As the contact centre industry continues to develop, the competition among the many different players in this sector intensifies. As this industry matures and the number of people who are a part of it grows exponentially, customers and end-users are getting more demanding in the choice of service provider (contact centre) that they pick. For contact centre operators, the challenge is even more daunting because, as more people, mostly Gen Y, are enticed to build a career in this sector, the issues that you need to contend with increases manifold. Of course, once you’re successful and are able to turn a mediocre contact centre into a “contact centre superstar”, the potential returns could be vast. So, as the adage goes, it’s time to separate the men from the boys. Here are the Top 5 signs that you have an award-winning, business-building, contact centre that will boom. If you’re doing quite the opposite, be careful as it’s probably headed to go bust.

1. 5 WAYS
to Create an
Award-Winning,
Business-Building
Contact Centre
By: SSON Asia
As the contact centre industry continues to develop,
the competition among the many different players
in this sector intensifies. As this industry matures and
the number of people who are a part of it grows
exponentially, customers and end-users are getting
more demanding in the choice of service provider
(contact centre) that they pick. For contact centre
operators, the challenge is even more daunting
because, as more people, mostly Gen Y, are enticed
to build a career in this sector, the issues that
you need to contend with increases manifold. Of
course, once you’re successful and are able to turn
a mediocre contact centre into a “contact centre
superstar”, the potential returns could be vast.
So, as the adage goes, it’s time to separate the men
from the boys. Here are the Top 5 signs that you have
an award-winning, business-building, contact centre
that will boom. If you’re doing quite the opposite, be
careful as it’s probably headed to go bust.
1
TREAT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
AS TOP PRIORITY.
There is only one boss – the customer. And he
can fire everybody in the company from the
chairman on down, simply by spending his
money somewhere else.
- Sam Walton
According to a recent survey conducted by Customer
Management IQ, 63.6% of Executives and decision makers say
‘Increasing Customer Loyalty’ is their top business priority for
2013. This makes sense as the single most important thing that
a contact centre must focus on is customer experience as it
translates directly to customer loyalty. The Voice of the customer
(VOC), a term used in business and Information Technology
(through ITIL, for example), is now one of the key metrics that
superstar contact centres use in order to ensure customer
satisfaction.
Lee Reinecke, Head of North American Business Development
for Motif Inc. says, there are two trends that are moving in the
right direction:
î Using robust CRM tools that can provide one view of the
customer across multiple channels [and he includes social
media here].
î Constantly analyzing Voice of Customer to understand
customer expectations and design responses/solutions that
exceed customer expectations.
2
HAVE GOOD PEOPLE MANAGEMENT
PROGRAM IN PLACE.
If you pick the right people and give them the
opportunity to spread their wings—and put
compensation as a carrier behind it—you
almost don’t have to manage them
- Jack Welch
It’s important to have good people. But it’s equally important to
have good people management program in place if you want
your key people to stay, grow and keep adding value to your
contact centre.
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2. According to Executive Priorities Report 2013: Business Growth
through Customer Experience Strategic and Operational
Investment, “People skills and training was the leading area
where there would be an increase in focus and funding
to achieve Executives’ 2013-14 business goals.” It is also
important to note that people management goes beyond skills
development and training, it also encompasses conducive
working environment, growth opportunities and succession
planning, among others.
3
HAVE FLEXIBLE AND ADAPTABLE
OPERATIONS PROCEDURES.
Good management is the art of making
problems so interesting and their solutions
so constructive that everyone wants to get to
work and deal with them
- Paul Hawken
There is no one size fits all when it comes to dealing with
operational issues and challenges. Each problem is unique
and must be dealt with accordingly. A superstar contact centre
establishes clear guidance and frameworks describing how
to respond to a particular situation. Process improvement
procedures such as Six Sigma, Lean and Capability Maturity
Model (CMM) are among the best-known models around
but bottom line is the same: processes must be well-defined,
adaptable and responsive to the operational challenges at hand.
In the same Executive Priorities Report, it was revealed that:
“From a holistic corporate standpoint, increasing operating
efficiency is the number one 2013 priority among decision
makers, followed most closely by improving customer
satisfaction. Process improvement will be the chief area of
dedicated funding and resources for meeting those goals.”
4
DON’T JUST IMPLEMENT STRATEGIES RIGHT.
IMPLEMENT RIGHT STRATEGIES.
Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder
of success; leadership determines whether the
ladder is leaning against the right wall
- Stephen R. Covey
A capacity to see the “big picture” is what every great leader
possesses. They have the ability to steer the organization into the
right direction and make every stakeholder execute that vision
consistently and persistently.
Colin Taylor, a leading contact/call center expert and a recipient of
30 awards for excellence in Contact Center Management outlines
the 7 steps before a contact center strategic plan can be developed:
î Understand fully the corporate Strategy
î Understand customer segmentation and priorities
î Identify the impact of customer segments and priorities on
queuing management
î Understand applicable boundaries
î Examine your metrics and KPI’s
î Review and revise your demand forecast
î Examine you operational methodology for structural changes
5
YOU SEE TECHNOLOGY AS AN INVESTMENT,
NOT AN EXPENSE.
There might be new technology, but technological
progress itself was nothing new - and over the
years it had not destroyed jobs, but created them
- Margaret Thatcher
Basic rules of investing dictates that you must understand and see
its value before you invest in it. This is true in the world of finance
as well as technology. Surely, with an array of new and advanced
technologies available, it’s easy to get distracted from your real
goal or the specific job that you need to get done. Similarly, once
you start treating new technology as an expense, the kneejerk
reaction would be to reduce it to a minimum, which could actually
be counter-productive if you’re competing in a fast-paced, highly
demanding contact centre industry.
In selecting technologies to increase efficiency and to enhance the
customer experience, decision makers must take care to evaluate
not just the initial cost of the technology and its implementation, but
its integration and maintenance and future enhancements, as well.
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