| Call Center Research |
27.06.2008
Join the 2nd Annual Customer Contact 2008, Europe on 9-11th Nov in Barcelona
For the second consecutive year, and continuing to build upon the success of Frost & Sullivan's US based Call Center Industry Coverage and Events, we are delighted to announce the 2nd Annual Customer Contact 2008, Europe : A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange. Taking place 9-11 November 2008 at the Hilton Barcelona, in Barcelona, Spain, the industry's most interactive event will deliver real world insights and strategies from seasoned contact centre professionals along with multiple opportunities for you to network and benchmark against the industry's best.
Customise your experience with a program structure to meet your individual needs with 3 dedicated tracks and 13 interactive sessions to choose from including:
Track 1: Contact Centre and Agent Performance Optimisation
Track 2: Strategic Outsourcing
Track 3: Customer Experience Strategy
Sunday - Start off your Frost & Sullivan experience networking and building relationships with your industry peers with a historic tour of Barcelona. Then join us for a relaxed Networking Reception and Dinner later on in the evening.
Monday - Wednesday - Benchmark against the strategies, processes and technologies that deliver customer satisfaction and excellence through Frost & Sullivan's unique interactive format. Frost & Sullivan events propel networking to a new level, by maximising a pollination of ideas among industry cross-sections, and by delivering concrete value to your business. See an award-winning Contact Center in action on our site tour taking place Wednesday morning. It is an event you won't want to miss!
To learn more about
2nd Annual Customer Contact 2008, Europe:
A Frost & Sullivan Executive Mindxchange
Contact Frost & Sullivan at partners@frost.com for complete event details. You may also contact us by direct dial, in Europe, +44 (0) 1856 398641. From within the US, call 877.GO.FROST (1.877.463.7678).
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27.06.2008
Noble Amcat™ Strengthens European Team with New Financial Controller
Manchester (UK) 26 June 2008 - Noble Amcat, a global leader in innovative contact centre technology solutions, today announced the appointment of Tim Hallam as Financial Controller EMEA.
In his new role, Hallam is responsible for the financial management of Noble Amcat covering Europe, Middle East and Africa. Immediately prior to joining Noble Amcat, Hallam spent 7 years as Group Financial Controller for 4imprint Group with responsibility for the financial controls and efficiency of business both in Europe and the US, having started his career in the Audit and Business Assurance Department of Arthur Andersen in 1996. He is a fellow of ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants).
“The expanding footprint of Noble Amcat with increasing growth in EMEA demands a dedicated and experienced financial professional,” said Colin Chave, Noble Amcat General Manager EMEA. “I am delighted that Tim is joining us, as his skills and experience in Financial Management compliments our commitment to providing solid financial reporting and a reliable operations structure to support our loyal install base”. Chave adds, “As Noble Amcat operates from a number of offices throughout EMEA, Tim will help to streamline our business processes and dramatically improve our efficiency.”
Since Noble and Amcat joined forces in December 2007, the Company has gone from strength to strength. As a combined entity, Noble Amcat offers a highly scalable and flexible solution with an open architecture that ensures its clients and partners benefit from the best fit solution at the most competitive price.
About Noble Amcat
Noble Amcat is a global leader in contact centre technology solutions, providing innovative products since 1989. Tens of thousands of agents at 1000’s of client installations worldwide conduct business using the award-winning Noble platform for inbound/outbound/blended communications. The scalable, integrated Noble® Solution includes advanced ACD and predictive dialling; unified contact processing for voice, email, and web; and integrated IVR, digital recording, messaging, quality control/monitoring systems, scripting, and real-time reporting and management tools. Noble Systems was the first vendor to offer an open, scalable, fully-distributed platform. For more information on this item or the company, contact us at +44 (0)161 772 7100 or visit Noble Amcat online at www.nobleamcat.co.uk.
Noble, Noble Suite, Noble Systems, the N-logo, and Amcat are trademarks of Noble Systems Corporation.
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26.06.2008
Call Centre Technology provider Noetica Launches Standalone Predictive Dialler
All The Benefits Of Noetica’s Patented Script Aware Predictive Dialler Without The Requirement For A Telephone Switch
Noetica, a provider of agile customer interaction management (CIM) solutions for the contact centre, today announced the addition of new standalone predictive dialler functionality to its SYNTHESYS contact centre software. The dialler includes Noetica’s patented Script Aware technology to ensure high agent utilisation and optimised silent call rates in compliance with industry regulations. It also boasts preview and progressive (power-dialling), as well as voice recording integrated with SYNTHESYS CRM functionality.
For contact centres installing a new telecommunications infrastructure, setting up operations from scratch, or upgrading from an old dialler, Noetica provides the high performance dialling technology without reliance on a telephone switch.
Managing Director of Noetica, Danny Singer comments on Noetica’s range of dialling solutions, “The SYNTHESYS Script Aware Predictive Dialler continues to enjoy significant success in contact centres including customers such as Candis, 2Touch, RSVP and HCL BPO Services Northern Ireland. With the launch of the standalone dialler we have widened our portfolio to make responsible predictive dialling more accessible to all contact centres.”
The dialler was developed in-house by Noetica and takes advantage of card technology from Aculab integrated into the SYNTHESYS server. Singer explains, “With the Aculab card installed, SYNTHESYS is IP telephony enabled. This means onsite, distributed and home-based agents can use the unified thin-client front end to handle calls, without the need for a traditional telephone, although traditional handsets can be supported if preferred.”
For contact centres using the dialler to run their outbound campaigns Noetica is also providing low-cost voice recording integrated with SYNTHESYS CRM functionality. Singer adds, “Retrieval of voice recordings can pose a challenge as it is often divorced from the front-end CRM system, with only a date stamp for archiving purposes.” He continues, “For quality monitoring, training, compliance and complaint handling, etc, you can now retrieve and replay the relevant voice recording from the CRM record.”
The standalone dialler is available from Noetica today.
About Noetica
Noetica was the first software company in the UK to deliver a completely visually designed, fully integrated unified front end for contact centres. Our product range, SYNTHESYS™, reduces operational costs of inbound and outbound operations by up to 50% and agent training costs by up to 90%. It is available in both Client-Server and Web-based environments.
Noetica delivers SYNTHESYS™, the only Customer Interaction Management (CIM) software combining a SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) unified agent front end with a Business Process Management engine. Agents use a single system only. Non-technical staff can map processes and tailor screens to each process step within minutes and without any downtime. With SYNTHESYS™ you can:
- Unified Front End through a SOA type software framework
- Streamline multiple Front End processes without programming
- Set a Maximum of Silent Calls while still optimizing agent productivity
- Gather field service requests from clients and dispatch them to field staff – all via one seamless system.
More information available from marketing@noetica.com or at www.noetica.com.
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24.06.2008
BandTel Announces VirtualUSA Service
Call Centers and other international locations receiving a high-volumes of incoming calls from the USA now have a high-quality, economical alternative.
Newport Beach, CA, June 17, 2008 – VirtualUSA, a new service announced today by BandTel, the global leader in SIP trunking services, provides call centers and other international recipients of large volumes of incoming calls from the United States with dramatically reduced costs and excellent quality.
Utilizing BandTel's ENUM (Electronic Numbering) Server and flexible SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) switching infrastructure allows a virtual extension of US telephone and toll-free numbers to be answered at any foreign public switched telephone network (PSTN) termination point. ENUM translates between a traditional telephone number and an IP address for completion via the Internet. US Direct Inward Dialing (DID) or Toll-free (800, et al) calls using VirtualUSA services are received at the international location.
Many international call centers have been unable to take advantage of the benefits of voice over Internet (VoIP) because these calls may be blocked by their local telephone companies. As a result, they have been required to use expensive leased line circuits from the United States that carry the calls directly to their locations. These circuits can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per month as well as the additional cost per minute for the incoming calls. BandTel's VirtualUSA changes that entirely.
Now, call centers can receive incoming calls from the USA that are completed by the international long distance telephone service provider. High monthly recurring charges are relegated to the past and replaced with economical fees for services used.
"VirtualUSA is the answer that international call centers have been seeking," said Chris Dunk, president and CEO of BandTel. "Most call centers are very sensitive to the cost of doing business and have been hoping that VoIP will provide them with a competitive advantage. BandTel's VirtualUSA does just that."
BandTel's VirtualUSA is designed to complement the existing telephone network and does not require the international call center to be provisioned for VoIP. Rather, BandTel does all the work and the calls come in as if they were standard telephone calls. The only differences are lower cost and better quality!
Prices for VirtualUSA are specific to the country and region where service is to be delivered, and can be provided very quickly. For more information, visit BandTel on the web at www.bandtel.com or sales@bandtel.com for an immediate quote.
About BandTel
BandTel is the global leader in pure SIP Trunking services. The company ensures that customers and partners alike receive the most reliable, end-to-end VoIP and SIP trunking service available today. BandTel's N-Plus™ architecture is designed to solve throughput and redundancy problems on high-capacity SIP-based networks and eliminate single points of failure. BandTel is headquartered in Newport Beach, California. Further information on BandTel is available on the web at www.bandtel.com, at eeckman@bandtel.com or 503-403-0010 x6476.
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20.06.2008
Softigator Call Center Radar 14-06-08 to 20-06-08
These are the headlines only. For a full article view, got to the Softigator.com member are and click on “Start” – or go to http://www.softigator.com/callcenterbusinessnetworking/start.html.
All members are invited to participate and send press releases, comments and ideas to service@softigator.net!
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Events:
For an overview of Call Center Events worldwide go to:
http://www.softigator.com/callcenterbusinessnetworking/callcenter_market.html
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Europe:
BT announces streamlining of call centre operations and cutting jobs
HSBC to create 250 call centre jobs in Newport
300 jobs axed by Norwich Union
Aviva to shed up to 1,800 jobs by 2010
New Garlands contact centre completed
Response take over Inisoft
Ventura warns of redundancies
Thomas Cook to close its Accrington call centre
Possibility of 400 new jobs at Lillyhall
UK call centre workers to spend just 25% of their time talking to customers
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North America:
Deluxe Corp. to close call center
Suddenlink plans new $3.5M call center
Lack of telemarketing contracts renders call centre too expensive for ReliaClear
US Trend of appointing chief customer officers?
Several hundred new Call Center jobs in Ohio?
Wyoming trying to win Priceline.com call center
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APAC:
DMCC opens call centre in Dubai
Phillippines: Mismatch between call centers’ expectations and the preparedness of applicants
Gulf Air's Contact Centre in Bahrain increasing
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19.06.2008
Team-Based Organizations in Call Centers
By:
Oualid Jouini, Ecole Centrale Paris, walid.jouini@ecp.fr
Ger Koole, VU University Amsterdam, koole@few.vu.nl
Erlang C is the most frequently used model in call center operations management. Based on Erlang C properties, a call center architecture with a big pool of agents performs better than that with several small groups, because of the economies of scale. This classical rule ignores many aspects, especially the human ones. This human element is strongly present in call centers. In this article we want to look into the question: is one big call center really better than several small centers?
Read this article about team-based organisation in the call centre ! Go to the Softigator.com member area and click on “Start”.
If you are not a member yet, just take one minute to register and to confirm the verification link we send you. It is free.
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17.06.2008
Ventana Research study finds lack of Customer Experience Management capabilities
Only 12% of organizations found to be mature in their focus on ensuring the optimal customer experience
Glasgow, U.K. – June 17, 2008 – ciboodle, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sword Group and provider of customer-oriented business software and services, is a sponsor of the customer experience management benchmark study released this week by Ventana Research. The survey of more than 250 companies from around the world evaluated the maturity of customer experience management and found that only 12 percent of organizations are truly mature in their focus on ensuring the optimal customer experience.
Read the summary and download the new findings about call center performance! Go to the Softigator.com member area and click on “Start”.
If you are not a member yet, just take one minute to register and to confirm the verification link we send you. It is free.
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13.06.2008
Softigator Call Center Radar 06-06-08 to 13-06-08
These are the headlines only. For a full article view, got to the Softigator.com member are and click on “Start” – or go to http://www.softigator.com/callcenterbusinessnetworking/start.html.
All members are invited to participate and send press releases, comments and ideas to service@softigator.net!
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Europe:
Orange to cut 450 management jobs
Analyst view on Orange
Energy giant buys credit card centre and saves 800 jobs
Call centre employees could make big noise over risk of acoustic shock
InVision Software Named as Finalist at the 3rd Annual Contact Center World Awards
300 jobs axed at call centre
The Listening Company to expand one of its sites
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North America:
Microsoft and Aspect to join efforts
250 new jobs in Russellville call center
75% looking to install VoIP within the next two years
Agape Communications LLC to hire below expectations
ETelecare Global Solutions hiring for new Texas call center
SafeAuto Insurance Co. to launch a call center
N.E.W. Customer Service Companies Inc. to add 250 call center jobs
Embarq lays off 106, shutters local call center
Intuit to cut staff by 150
New Afni call center adds 200 jobs
New Convergys Call Center opened
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Africa:
Over a Thousand Jobs Created in Cape's Call Centre Industry
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APAC:
75 per cent opposed to businesses' offshoring call centres
Still lots of room for offshore outsourcing – new trend of setting up own operations?
Call center 'near hires' in Baguio to receive free training
ZTE launches 1st video call center in China
PTA asks ACCO for call centres’ list
Call Centre In Dunedin, NZ to be established
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12.06.2008
InVision Software Named as Finalist at the 3rd Annual Contact Center World Award
Ratingen (Germany), 9th June 2008 – Over 800 entrants competed in this year’s awards program which are initially judged by a team of industry professionals from around the world who run contact centers. InVision Software, a leading international provider of enterprise-wide workforce management solutions, has been named one of the few finalists in this prestigious awards program and will attend the three-day conference – The Top Performers in EMEA Conference in London, June 17 to 19th, 2008.
Commenting on the achievements of InVision Software, Raj Wadhwani, President of ContactCenterWorld.com added: “We are delighted to see InVision Software in the finals. What makes this awards program unique is that all award finalists will share best practice ideas and information at the conference. The conference will feature around 50 presentations from the very best in EMEA and the unique format allows the best to learn from each other and those who want to improve performance to learn from what the best do.”
Peter Bollenbeck, CEO of InVision Software, looks forward to the awards ceremony on June 19th: “To be considered for an award at this event confirms that the innovation that InVision has worked hard to achieve is recognised beyond our existing clients and this opens up new opportunities. The Contact Center World Award is an ideal platform to communicate the excellence we have achieved to the industry. It also offers the chance to become recognised as one of the best global contact centre solutions providers which is our stated aim.”
About ContactCenterWorld.com and the 3rd Annual Contact Center World Awards
ContactCenterWorld.com is the world’s leading online magazine, conference and awards company and is a provider of global benchmarking studies. With over 110,000 members, ContactCenterWorld.com created the unique awards program in 2006 and recognizes the very best in the world through these exciting events held around the world.
About InVision
InVision Software is a world-leading supplier of enterprise-wide workforce management solutions which enable companies to optimise their staff planning and scheduling processes. InVision empowers customers to reduce personnel costs, increase productivity, improve employee satisfaction and to boost revenue by leveraging better customer service. Founded in 1995 and based in Ratingen (Germany), InVision currently employs more than 200 WFM specialists and has offices across Europe, North America, and South Africa. InVision Software AG (IVX) is listed in the Prime Standard Segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Among InVision's clients are numerous international blue chip companies, such as ABN Amro, Allianz, BMW, Deutsche Telekom, IKEA, Sky and Vodafone.
Further information at: www.invisionwfm.com
Press Contact
Jutta Kropp
Head of Corporate Communications
InVision Software AG
Halskestrasse 38
D-40880 Ratingen (Germany)
phone: +49(0)2102-728-252
fax: +49(0)2102-728-111
email: pr@invision.de
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10.06.2008
Candis Subscribes To Noetica’s Script-Aware Predictive Dialler
UK’s Top Selling Women’s Magazine Increases Interaction Levels With Subscribers And Prospects Whilst Minimising Silent Calls
Noetica, the customer interaction management (CIM) software provider, today announced that the Newhall Publications Ltd title, Candis, has implemented of the Noetica Script-Aware Predictive Dialler at its contact centre in Liverpool. Candis is using the dialler to increase contact levels with its member base to renew, reactivate and upgrade subscribers and convert prospects.
Candis was first published in 1962 and is aimed at women between 28 and 54 with a household income of £15,000 to £30,000. Candis’ contact centre is using Noetica’s dialler to make over 12,000 call attempts per week to its 300,000 subscribers, as well as prospects sourced from cold lists and charity partners. Candis has been using the Noetica SynthesysTM software framework to manage and increase existing and prospect subscriptions since April 2004. The contact centre now runs a minimum of 10 campaigns at any one time across 21 agent positions.
Candis has always experienced excellent subscription conversion rates during outbound activity, however levels of interaction with the outbound contacts were not as high as required, as Telemarketing Manager at Candis, Clair Snee explains, “Candis is the UK’s top selling women’s subscription magazine and one of the key elements to maintaining this position, is to ensure we maximise our use of customer and prospect data, and increase the levels of contact with our readership. After evaluating two hard diallers, we selected Noetica’s Script-Aware Predictive Dialler because it seamlessly integrates with the SynthesysTM software framework and has no hardware to maintain.”
Noetica’s dialler works with the Synthesys Business Process Management Engine to identify the most appropriate point in an agent’s interaction to dial the next number, so Candis can be confident that the number of outbound calls it makes is maximised whilst significantly reducing the risk of silent calls.
About Noetica
Noetica was the first software company in the UK to deliver a completely visually designed, fully integrated unified front end for contact centres. Our product range, SYNTHESYS™, reduces operational costs of inbound and outbound operations by up to 50% and agent training costs by up to 90%. It is available in both Client-Server and Web-based environments.
Noetica delivers SYNTHESYS™, the only Customer Interaction Management (CIM) software combining a SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) unified agent front end with a Business Process Management engine. Agents use a single system only. Non-technical staff can map processes and tailor screens to each process step within minutes and without any downtime. With SYNTHESYS™ you can:
- Unified Front End through a SOA type software framework
- Streamline multiple Front End processes without programming
- Set a Maximum of Silent Calls while still optimizing agent productivity
- Gather field service requests from clients and dispatch them to field staff – all via one seamless system.
More information available from marketing@noetica.com
Editor's Contacts
Interviews, photography and further information are available from Graham Thatcher or Joanna Cannon at MCC International.
Graham Thatcher/Joanna Cannon
MCC International Ltd
Tel: 01962 888100
Email: noeticapr@mccint.com
URL: www.mccint.com
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09.06.2008
Noble Amcat™ Strengthens European Reach with New Channel Manager
Manchester (UK) 17 April 2008 - Noble Amcat, a global leader in innovative contact centre technology solutions, today announced the appointment of Martin Macnair in a new role of International Channel Manager. Macnair will be focusing on developing business through complementary partners, focusing primarily on Europe but also extending into Middle East and Africa.
Macnair joins the company to recruit further channels to market and is responsible for identifying, appointing and managing partners outside of the UK. He has over 20 years successful business development experience and a proven track record of delivering high end call centre solutions, managed services and consultancy for industry leaders.
In 1990 Macnair moved into the Contact centre technology/CRM arena, working directly with end users, top tier systems integrators and consulting firms. He is bringing to Noble Amcat an excellent track record of direct sales including multi million pound deals with T Mobile, NTL, 3, Dialaphone, Phones4U, Orange, HM Revenue & Customs combined with extensive experience in building new business alliances throughout the EMEA region.
Noble Amcat General Manager EMEA, Colin Chave said: "I am delighted that Martin is bringing his skills and experience in international channel management to Noble Amcat. His excellent track record of achievement adds to our strengths and positioning as a global provider of contact centre solutions.
Although we already have offices in the UK, US, Germany, France, South Africa, India, Australia and the Philippines, the global contact centre market still offers a huge opportunity for Alliance Partners such as Systems Integrators and Value Added Resellers to generate additional revenues. Whilst Noble Amcat has extensive relationships with technology partners, this new focus will extend our reach into unchartered regions,” Chave continued.
Since Noble and Amcat joined forces in December 2007, the company has gone from strength to strength. As a combined entity, Noble Amcat regards the scalability and flexibility of its offering as a major benefit to customers and partners, coupled with an open architecture, enables them to offer the best fit solutions for their clients at the most competitive price.
About Noble Systems/Amcat
Noble Amcat is a global leader in contact centre technology solutions, providing innovative products since 1989. Tens of thousands of agents at over 1,000 client installations worldwide conduct business using the award-winning Noble platform for inbound/outbound/blended communications. The scalable, integrated Noble® Solution includes advanced ACD and predictive dialling; unified contact processing for voice, email, and web; and integrated IVR, digital recording, messaging, quality control/monitoring systems, scripting, and real-time reporting and management tools. Noble Systems was the first vendor to offer an open, scalable, fully-distributed platform. For more information on this item or the company, contact us at +44 (0)161 772 7100 or visit Noble Systems online at www.noblesys.co.uk.
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06.06.2008
Softigator Call Center Radar Headlines 20-05-08 to 06-06-08
These are the headlines only. For a full article view, got to the Softigator.com member are and click on “Start” – or go to
http://www.softigator.com/callcenterbusinessnetworking/start.html.
All members are invited to participate and send press releases, comments and ideas to service@softigator.net!
If you are not a member yet, please click on the registration button, and confirm the verification link which you receive seconds after your submission. It's free!
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Events:
For an overview of Call Center Events worldwide go to:
http://www.softigator.com/callcenterbusinessnetworking/callcenter_market.html
Events UK:
Friday 13th June 2008
“Call avoidance and operational flexibility – the 2008 challenge for public sector contact centres” and site visit to North Warwickshire Council – Atherstone, Midlands
Further details at www.planningforum.co.uk/events
Friday 27th June 2008
Targeting Quality and Customer Satisfaction – Kegworth, East Midlands
This is a joint event for the Planning Forum’s Management Information and Back Office work streams and the new Directors Forum.
Further details at www.planningforum.co.uk/events
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Europe:
British Telecom pay £1.75million for call-centre fraud
Scotland call-centre workers fear job outsourcing to India
Call Centre Jobs In Doubt
Shocking decline in call centre service levels
Citigroup shuts UK call centre and 49 branches
Call centre will create 30 job
UK's Nationwide Building Society opens Swindon call centre
Call-centre firm Teleperformance's profits rise
DirecTV plans to buy call center
Firm fined over call centre checks
Call firm is healthier
Cactus Search bought by Network Group
Green light for 999 call centre
Woolworth outsources Customer Service to Getaline
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North America:
Littleton center sold for $16.85M
Boston company may open call center in Eugene
Layoffs for call-center workers
Verizon opens new call center in Tulsa
New call center hiring in Jonesboro
IQPC & Customer Management IQ Announce The Call Center Excellence Awards Taking Place at the 9th Annual Call Center Week
Call centre, director fined
Vonage Deploys Five9 Virtual Call Center
Convergys call center lays off 176
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Latin America:
Flow to build new customer centre - Commissions US$80m undersea fibre-optic cable
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Africa:
Innovation through Africa's Nerve Centre
South Africa: NW Call Centre to Bring Govt Services Closer to the People
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APAC:
China and Germany cooperate in construction of National Call Center
Maharashtra Call Centre Drivers' and Owners' Association (MCCDOA) calls strike in India
Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation to introduce "Dial-a-Ticket" programme
Oman Air call center goes 24x7
Round-the-clock services hotline
Call center hiring 7,000 agents
360 call centre jobs on the line in Australia
Attrition rate drives call centers to review HR strategies on the Philippines
Abu Dhabi Police to launch call centre
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05.06.2008
Public Sector Contact Centres leading the way in process improvement
Recent research by the Professional Planning Forum indicates that public sector contact centres are becoming a driving force for change. Whilst the private sector are beginning to look at cause of contact and re-engineering processes to improve efficiency and even the cause of contact itself, this is business as usual for the public sector.
Driven by the need to make services more accessible, service improvement is the key driver behind contact centres. The research for instance shows how while the private sector uses metrics and targets to plan, the public sector use them to improve the service, manage performance and to identify bottlenecks...
To read the article, go to the member area and click on "start". If you are not a member yet, please click on the registration button, and confirm the verification link which you receive seconds after your submission. It's free.
All members are invited to participate and send press releases, comments and ideas to service@softigator.net.
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