A Practical Guide to CRM
This book is a guide to achieving customer satisfaction by choosing the right CRM systems, and explains how to use CRM to integrate all channels of customer contact.
TABLE OF CONTENTS A Practical Guide to CRM
Chapter 12: The Call Center Evolution
Despite all dire predictions, the reports of the death of the call center are greatly exaggerated (to paraphrase Mark Twain). The new century brought with it a more competitive environment new technologies, a spat of deregulation and the precipitous rise of the Internet. With so many businesses facing stiff competition, the demand on the corporate call center (the primary touch point for the vast majority of customers) is skyrocketing. What this means is that the call center must be able to deal with this new paradigm. It must be able to handle more calls, which are often more difficult and time consuming. This requires hiring and training a call center staff that is more knowledgeable than in the past and then providing that staff with access to more information.
The Stampede to CRM
Businesses must be prepared to face stronger competition, higher customer expectations, cost-containment pressures, and broader and more complicated product and service offerings.
As illustration: Insurance companies now have financial institutions offering products and services that were once their domain. Banks face new competition from insurance companies, mutual funds and mortgage companies. The telecommunication industry is reeling from deregulation and the influx of wireless providers, cable companies, and the like into their space.
Let's not forget the affect of the Internet on the entire business community, bringing competition from previously unknown sources new companies (Amazon) and remote businesses (Home Depot, through its website, can easily compete with the local hardware store).
Due to the new competitive...
Copyright Janice Reynolds 2002 under license agreement with Books24x7
