Contact Center Observer

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Over 37 years in business, CSI's CEO speaks to longevity and success

Mr. Robert Hutcheon, CEO of Coordinated Systems, Inc., was recently interviewed and the story was picked up by the Hartford Business Journal, TMCnet, and several other news sites. Here is an excerpt from the article:

Robert Hutcheon is not only the CEO of a successful Connecticut technology company, but also being a decorated war veteran of the United States Army, he has endured difficulties which are far greater than that which may be read in the Wall Street Journal.

Mr. Hutcheon has steered his company through many turbulent economic times, including the recent economic recession. In many ways, his past experience in the Army helped shape the business philosophies he employs today and were instrumental in allowing CSI to survive the economic storms of the previous thirty years as well as today's climate.

What's your perception of the previous decade in business?
RH: "From my perspective, as I look back on last year and the previous decade, I always come back to the same thinking with each new economic encounter, that things can't get any more convoluted than the previous calamity or economic downturn we have ever come up against before. Yet it always amazes me that things sure seem to find a way of proving me wrong in that assumption. And I have to say as I look back and realize what a ride it has been to maneuver the business climate this ‘Great Recession' has handed us, it has definitely added more to that thinking than it has taken away. But I also have realized that no matter how bad things seem at any given time, and it may take awhile for it to come to realization, but there always seem to be numerous positive side effects that rise out of most declines."

Please describe your first 30 years in business?
RH: "Having been founded in 1972, Coordinated Systems, Inc. has seen many recessions and boom times with the economy. With each up and down we have experienced came lessons of survival that enhanced our character and brought our company to what it has become today. "

Click here to read the entire interview

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Healthcare Facility Creates Call Center of Excellence

Sacred Heart Health Systems (SHHS) Extends Quality Process to Call Center Using Call Recording & Quality Monitoring, creating their latest center of excellence - their call center.

An excerpt from the entire article demonstrates how they were able to fully customize the weight of the scoring forms in order to give greater importance to the following questions:

- Did the operator say their name?
- Did they use courtesies?
- Was the volume level to loud or to low?
- Could background noise be heard?
- Was a transfer announced?
- Did voice project a positive and helpful demeanor?
- Was the call process correctly?
- Was patient room and name verified?
- Did we offer the phone number when a line was busy?
- Was the call documented correctly?

SHHS assigned 2 points per positive response, minus 5 points for not processing the call correctly and 1 extra point for receiving a compliment or turning an unhappy customer into a happy customer.

Overall, SHHS set a goal to reach 98% as a group. The first month they achieved 91% as a group and by the third month they were able to reach the goal of 98%. They have stayed at the goal or above consistently since that time.

"Our customer service skills have improved considerably and staff members are much happier in their jobs because everyone is accountable for excellent customer service," offered Jane Adams, Call Center Operations Manager.

Click here to read more about this healthcare organization's successful call center transformation.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

An Opinion on Social Media and the Contact Center

An interview with Rich Marcia, marketing director for Coordinated Systems, Inc.

Q. How do you use social networks as part of your corporate communications and customer service initiatives?
A. I’m experimenting in social media where there exists clear purposes: for example, Twitter, to deliver quick updates to our followers; LinkedIn, to extend an open hand to potential business partners and customers who may want to reach us via referral; and our blog, which serves the dual purpose of replacing our online newsletter and managing our readership. More “leaps of faith” for the B2B marketer, such as Facebook, Mobile, etc., are a bit more risky. I’ll be looking more into them in 2010, and it’s possible we may dive deep there, but it’s more likely we’ll just be testing the waters.

Q. How can contact centers utilize social networks to increase sales, productivity and operations?
A. That’s a great question. Many companies now need to hire and train “social ambassadors” who search, read and contact people who may be expressing opinions about their companies or brands in social media. Companies, I believe, will eventually cross-train contact center employees to do this. If a Facebook fan contacts you on your fan page, that’s not much different than a prospective customer reaching out to you on your website. Contact center employees can be trained to handle those types of inquiries. It will, however, require a different skill set to professionally “manage” a public relations “incident” where someone on Twitter complains about your company or brand. The “social ambassador” will have to reach out and address the issue at hand.

Q. What social networks are recommended for business purposes?
A. For business purposes, almost all business people can benefit by being on LinkedIn. Referrals are the best forms of leads, job opportunities, partnerships, etc. Twitter is also useful as a cog in your content machine. Twitter can direct people to your blog, which directs people to your website. Throw your LinkedIn profile in there and you’ve exponentially increased your online visibility and the ways of which people can contact you.

Q. How should businesses manage employee usage of social networks?
A. I believe to some extent employee usage of social media should be encouraged – in that they should be evangelists for their companies. They should care what is being said on the net about their company. They should want to defend certain criticisms and investigate others. They should post news and share excitement about their company. Management can still monitor usage and enforce the same rules as in regards to personal calls or web surfing. In the same regard, managers and business owners can’t simply expect all employees to be organically evangelistic – the employees need to be nurtured and marketed to as well. For a product or company to be mentioned in a truly authentic manner, those doing the chattering have to truly love the product or company.

Q. What are some of the main benefits of using social networks?
A. Personally, I’ve seen cancer survivors discover and connect with other survivors on Facebook. They’ve exchanged tips, shared news and made new friendships. I’ve also seen people “connect” with neighbors from communities they haven’t actually moved into yet. Media such as music, video, websites and such are shared amongst your trusted connections, and thus immediately given some degree of legitimacy. Of course, as with anything, there are a list of “cons” to go along with the “pros”. Overall, I’d say the “pros” are winning out.