CallCenterScript: March 2006 Archives

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Mar31	Call Center Movie 'Jam' Mayer March 31, 2006 Know More: Call Center Humor Call Center Humor A short film featuring an Indian call center employee working at home answering phones for 4 different companies. This hilarious film shows the lighter (and funny) side of outsourcing. It has been entered into several film festivals and received a Golden Reel nomination at the VC Los Angeles Pacific Film Festival. Filmmakers Amyn Kaderali, Manish Goyal and Sunil Malhotra did a good job infusing humor in the film. Riverside International Film Festival says “BEST COMEDY!” “A Must-See! Fantastic!” – Film Monthly It has created a lot of noise within the blogosphere and discussion forums flourished with positive and negative comments. Personally, it was simply fun to watch. It brought me back to my early years in the industry, having to answer calls from 2 companies. The confusion of picking up the correct customer is real. The food beside the computer is indicative of what home based agents do while they are on the job. The “cheat sheets” pasted on the walls are still being utilized. If you want to veer away from the seriousness of the industry to giggle and have fun, go ahead. Enjoy! Posted at 11:43 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar30	Tom Vander Well: Who are You Satisfying with Your QA Scale? 'Jam' Mayer March 30, 2006 * This post has been provided by Tom Vander Well, author of the Call Center Guy and is part of the C Wenger Group. Thanks Tom for being part of Know More Media's Guest Blogger Week. ------------------------------------- I'm always struck by the mixture of... Continue Reading Posted at 8:17 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar28	Tom Vander Well: Cracking Coaching’s Hard Nuts 'Jam' Mayer March 28, 2006 * This post has been provided by Tom Vander Well, author of the Call Center Guy and is part of the C Wenger Group. Thanks Tom for being part of Know More Media's Guest Blogger Week -------------------------- It was a classic moment. It... Continue Reading Posted at 6:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar27	Soliciting Commendations 'Jam' Mayer March 27, 2006 As call center managers look for ways to increase customer satisfaction, the easiest way of measuring great service real time would be getting feedback from the customer right after the call. This is called a commendation. Including commendations as part... Continue Reading Posted at 9:06 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Client Presentations in a Call Center 'Jam' Mayer March 27, 2006 It is standard to give a proposal to the client. The real challenge is when they decide to visit the site itself. They meet the leadership team and find out if they’re capable enough to meet their expectations. An agenda... Continue Reading Posted at 8:44 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar26	Complete Support for Home Based Agents 'Jam' Mayer March 26, 2006 Being a home based agent is being embraced by the current workforce. “The use of independent contractors to handle customer-service calls from their homes is soaring as companies look to cut costs -- and more employees seek jobs that allow... Continue Reading Posted at 7:29 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar25	Training & Quality: Partners for Improvement 'Jam' Mayer March 25, 2006 Most centers I’ve worked for see training and quality as a separate entity. Some have decided to merge them in one department. It is ideal that both functions are managed together. Processes for improvement would be seamless and communication is... Continue Reading Posted at 9:15 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar22	Call center Outsourcing Cartoon Call Center Comic March 22, 2006 Aside from the cost benefit associated with outsourcing, call centers are often outsourced because companies wish to concentrate on their core competencies. By allowing vendors to handle such support functions, businesses can then focus all their attention on more strategic... Continue Reading Posted at 5:27 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar18	A Saturated Market: What’s Next? 'Jam' Mayer March 18, 2006 Agents that were hired years ago when the call center industry penetrated the were among the best speakers and most were college graduates. Sad to say the market has been saturated. The supply of potentially great agents is lower than... Continue Reading Posted at 10:59 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar17	Functions of Call Center Furniture 'Jam' Mayer March 17, 2006 Running a 24 x7 center would mean a goal of utilizing seats at 100%. This would mean that agents from different programs are able to share the same seat and is used every minute of the day. You’re lucky if... Continue Reading Posted at 10:09 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar14	Telemarketing Lists Tim Stay March 14, 2006 Lists are one of the cornerstones of any direct marketing program, whether it be a telemarketing list, a mailing list, a direct mailing list or a general marketing list. List quality can vary greatly, so it important to develop a... Continue Reading Posted at 9:26 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Call Centers Tim Stay March 14, 2006 I had my first exposure to a call center in 1987. The firm I was working for was doing outbound calling to complete surveys for political and commercial clients. I started my call center in 1992. During that time, we became... Continue Reading Posted at 8:22 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Mortgage Lead Generation Tim Stay March 14, 2006 Mortgage Leads. I calculated once that my call center generated over 1 million mortgage leads in the 12 years I ran it. If you figure that 10 percent of those leads became mortgages, then you can estimate that we helped... Continue Reading Posted at 12:07 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar13	Call Center Software cartoon Call Center Comic March 13, 2006 Specialized call center software allows customer service departments to better manage their call volume. Various solutions like IVR, CRM and ACD are not only part of the industry lingo, but also represent crucial tools for any successful contact center operation. ... Continue Reading Posted at 11:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	What is a Predictive Dialer? Tim Stay March 13, 2006 Predictive dialers are automated calling systems designed to increase efficiency in high-frequency telemarketing and outbound call centers. These telephone dialing systems place calls from a predefined list of target numbers and transfer any successfully answered call over to an available... Continue Reading Posted at 11:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	An Outsider's Perspective 'Jam' Mayer March 13, 2006 A recent television show produced a segment highlighting the call center industry. They stated, “ Call Center . High paying job, an easy job, no age limit and a college graduate is not necessary. You only need a great sounding... Continue Reading Posted at 10:14 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar12	Coaching Calls: Team Leader or QAs? 'Jam' Mayer March 12, 2006 There are two approaches that operations can utilize when coaching the agents on their calls. Both are traditional methods and used widely in centers worldwide. Team LeaderThey are the agent’s supervisors so it is logical to take this route. The... Continue Reading Posted at 6:38 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar11	The English Campaign: Communication Solutions 'Jam' Mayer March 11, 2006 It is hard to learn a new language and one is expected to speak and write it effectively. Here are some organizations that put up centers to help in increasing English proficiency that outsourced call centers can take advantage of.... Continue Reading Posted at 8:31 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	A Crossroad: Money, Learning or Making a Difference 'Jam' Mayer March 11, 2006 Job fairs, head hunters, HR executive search firms and newspaper ads. Even employed, these groups will hunt you down especially if you are very marketable. This is one crossroad that a call center manager has right now. His... Continue Reading Posted at 7:33 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar10	Call Center Demo and Conference 'Jam' Mayer March 10, 2006 Like everyone else, we desire to learn more about the industry and attend seminars being sponsored by experts and leading consultancy groups. In Florida, Call Center Demo & Conference will provide workshops and seminars for call center professionals this year. ... Continue Reading Posted at 10:40 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 5	I Tried to Get Away 'Jam' Mayer March 5, 2006 Call Center Blurbs is a blog that I've been maintaining to focus on the human side of the industry. Here is one situation that was emailed to me that I'd like to share to start off this section. THE SITUATION:... Continue Reading Posted at 8:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Recruitment of Call Center Personnel 'Jam' Mayer March 5, 2006 Recruiting agents and operational support for a call center is tedious and difficult for an outsourced call center. There are a lot of processes surrounding around recruitment to ensure that it succeeds. What is important though is that you... Continue Reading Posted at 9:01 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Questions, Situations and More 'Jam' Mayer March 5, 2006 Our industry is not just about business processes. There is a human side and people drive them. The development and motivation of call center personnel is a critical component to make it easier to keep up with the daily stress. I... Continue Reading Posted at 12:33 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 4	Cartoon About Customer Satisfaction Call Center Comic March 4, 2006 The morale of the employees in the customer service department has a direct impact on customer satisfaction. Disgruntled workers rarely handle their responsibilities with the enthusiasm and diligence that is needed to resolve customer’s concerns. Here’s a cartoon from callcentercomics.com that... Continue Reading Posted at 4:53 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Changing the Face of Customer Service 'Jam' Mayer March 4, 2006 We all expect high quality service from companies most especially when you need to speak to a human being on the other line. Most prefer to speak to a live person rather spending their time pressing buttons to resolve... Continue Reading Posted at 9:27 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Negativity on Outsourced Phone Support 'Jam' Mayer March 4, 2006 Any company would do anything to save a buck or two and this is the reason why they’ve decided to offer their phone support overseas. But, is it really worth it? An article read, “Two-thirds of the companies that responded... Continue Reading Posted at 8:53 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 2	South Africa Call Centers 'Jam' Mayer March 2, 2006 It is good to know that we have readers from around the globe. This gives us a chance to look at how other countries are doing when call center work is outsourced. South Africa for example is becoming yet another... Continue Reading Posted at 7:16 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Understanding Cultural Differences through Coaching 'Jam' Mayer March 2, 2006 One big challenge that outsourced call centers have is ensuring that conversations between the customer and the agent is seamless. Learning the culture plays a big role in making this successful. Okay, I hear you. Is this another American Culture... Continue Reading Posted at 6:54 AM \| Permalink \| Comments

« February 2006 | Main | April 2006 »

Mar31	Call Center Movie 'Jam' Mayer March 31, 2006 Know More: Call Center Humor Call Center Humor A short film featuring an Indian call center employee working at home answering phones for 4 different companies. This hilarious film shows the lighter (and funny) side of outsourcing. It has been entered into several film festivals and received a Golden Reel nomination at the VC Los Angeles Pacific Film Festival. Filmmakers Amyn Kaderali, Manish Goyal and Sunil Malhotra did a good job infusing humor in the film. Riverside International Film Festival says “BEST COMEDY!” “A Must-See! Fantastic!” – Film Monthly It has created a lot of noise within the blogosphere and discussion forums flourished with positive and negative comments. Personally, it was simply fun to watch. It brought me back to my early years in the industry, having to answer calls from 2 companies. The confusion of picking up the correct customer is real. The food beside the computer is indicative of what home based agents do while they are on the job. The “cheat sheets” pasted on the walls are still being utilized. If you want to veer away from the seriousness of the industry to giggle and have fun, go ahead. Enjoy! Posted at 11:43 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar30	Tom Vander Well: Who are You Satisfying with Your QA Scale? 'Jam' Mayer March 30, 2006 * This post has been provided by Tom Vander Well, author of the Call Center Guy and is part of the C Wenger Group. Thanks Tom for being part of Know More Media's Guest Blogger Week. ------------------------------------- I'm always struck by the mixture of... Continue Reading Posted at 8:17 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar28	Tom Vander Well: Cracking Coaching’s Hard Nuts 'Jam' Mayer March 28, 2006 * This post has been provided by Tom Vander Well, author of the Call Center Guy and is part of the C Wenger Group. Thanks Tom for being part of Know More Media's Guest Blogger Week -------------------------- It was a classic moment. It... Continue Reading Posted at 6:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar27	Soliciting Commendations 'Jam' Mayer March 27, 2006 As call center managers look for ways to increase customer satisfaction, the easiest way of measuring great service real time would be getting feedback from the customer right after the call. This is called a commendation. Including commendations as part... Continue Reading Posted at 9:06 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Client Presentations in a Call Center 'Jam' Mayer March 27, 2006 It is standard to give a proposal to the client. The real challenge is when they decide to visit the site itself. They meet the leadership team and find out if they’re capable enough to meet their expectations. An agenda... Continue Reading Posted at 8:44 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar26	Complete Support for Home Based Agents 'Jam' Mayer March 26, 2006 Being a home based agent is being embraced by the current workforce. “The use of independent contractors to handle customer-service calls from their homes is soaring as companies look to cut costs -- and more employees seek jobs that allow... Continue Reading Posted at 7:29 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar25	Training & Quality: Partners for Improvement 'Jam' Mayer March 25, 2006 Most centers I’ve worked for see training and quality as a separate entity. Some have decided to merge them in one department. It is ideal that both functions are managed together. Processes for improvement would be seamless and communication is... Continue Reading Posted at 9:15 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar22	Call center Outsourcing Cartoon Call Center Comic March 22, 2006 Aside from the cost benefit associated with outsourcing, call centers are often outsourced because companies wish to concentrate on their core competencies. By allowing vendors to handle such support functions, businesses can then focus all their attention on more strategic... Continue Reading Posted at 5:27 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar18	A Saturated Market: What’s Next? 'Jam' Mayer March 18, 2006 Agents that were hired years ago when the call center industry penetrated the were among the best speakers and most were college graduates. Sad to say the market has been saturated. The supply of potentially great agents is lower than... Continue Reading Posted at 10:59 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar17	Functions of Call Center Furniture 'Jam' Mayer March 17, 2006 Running a 24 x7 center would mean a goal of utilizing seats at 100%. This would mean that agents from different programs are able to share the same seat and is used every minute of the day. You’re lucky if... Continue Reading Posted at 10:09 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar14	Telemarketing Lists Tim Stay March 14, 2006 Lists are one of the cornerstones of any direct marketing program, whether it be a telemarketing list, a mailing list, a direct mailing list or a general marketing list. List quality can vary greatly, so it important to develop a... Continue Reading Posted at 9:26 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Call Centers Tim Stay March 14, 2006 I had my first exposure to a call center in 1987. The firm I was working for was doing outbound calling to complete surveys for political and commercial clients. I started my call center in 1992. During that time, we became... Continue Reading Posted at 8:22 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Mortgage Lead Generation Tim Stay March 14, 2006 Mortgage Leads. I calculated once that my call center generated over 1 million mortgage leads in the 12 years I ran it. If you figure that 10 percent of those leads became mortgages, then you can estimate that we helped... Continue Reading Posted at 12:07 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar13	Call Center Software cartoon Call Center Comic March 13, 2006 Specialized call center software allows customer service departments to better manage their call volume. Various solutions like IVR, CRM and ACD are not only part of the industry lingo, but also represent crucial tools for any successful contact center operation. ... Continue Reading Posted at 11:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	What is a Predictive Dialer? Tim Stay March 13, 2006 Predictive dialers are automated calling systems designed to increase efficiency in high-frequency telemarketing and outbound call centers. These telephone dialing systems place calls from a predefined list of target numbers and transfer any successfully answered call over to an available... Continue Reading Posted at 11:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	An Outsider's Perspective 'Jam' Mayer March 13, 2006 A recent television show produced a segment highlighting the call center industry. They stated, “ Call Center . High paying job, an easy job, no age limit and a college graduate is not necessary. You only need a great sounding... Continue Reading Posted at 10:14 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar12	Coaching Calls: Team Leader or QAs? 'Jam' Mayer March 12, 2006 There are two approaches that operations can utilize when coaching the agents on their calls. Both are traditional methods and used widely in centers worldwide. Team LeaderThey are the agent’s supervisors so it is logical to take this route. The... Continue Reading Posted at 6:38 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar11	The English Campaign: Communication Solutions 'Jam' Mayer March 11, 2006 It is hard to learn a new language and one is expected to speak and write it effectively. Here are some organizations that put up centers to help in increasing English proficiency that outsourced call centers can take advantage of.... Continue Reading Posted at 8:31 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	A Crossroad: Money, Learning or Making a Difference 'Jam' Mayer March 11, 2006 Job fairs, head hunters, HR executive search firms and newspaper ads. Even employed, these groups will hunt you down especially if you are very marketable. This is one crossroad that a call center manager has right now. His... Continue Reading Posted at 7:33 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar10	Call Center Demo and Conference 'Jam' Mayer March 10, 2006 Like everyone else, we desire to learn more about the industry and attend seminars being sponsored by experts and leading consultancy groups. In Florida, Call Center Demo & Conference will provide workshops and seminars for call center professionals this year. ... Continue Reading Posted at 10:40 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 5	I Tried to Get Away 'Jam' Mayer March 5, 2006 Call Center Blurbs is a blog that I've been maintaining to focus on the human side of the industry. Here is one situation that was emailed to me that I'd like to share to start off this section. THE SITUATION:... Continue Reading Posted at 8:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Recruitment of Call Center Personnel 'Jam' Mayer March 5, 2006 Recruiting agents and operational support for a call center is tedious and difficult for an outsourced call center. There are a lot of processes surrounding around recruitment to ensure that it succeeds. What is important though is that you... Continue Reading Posted at 9:01 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Questions, Situations and More 'Jam' Mayer March 5, 2006 Our industry is not just about business processes. There is a human side and people drive them. The development and motivation of call center personnel is a critical component to make it easier to keep up with the daily stress. I... Continue Reading Posted at 12:33 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 4	Cartoon About Customer Satisfaction Call Center Comic March 4, 2006 The morale of the employees in the customer service department has a direct impact on customer satisfaction. Disgruntled workers rarely handle their responsibilities with the enthusiasm and diligence that is needed to resolve customer’s concerns. Here’s a cartoon from callcentercomics.com that... Continue Reading Posted at 4:53 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Changing the Face of Customer Service 'Jam' Mayer March 4, 2006 We all expect high quality service from companies most especially when you need to speak to a human being on the other line. Most prefer to speak to a live person rather spending their time pressing buttons to resolve... Continue Reading Posted at 9:27 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Negativity on Outsourced Phone Support 'Jam' Mayer March 4, 2006 Any company would do anything to save a buck or two and this is the reason why they’ve decided to offer their phone support overseas. But, is it really worth it? An article read, “Two-thirds of the companies that responded... Continue Reading Posted at 8:53 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 2	South Africa Call Centers 'Jam' Mayer March 2, 2006 It is good to know that we have readers from around the globe. This gives us a chance to look at how other countries are doing when call center work is outsourced. South Africa for example is becoming yet another... Continue Reading Posted at 7:16 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Understanding Cultural Differences through Coaching 'Jam' Mayer March 2, 2006 One big challenge that outsourced call centers have is ensuring that conversations between the customer and the agent is seamless. Learning the culture plays a big role in making this successful. Okay, I hear you. Is this another American Culture... Continue Reading Posted at 6:54 AM \| Permalink \| Comments

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