Our speakers for this FREE Webcast will be:
- Keith Dawson, Senior Analyst, Frost & Sullivan
- Keith Sommers, Director of Support, BigBand Networks
- Gretchen Nemechek, Product Marketing Manager, Citrix Online
Register here.
Thursday, March 13th at 9 AM Pacific time / Noon Eastern time
The evolution of the customer service contact center naturally grew from targeted technology solutions, beginning in the late 1970s with the invention of the first automatic call distributor (ACD). As requirements for handling customer contacts both inbound and outbound became better defined, high-tech companies focused on better and better enabling technology addressing very specific requirements, known today as "point solutions," or in the aggregate, "multi-point solutions." These multi-point solutions included popular names such as automatic dialers, call routing, call recording, interactive voice response (IVR), computer telephony integration (CTI), and many more.
Less than five years ago, astute design engineers began to realize that point solutions, though solving individual requirements very well, were a nightmare to install and maintain, usually requiring an army of IT professionals as well as expensive outside consultants. Thus, the birth of the "all-in-one" solution that arrived at the contact center fully integrated and ready for very ordinary professionals to install, and program, and maintain.
During this Webcast, you will hear Joseph A. Staples of Interactive Intelligence discuss:
- What are the functional differences between multi-point and all-in-one solutions?
- Is there a real cost difference between all-in-one and multi-point solutions?
- Are there hidden cost differences that matter?
- What is the true cost of ownership?
- Are there differences between all-in-one on-premise versus off-premise?
In addition to sharing his insights on these topics, Joseph will answer your questions about the cost comparison between all-in-one solutions compared to the alternative multi-point solutions.
Register here.
Thursday, February 28th at 9 AM Pacific time / Noon Eastern time
The companies that will thrive in 2008 will be those that retain customers. To do so, they will need to define and attain service goals that reflect the aims of customers. In short, successful companies will have to be customer-centric.
Are you ready to lead your organization toward customer centricity? During this Webcast, you'll learn from Bill Durr, author of the book Customer Centricity through Workforce Optimization, how combining quality assurance with customer feedback enables your company to retain not only customers, but also the agents and back-office personnel who are most skilled at assisting them.
In addition to sharing his insights, Bill will answer your questions during this Webcast about what you can do to achieve customer centricity across your business.
Register here.
Thursday, December 6th at 9 AM Pacific time / Noon Eastern time
Too many companies today rely solely on the monitoring of internal performance indicators to assess the performance of their contact center operations. It is imperative that these indicators be expanded to include external data gathered directly from the "Voice of the Customer."
According to Ken Landoline, Program Manager with the Yankee Group, "Post-interaction surveys and speech analytics are prime examples of under utilized technologies that can address the gap in service perceptions existing between the enterprise and the customer."
Attend this live, complimentary Webcast to hear Ken Landoline of the Yankee Group provide an overview of the methods and tools available to capture the Voice of the Customer in your contact center.
Mr. Landoline will share his findings on the best practices for implementing post-call surveys and speech analytics to ensure contact center performance optimization.
During this Webcast, you will learn about:
- The tools and technologies available to gather the Voice of the Customer;
- Contact Center trends for the implementation of customer feedback and analytics technologies and processes;
- Best practices and customer case studies for gathering customer feedback and analytics; and
- Suggested ways to raise the perceived strategic value of the contact center within the enterprise by leveraging the Voice of the Customer.
Register here.
Thursday, November 29th at 9 AM Pacific time / Noon Eastern time
You may not be able to prevent disasters, but you can mitigate their impact on your ability to assist customers.
At this Webcast, we'll outline the essential components of a viable business continuity plan for your customer care team. Through real-life examples, we'll describe how a flexible approach to technology implementation – including hosting – and a flexible approach to staffing can ensure that your company is available to customers who depend on you the most.
Whether you're preparing a business continuity plan for the next holiday season, or for years to come, you'll find this Webcast to be a valuable starting point for enabling your company to sustain its commitment to customers, even in the most challenging circumstances.
Register here.
Thursday, November 15th, 2007 at 9 AM Pacific time / Noon Eastern time
Want to ensure customer service is a valuable contributor to your organization, and not a cost of doing business?
To do so, you have to make a compelling case within your organization for why your customer care team is the most important source of intelligence about the people you serve.
You also have to demonstrate how, by applying this insight in the design and delivery of a more meaningful experience, you advance your company's strategic goals for building deeper and more lasting customer loyalty.
At this Webcast:
- We'll advise you on how to convey the strategic value of your customer care team throughout your organization, including among your colleagues in sales and marketing; and
- We'll reveal how you can influence the way your company defines goals for attracting, as well as retaining, customers.
Register here.
Thursday, November 1st, 2007 at 9 AM Pacific time / Noon Eastern time
Think enabling agents to work from their homes is a risky venture for your customer care team?
You may be surprised to learn that at-home agents have become mainstream in many companies. What's more, they're typically among the top performers and longest-tenured agents in call centers that employ them.
At this Webcast, featuring a case study from Horizon Air, you'll learn how to combine the latest technological resources, including IP telephony applications, with proven methods of identifying which members of your team have the skills and traits that characterize effective at-home agents.
Register here.
Thursday, October 11th, 2007 at 9 AM Pacific time / Noon Eastern time
Think coaching agents has an impact on your operation?
At this Webcast, we'll demonstrate the powerful impact quality has not only on the performance of your call center, but also on the performance of your entire company.
In addition to presenting the latest research on best practices in coaching, we'll share a case study about how a holistic approach to performance management enabled American Express International to establish a consistent coaching and development program for more than 3,000 agents worldwide to drive continued improvements in customer experience.
Register here.
Tuesday, October 2nd, 2007 at 12 noon eastern.
ICMI's own Debbie Harne will host industry experts Bob Furniss and Wanda Sitzer (who both began their careers as agents). Your reps will be inspired and will gain tips on how to share their Spirit of Service with every customer they encounter. Plus, we'll announce the three winners of ICMI's Spirit of Service Award – given to frontline representatives who go the extra mile for their customers, company and co-workers!
Join us October 2 at Noon Eastern time. There is no cost to attend.
Enroll your team today!
Thursday, September 27th, 2007 at 9 AM Pacific time / Noon Eastern time
Why is it that so many companies, despite their best efforts, perpetuate a wide gap between how they evaluate the quality of their service and how their customers actually perceive it?
At this Webcast, we'll reveal some of the underlying causes of this gap, and we'll outline a customer-centric workforce optimization plan you can use to help bridge the gap within your organization.
This Webcast offers a rare opportunity to gain actionable insights into how you can balance your company's goals with your customers' expectations.
Register here.
Thursday, September 20th, 2007 at 11 AM Pacific time / 2 PM Eastern time
Do you have the power to resolve technical issues with one contact – every time?
While many support organizations primarily focus on conventional performance metrics such as service level and cost per call, SSPA research has shown that increasing first contact resolution by 5 percent can save over $2 million a year.
Join us for a live Webinar on September 20 to hear SSPA analyst John Ragsdale make a business case for improving first contact resolution and explain how it links to significantly reduced operating costs and increased customer loyalty.
During this Webinar you will learn how:
- Remote-support technology is a key contributor to increased first contact resolution,
- Quality-monitoring tools ensure that representatives are properly following prescribed support procedures and
- Using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) can improve your support center's efficiency.
Register here.
Tuesday, August 28th, 2007 at 11 AM Pacific time / 2 PM Eastern time
Phone-based automated customer service applications are a part of our everyday lives, and voice automation is becoming a more popular offering than ever.
But many questions can and will come up when your company considers adding voice automation to its customer service strategy. What's your return on an investment in speech? Where can you benefit the most? And the most basic questions of all are: Does it work and will my customers use it?
During this Webcast you will learn about:
- The best applications for speech,
- The evolution of speech applications, and
- When and how to add speech to your customer service.
Register here.
Thursday, August 23rd, 2007 at 12 noon Eastern time
This Webcast will outline the latest advances in real-time speech analytics and reveal how this technology can help fulfill two key goals: to retain customers and to enable agents to communicate better with them.
You'll learn how real-time speech analytics can empower agents to resolve issues correctly the first time and help you discover previously hidden best practices that distinguish top performers on your customer care team. You'll also find out how real-time speech analytics can enable you to identify immediate opportunities for your overall organization to assure customers' long-term loyalty.
Key speaker: Donna Fluss, Founder and President, DMG Consulting.
Register here.
Thursday, August 16th, 2007 at 12 noon Eastern time
Do you assume customers hate interactive voice response (IVR) systems and always want to press "zero" to speak to live agents? Think again.
What customers really care about is whether you can offer the right balance between live service and automated service.
At this Webcast, we'll show you how to achieve this balance. You'll learn how to establish a deployment strategy – combining IVR, speech recognition and automated notifications – to ensure customers use their time communicating with your company as productively as possible.
As we'll demonstrate, the more you can help customers be productive in their interactions with your company, the more productive agents – and your entire company – become as well.
Featured speakers include Robert Cate, Director of Contact Center Operations with Vegas.com, and Ken Landoline, Program Manager with Yankee Group.
Register here.
Thursday, April 12th, 2007 at 9 AM Pacific time / 12 Noon Eastern time
Ten years ago, the decision to consolidate call centers meant bringing agents into one brick-and-mortar structure. That was Call Center Consolidation 1.0.
Today, you don't need to have agents under the same roof to get the benefits of consolidation. In fact, your operation can be globally distributed, can combine in-house and outsourced agents, and still reside on one unified platform hosted within your enterprise or by a service provider. Consolidating the technology that agents use is the best way to give your organization the flexibility to rapidly deploy agents and applications wherever and whenever you need them. That's Call Center Consolidation 2.0.
At this Webcast, we'll show you how to apply the strategy of Call Center Consolidation 2.0 within your organization – whether you maintain multiple sites, employ at-home agents, deploy agents offshore or collaborate with outsourcers. We'll outline the bottom-line business benefits of Call Center Consolidation 2.0, including reduced total cost of ownership and greater customer satisfaction.
Plus, we'll share examples of how Call Center Consolidation 2.0 works in real-world companies. This Webcast is interactive, and we invite you to come with questions for our expert panelists about how you can prepare your organization for the next wave in customer care.
Register here.
How to Build a Superstar Workforce and Still Be Selective
Wednesday, April 4th, 2007 at 9 AM Pacific time / 12 Noon Eastern time
Hiring a superstar workforce of agents requires a one-two punch.
First, you need effective recruiting practices to build a pool of quality applicants. Second, you need effective assessment techniques, such as objective testing and structured interviews, to identify superstar talent.
At this Webcast, you'll gain insights and you'll hear practical examples from call centers that use proven methods to attract top-performing agents. You'll learn how to:
- meet challenges of recruiting agents in geographic areas that are saturated with call centers,
- put together a successful employee referral program and
- select the best agents for your call center.
During this Webcast, we'll provide a complimentary white paper to all attendees. We'll also dedicate plenty of time to Q&A, and we invite you to come with your questions for our panelists. Remember – free advice from the experts is hard to find.
Register here.
