development that make it so successful. NT: In your judgment, what do domestic outsourcing companies have to do in order to compete with offshore companies? LS: We believe the key to competing in this channel is focusing on delivering quality, performance and responsiveness. InfoCision Moves Up Four Levels To No. 4 In The Outbound Top 50 Ranking We asked Steve Brubaker, Senior Vice President--Corporate Affairs at Infocision Management Corporation, to share with us their key to success. Here are his remarks: NT: To what do you attribute your success at jumping so dramatically to No. 4 for domestic outbound? SB: Through extensive training and call monitoring A call center feature that lets managers listen in on agents' calls in order to improve agent performance. Also called "agent monitoring" and "call logging," it can be done in real time with or without the agent's knowledge, or calls can be recorded for later retrieval. , InfoCision has established itself as the highest quality call center company in the world. Our trademarked Q3 quality control process monitors every Communicator (or agent) and ensures that each phone call meets our clients' high standards. NT: Please briefly describe/explain your training program. SB: InfoCision considers training critical throughout an employee's tenure with the company. Not only have we implemented a rigorous orientation program for new employees, but training continues as employees grow and experience new opportunities. Our workforce development model includes constant monitoring, evaluation feedback and coaching for our Communicators. We also operate our own corporate university, IMCU IMCU Intermediate Care Unit IMCU Indiana Members Credit Union (Indiana Bank) IMCU Industries Mutual Credit Union (Parramatta, Sydney, Australia) IMCU International Milk-Clotting Unit , which provides supplemental training and even college credit. We work with local universities to build classes on issues such as diversity in the workplace, advanced Microsoft applications, public speaking and more. IMCU offers employees excellent opportunities to improve their skills and advance in their careers. NT: In your opinion, what do domestic outsourcing companies have to do in order to compete with offshore companies? SB: The biggest advantage we have over offshore outsourcers is that our employees speak the language of U.S. customers. They can communicate without the cultural barriers that exist in foreign countries. We have found that the best way to compete is to invest in quality control, agent training, compliance and advanced CRM technology. These crucial elements enable us to deliver a superior return on investment for our clients. As always, I welcome your comments. You can e-mail me at ntehrani@tmcnet.com. I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming Speech-World[TM] Conference, co-located with our IP Contact Center Summit and Global Call Center Outsourcing Summit, on May 24-26, 2005, at the Westin Park Central Hotel in Dallas (www.speechworld.com). Congratulations To Award Winners As the industry's leading publication since 1982, it is our distinct honor to congratulate all award winners of the 20th Annual Top 50 Teleservices Agencies Ranking (out-bound) and the winners of the IP Contact Center Technology Pioneer Award featured in this issue. By winning these coveted cov·et v. cov·et·ed, cov·et·ing, cov·ets v.tr. 1. To feel blameworthy desire for (that which is another's). See Synonyms at envy. 2. To wish for longingly. See Synonyms at desire. awards, you have distinguished your company as one of the very best in your sector. Be sure to inform your target audience of this great news, for awards without marketing and differentiation are wasted! Please read my Publisher's Outlook titled "Award Marketing" at www.tmcnet.com/cis/0203/0203po.htm. Sincerely yours Adv. 1. sincerely yours - written formula for ending a letter sincerely , Nadji Tehrani Nadji Tehrani is an American businessman, the founder and CEO of Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC), which publishes magazines and runs conferences devoted to the business of telemarketing, a word on which Tehrani himself holds a registered trademark. Executive Group Publisher, Editor-in-Chief By: Nadji Tehrani, Executive Group Publisher, Technology Marketing Corporation |
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