CallTalk - Listen Now - Virtual Agents – Implement a Home Based Support Center

Virtual Agents – Ideas for Implementing a Home Based Support Center

Join host BenchmarkPortal CEO Bruce Belfiore and guest host Jesse Hoobler, as they discuss virtual agents. We will be discussing the reasons why support organizations choose to go virtual, advantages to leverage, roadblocks to avoid, and some lessons learned from out in the field.

Listen Now On Demand
 

Guest Host: Jesse Hoobler, Director, Worldwide Software Support

Jesse Hoobler is the Director of Worldwide Software Support at Pitney Bowes Inc., a $4.9-billion company that provides technology solutions for small, mid-size and large firms that help them connect with customers to build loyalty and grow revenue.While at Pitney Bowes, Jesse has been on a five year journey to transform the support organization into an award-winning business service, driving excellence through customer experience. By focusing on customer adoption and realized value, his support organization has seen dramatic improvement in customer satisfaction and loyalty. Prior to joining Pitney Bowes, Jesse led the support organization at Chronicle Technologies, an industry leader in management software for the restoration and construction industry. During his tenure, Jesse virtualized Chronicle’s support center, cutting costs and driving efficiency gains through a 100% work-from-home agent model. Jesse holds a Masters in Computer Science from The College of Saint Rose.

About CallTalk™ 

Broadcast monthly, directly over the Internet to your desktop, CallTalk™ covers informative and educational topics that impact today's call center. This show is hosted by Bruce Belfiore, CEO of BenchmarkPortal. It is aired without the participation of vendor sponsorship, so that topics are free from their influence and guided solely by the needs of our listeners.

Management Certification in Newark, NJ at XEROX, E-ZPass Customer Service Center, May 13-15, 2014. Site Tour Included!

BenchmarkPortal's World Class Professional Certification courses are among the industry's highest rated programs for call center management and employees. Our courses have increased effectiveness and efficiency while at the same time reducing cost at organizations such as Verizon, Mercedes-Benz, Motorola, Hewlett Packard and GE. Attendees will also receive an exclusive tour of the XEROX, E-ZPass call center. This is a unique occasion to see and share ideas with the E-ZPass call center management.

The Management Certification workshop is composed of ten information-rich modules that include lecture, discussion and learning activity case studies that focus on practical problem solving and current best practices.

Our program is led by the industry's top-rated instructors, with over 150 years' combined experience. Be part of a true high-intensity learning experience which will bring out the best in you and your fellow attendees. You will return to your center with new best practice ideas...and the skills to turn them into reality!

Discover More  »

Church Mutual Insurance Company Contact Center Achieves Its Fifth Certification as a BenchmarkPortal Center of Excellence

BenchmarkPortal recognizes the exceptional efficiency and effectiveness of the Church Mutual Contact Center by awarding it Certification as a Center of Excellence for the fifth year in a row.  The granting of certification is based on a company’s operational metrics, customer satisfaction and agent satisfaction.

 

The Church Mutual Insurance Company customer contact center has been certified as a Center of Excellence by BenchmarkPortal, a leading contact center research and consulting organization.  “The achievement of the Center of Excellence represents a contact center’s commitment to delivering customer service that is both effective and efficient,” said BenchmarkPortal CEO Bruce Belfiore.   “It is the culmination of important initiatives that were undertaken to achieve sustainable service excellence.”    

To continue reading, visit this link: http://www.benchmarkportal.com/call-center-newsresources/press-release/2014/03/church-mutual-insurance-company-contact-center-achie

MAXIMUS Contact Center Operations in Texas, Georgia and Massachusetts Achieve Certification as a BenchmarkPortal Centers of Excellence

BenchmarkPortal recognizes the exceptional efficiency and effectiveness of the MAXIMUS Operations in Texas, Georgia and Massachusetts by awarding their call centers as Certified Centers of Excellence. The granting of certification is based on a company’s operational metrics, customer satisfaction and agent satisfaction.

March 20, 2014 - The MAXIMUS customer contact centers for the Texas Eligibility Support Services (ESS) and the Texas Enrollment Broker (EB) operations, Georgia Families, Georgia Childcare and Parent Services, and Massachusetts MassHealth Health Benefits projects have been certified as Centers of Excellence by BenchmarkPortal, a leading contact center research and consulting organization. “Only the top 10 percent of those benchmarked annually achieve this distinction,” said BenchmarkPortal CEO Bruce Belfiore. “Achieving Center of Excellence certification is an acknowledgement of strong management and leadership in the call center industry.”   

To achieve certification as a Center of Excellence, a company must undergo a rigorous benchmarking process, which compares the organization’s operational metrics to those of its peers, using the world's largest database of contact center metrics. During this process, BenchmarkPortal experts audit and verify key data from the contact center applying for certification.

To read more, follow this link: http://www.benchmarkportal.com/call-center-newsresources/press-release/2014/03/maximus-contact-center-operations-texas-georgia-and-

Reducing Abandon Rate

CallTalk is a monthly internet radio program featuring innovative managers and thought leaders in the customer contact field, interviewed by BenchmarkPortal CEO, Bruce Belfiore.  “Caramels” distills “Aha!” moments from these interviews into practical, bite-sized nuggets to inform and assist you as a contact center professional.

Call abandonment is often considered as a lower-level metric, and thus people do not focus on the implications of abandoned calls to the organization, which include staffing issues (too few agents indicates that staffing levels are not in alignment with business needs); technical equipment issues (lack of proper technology for directing and handling calls); and strategic business issues tied to the organization’s mission statement and positioning in the market. It is important that contact center managers be proactive in building relationships with other departments, so as to stay ahead of customer-impacting issues such as media ads, mass mailings and other marketing strategies that may impact call volumes.  In many instances a lost call is a lost sale. Sales centers, in particular, should calculate average revenue per call to determine what abandon rate is financially acceptable.

Here are some key strategies for your abandonment metric:
Click Here to Continue Reading This Article:  http://www.benchmarkportal.com/call-center-newsresources/news-articles/2014/03/reducing-abandon-rate

McKesson Specialty Health Solution Center Earns its Fifth Consecutive Certification as a BenchmarkPortal Center of Excellence

Solution Center recognized as a top ten center for 2013

Scottsdale, Ariz., March 13, 2014 –– McKesson Specialty Health announced today that its Reimbursement, Access & Safety Services Solution Center in Scottsdale, Ariz. was certified as a Center of Excellence for the fifth consecutive year by Bench­markPortal. The Center of Excellence recognition is one of the most prestigious awards in the customer ser­vice and support industry. Out of thousands of call centers and all industry segments in North America, the McKesson Specialty Health Solution Center was recognized as a top 100 call center and as a top ten center in the large-size category for 2013.

The McKesson Specialty Health Reimbursement, Access & Safety Services Solution Center is a state-of-the-art facility with highly trained customer service representatives providing a wide variety of educational, reimbursement, REMS, clinical, data gathering and marketing services on behalf of pharmaceutical manufacturers. Its staff of 900 seats facilitates more than 11 million interactions annually, offering support for single and multi-drug programs for therapies in oncology, rheumatology and other therapeutic areas.

Click Here To Continue Reading This Article: http://www.benchmarkportal.com/call-center-newsresources/press-release/2014/03/mckesson-specialty-health-solution-center-earns-its-

Announcing Call Center Campus 2014 at Planet Hollywood, Nov.10-14! EARLY BIRD CONTEST: WIN A LUXURY SUITE UPGRADE! New course offering: Coaching for Performance.

BenchmarkPortal’s College of Call Center Excellence will hold its 2014 Call Center Campus Week November 10-14 at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. This annual, unique call center industry event presents an opportunity for attendees to get on the fast track to upgrade customer service and to drive their call centers’ performance to the top. Industry experts, along with BenchmarkPortal’s premier team of instructors, will lead and guide Pre-Symposium Certification Workshops and the two-day Symposium, where we will explore call center challenges and emerging trends in the industry. The Symposium - unlike any other - features sessions and discussions to inspire innovative thinking and engage participants in exploring compelling avenues for advancing the call center industry. From the informative and inspiring sessions to the multiple networking opportunities, you'll walk away with the skills, connections and resources you need to take your career to the next level.

http://www.benchmarkportal.com/call-center-campus

Symposium, November 13-14, 2014:
Guest Speakers
Learning Sessions
“Hot Topic” Roundtable Discussions
Welcome & Networking Reception
Awards Ceremony
Networking Breakfasts
Lodging is Included

Workshops, Nov, 10-12, 2014:
Complimentary Access to 2-Day Symposium
Complimentary Access to Welcome & Networking Reception
Networking Breakfasts
Lodging is Included

Management Workshop, Nov. 10-12, 2014
Quality Assurance Workshop, Nov. 11-12, 2014
Workforce Management Workshop, Nov. 11-12, 2013
NEW OFFERING! Coaching For Performance Workshop, Nov. 11-12, 2013

EARLY BIRD CONTEST: WIN A LUXURY SUITE UPGRADE!
Sign-up early to be entered into a raffle to win an complimentary upgrade to a luxury suite.


GRAND PRIZE: PANORAMA SUITE PRIZE
The Grand Prize Winner will receive a complimentary upgrade to the PANORAMA Suite. Measuring 1,255 square feet and offering a 180-degree view of the Strip, each Las Vegas room features its own Hollywood theme. Must register before August 1st to be entered to win. Anyone who is registered before 8/1 will be entered into both give aways.



SECOND PLACE: STRIP VIEW SUITE
The Second Place Winner will receive a complimentary upgrade to the Strip Suite. Measuring 850 square feet, each suite offers dazzling views of the Las Vegas Strip. Must register before Oct 1st.

Our very own Bruce Belfiore will be speaking at the 5th Global Contact Forum this week in Mexico. He will be provide an effective approach to help business professionals make decisions, implement processes and increase customer engagement effectiveness.

Southern Fulfillment Services Contact Center Achieves Certification as a Center of Excellence

The Southern Fulfillment Services (SFS) customer contact center, headquartered in Vero Beach, Florida, has been certified as a Center of Excellence by BenchmarkPortal, a leading contact center research and consulting organization. “Only the top 10 percent of those benchmarked annually achieve this distinction,” said BenchmarkPortal CEO Bruce Belfiore. “Achieving Center of Excellence certification is an acknowledgement of strong management and leadership in the call center industry.”

To achieve certification as a Center of Excellence, a company must undergo a rigorous benchmarking process, which compares the organization’s operational metrics to those of its peers, using the world's largest database of contact center metrics. During this process, BenchmarkPortal experts audit and verify key data from the contact center applying for certification.

Factors (called key performance indicators) such as first call resolution, cost per call, call waiting time, customer satisfaction, agent satisfaction and utilization of human resources are taken into account. BenchmarkPortal is able to scientifically gauge how the contact center being studied compares to other centers in the same industry, and if the performance of the contact center is superior. Customer satisfaction, which relates to customer loyalty and business growth, is the goal, balanced by financial metrics which show that the center is being operated efficiently.

To read more information about this certification, please visit our website here: http://www.benchmarkportal.com/call-center-newsresources/press-release/2014/03/southern-fulfillment-services-contact-center-achieve

Developing Your Caller Satisfaction Surveys

CallTalk is a monthly internet radio program featuring innovative managers and thought leaders in the customer contact field, interviewed by BenchmarkPortal CEO, Bruce Belfiore.  “Caramels” distills “Aha!” moments from these interviews into practical, bite-sized nuggets to inform and assist you as a contact center professional.

The success of any service organization depends on continuous improvement, and the key to improvement is found through listening to the voice of the customer via direct surveys. There are numerous methods available to collect customer feedback, which include e-mail, SMS text, IVR, live phone, web-site surveys, live chat surveys, and more… Each organization must experiment with these methods and develop its own tailored way of best capturing the customer’s voice.

The following are some key Best Practices that will help you optimize the customer feedback survey process of your organization:

Click here to continue reading this article: http://www.benchmarkportal.com/call-center-newsresources/news-articles/2014/03/best-practices-developing-your-caller-satisfaction-s

Management Certification Training and Exclusive Site Tour at AutoTrader.com in Atlanta, GA

BenchmarkPortal will be hosting a certification training workshop for call center managers at AutoTrader.com in Atlanta, GA, April 15-17, 2014. Attendees will receive an exclusive tour of the AutoTrader call center, which is known for its innovative design and employee engagement programs. This is a BenchmarkPortal Center of Excellence site tour that shouldn’t be missed. The certification workshop is composed of information-rich modules that offer lectures, discussions and learning activities in the form of case studies that examine practical problem solving and current best practices. Originally developed by Dr. Jon Anton of Purdue University, the curriculum has been expanded and updated by Bruce Belfiore, Chancellor of the College, Jose Perez, Dean of the College, and BenchmarkPortal’s staff of industry experts.

The course focuses on specific areas of call center management that include organizational leadership, human resources, quality monitoring, customer satisfaction, the basics of WFM forecasting and scheduling, call center technologies, technology-enabled processes, knowledge management, caller self-service, analytics and reporting, and benchmarking.

Small class size allows for one-on-one interaction with the instructors, as well as networking opportunities with colleagues and industry peers. Participants also leave with “take aways” that are meant to enable them to make a real difference in their centers.

For more information about this training, visit our website here: Call Center Training Management Certification >>