2012 Year in Review by Bruce Belfiore, CEO, BenchmarkPortal

One of the key words for 2012 was "multi." There was a noticeable increase in interest in multi-channel benchmarking, to which we are responding with an expanded survey, due out shortly. 

We also saw a desire to take a multi-year approach to contact center performance measurement, as we signed a record number of agreements that last up to four years. Multi-country, multi-cultural and multi-lingual call center challenges have also taken increasing amounts of our attention. 

There is an emerging multi-level approach to training of personnel. Managers are seeing an advantage in having complementary best practices baked into courseware for call center leadership, supervisors and agents. That way they know their people are not just learning good skills, they are acquiring a cohesive culture that favors continuous improvement - - top to bottom. 

We also saw increasing numbers of centers striving for and achieving certification as Centers of Excellence. Partly as a result of this, our Call Center Campus event in Las Vegas attracted a record number of people and included inspiring presentations and a lot of sharing among the participants. 

For 2013 we expect the "multi" phenomenon to grow significantly, and social media will start to increase its mindshare in the "multi-channel" category. 

In addition, people will be less inclined toward the "once and done" approach to assessment and improvement anymore. They want ongoing information and tracking to help them manage; they crave a supportive community to which they can turn for advice and assistance. Every manager and every management team can use a sounding board to bounce off ideas and seek solutions. We are creating a community membership program for 2013 to respond to this need. 

A corollary of this is a move toward making benchmarking (and the improvement processes that go with it) into a management tool, instead of just a once-a-year report card. Automated benchmarking, which is provided by our new iBenchmark product, will allow managers to track their progress against their industry on a monthly basis, providing the feedback needed to stay on top of things, and not be taken by surprise at the end of the year. 

We wish everyone in our industry a wonderful 2013. We have no illusions about the financial challenges that face us all, but remain convinced that a strong customer contact function is the best defense in tough economic times. Also, experience shows that communication, peer sharing and trying new best practices are the ingredients that help make our sector exciting and fun. Happy New Year! 

Bruce Belfiore
CEO, BenchmarkPortal
BruceBelfiore@BenchmarkPortal.com

MAXIMUS Georgia Childcare and Parent Services Contact Center Achieves Second Certification as a BenchmarkPortal Center of Excellence

MAXIMUS Georgia Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS) Contact Center 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, 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 is the goal, balanced by financial metrics which show that the center is being operated efficiently.

“Center of Excellence certification indicates that the contact center delivers superior customer service within a responsible cost structure,” said Belfiore. "A great contact center operation reflects its management's passion for balancing the demands of high quality and low costs. MAXIMUS Georgia CAPS operations has shown its ability to achieve that balance through its objective performance metrics. We have validated its metrics and have certified that MAXIMUS is, indeed, among the best in its industry. I congratulate MAXIMUS on a job well done.”

“Benchmarking delivers a crackerjack profile of a contact center’s operations that can inspire management to move forward aggressively, even in a less-than-robust economy,” added Belfiore, who has been with the company since 2000.

About BenchmarkPortal 
BenchmarkPortal’s founders pioneered the first contact center benchmarking study in 1995. Now custodian of the largest database of contact center metrics in the world, BenchmarkPortal is a leader in certification, training, consulting and research for the customer contact industry. Its team of professionals has gained international recognition for expertise and innovation in best practices. BenchmarkPortal’s mission is to help management optimize the performance of their center in terms of both cost and quality, encourage customer loyalty and build enterprise value. For more information on BenchmarkPortal, call 1-800-214-8929 or visithttp://www.BenchmarkPortal.com.

About MAXIMUS MAXIMUS is a leading operator of government health and human services programs in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Saudi Arabia. The Company delivers business process services to improve the cost effectiveness, efficiency and quality of government-sponsored benefit programs, such as Medicaid, Medicare, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Health Insurance BC (British Columbia), as well as welfare-to-work and child support programs around the globe. The Company's primary customer base includes federal, provincial, state, county and municipal governments. Operating under its founding mission of Helping Government Serve the People®, MAXIMUS has approximately 8,800 employees worldwide. For more information, visithttp://www.maximus.com.

GE Capital Fleet Services’ U.S. Maintenance Control Center Achieves Its Second Certification as a Center of Excellence

The GE Capital Fleet Services’ U.S. maintenance control center 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.

“Center of Excellence certification indicates that the contact center delivers superior customer service within a responsible cost structure,” said Belfiore. "A great contact center operation reflects its management's passion for balancing the demands of high quality and low costs. GE Capital Fleet Services has shown its ability to achieve that balance through its objective performance metrics. We have validated its metrics and have certified that GE Capital Fleet Services is, indeed, among the best in its industry. I congratulate GE Capital Fleet Services on a job well done.”

“Benchmarking delivers a crackerjack profile of a contact center’s operations that can inspire management to move forward aggressively, even in a less-than-robust economy,” added Belfiore, who has been with the company since 2000.

Survey Underway on Call Center Travel and Hospitality Reservations

Over the next two weeks, call centers will have the opportunity to participate in a study about travel and hospitality reservations. BenchmarkPortal invites you to complete this short questionnaire on reservations metrics, methodologies and strategies. Don't miss this opportunity to gain competitive market intelligence that is not available anywhere else.

Online surveys conducted by BenchmarkPortal began on Nov. 28 and are available for anyone to complete at http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1084912/Hospitality-Travel-Reservation-Survey-November-2012.

"This survey is intended for the travel and hospitality industry only," said Crystal Kay, BenchmarkPortal's marketing director. "Please complete the survey and forward the survey link to other appropriate contact centers. Participation in the survey will take no more than 10 minutes and is confidential. Participants will receive the results of this survey and a complimentary call center e-book of your choice via e-mail, at no cost, within 10 business days of the survey’s close."

The survey will be completed by Dec. 7, at which time BenchmarkPortal will compile and report the results within 2 weeks.

Click the following link to access the Travel and Hospitality Reservations Survey

Canon U.S.A’s Contact Center Achieves Its Fourth Certification as a Center of Excellence

December 4, 2012 - BenchmarkPortal recognizes the exceptional efficiency and effectiveness of the Canon U.S.A. Contact Center by awarding it Certification as a Center of Excellence for the fourth year in a row. The granting of certification is based on a company’s operational metrics, customer satisfaction and agent satisfaction.

The Canon Systems and Technical Support Division call center 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’soperationalmetrics 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.

“Center of Excellence certification indicates that the contact center delivers superior customer service within a responsible cost structure,” said Belfiore. "This certification attests to the fact that call center leaders have successfully balanced efficiency and effectiveness in their operations. By optimizing their cost components and their ability to satisfy customers, they exemplify best practices in a very important consumer products sector. Canon has shown its ability to achieve that balance through its objective performance metrics. We have validated its metrics and have certified that Canon is, indeed, among the best in its industry. I congratulate Canon on a job well done.”

About BenchmarkPortal
BenchmarkPortal’s founders pioneered the first contact center benchmarking study in 1995. Now custodian of the largest database of contact center metrics in the world, BenchmarkPortal is a leader in certification, training, consulting and research for the customer contact industry. Its team of professionals has gained international recognition for expertise and innovation in best practices. BenchmarkPortal’s mission is to help management optimize the performance of their center in terms of both cost and quality, encourage customer loyalty and build enterprise value. For more information on BenchmarkPortal, call 1-800-214-8929 or visithttp://www.BenchmarkPortal.com.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. With approximately $45.6 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. ranks third overall in U.S. patents registered in 2011† and is one of Fortune Magazine's World’s Most Admired Companies in 2012. In 2012, Canon U.S.A. has received the PCMag.com Readers’ Choice Award for Service and Reliability in the digital camera and printer categories for the ninth consecutive year, and for camcorders for the past two years. Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest level of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting http://www.usa.canon.com/rss.

Management Certification in Orlando, FL, January 22-24, 2013

The first management certification workshop of the New Year is taking place in Orlando, FL at the Embassy Suites on International Drive. 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.

BenchmarkPortal offers one of the most highly regarded Call Center Training Certification programs in the country. Our program is led by the industry's top-rated instructors, with over 150 years' combined experience.

Location:
Orlando, FL at the Embassy Suites on International Drive | View Map

Hours:

8:00am - Lunch Provided
Tues. Jan. 22: 8:00am - 5pm
Wed. Jan. 23:  8:00am - 5pm
Thur. Jan. 24:  8:00am - 5pm
(Breakfast provided with lodging at hotel)

Price: $1995.00
Includes 3-day workshop, lunch and snacks, course handbook, certificate of completion and a call center benchmarking survey/report with a follow-up web-ex style presentation of your benchmarking results.

Discounts:

$200 Discount to attend the Orlando, FL workshop

Promo Code: EARLY200FL | Expires 12/21/12

Who Should Attend
Call Center Management,
C-Suite Executives, Vice Presidents and Directors. These courses will help you better manage your call center and strengthen relationships with other departments (for example: Marketing, MIS and telecommunications).

Topics Covered
Organizational Leadership
Human Resources
Quality Monitoring & Coaching
Customer Satisfaction
WFM Forecasting & Scheduling
Call Center Technologies
Tech-Enabled Processes
Knowledge Management
Benchmarking
Self-Service Analytics & Reporting

Sauder’s Customer Support Contact Center Achieves Its Eighth Certification as a Center of Excellence

The Sauder Woodworking Co., customer support contact center 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’soperationalmetrics 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.

“Center of Excellence certification indicates that the contact center delivers superior customer servicewithin a responsible cost structure,” said Belfiore. "A great contact center operation reflects its management's passion for balancing the demands of high quality and low costs. Sauder Woodworking Co. has shown its ability to achieve that balance through its objective performance metrics. We have validated its metrics and have certified that Sauder is, indeed, among the best in its industry. I congratulate Sauder on a job well done.”

“Benchmarking delivers a crackerjack profile of a contact center’s operations that can inspire management to move forward aggressively, even in a less-than-robust economy,” added Belfiore, who has been with the company since 2000.


About BenchmarkPortal
BenchmarkPortal’s founders pioneered the first contact center benchmarking study in 1995. Now custodian of the largest database of contact center metrics in the world, BenchmarkPortal is a leader in certification, training, consulting and research for the customer contact industry. Its team of professionals has gained international recognition for expertise and innovation in best practices. BenchmarkPortal’s mission is to help management optimize the performance of their center in terms of both cost and quality, encourage customer loyalty and build enterprise value. For more information on BenchmarkPortal, call 1-800-214-8929 or visithttp://www.BenchmarkPortal.com.

About Sauder Woodworking Co.
Headquartered in Archbold, Ohio, Sauder Woodworking Co. is North America’s leading producer of ready-to-assemble furniture and the nation’s fifth largest residential furniture manufacturer. Sauder also sources furniture from a network of quality global partners, including a line of office chairs. Sauder Woodworking Co. is a privately-held, third generation, family-run business. Subsidiaries include: Progressive Furniture Inc., a designer and importer of wood bedroom, dining and accent furniture; and Sauder Manufacturing Company, a leader in church, educational, and health care seating. For additional information about Sauder, visit the web site athttp://www.sauder.com.

Birch Communications Contact Center Achieves Certification as a Center of Excellence

The Birch Customer Service Department 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’soperationalmetrics 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 asfirst 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.

“Center of Excellence certification indicates that the contact center delivers superior customer service within a responsible cost structure,” said Belfiore. "A great contact center operation reflects its management's passion for balancing the demands of high quality and low costs. Birch Communications has shown its ability to achieve that balance through its objective performance metrics. We have validated its metrics and have certified that Birch is, indeed, among the best in its industry. I congratulate Birch on a job well done.”

“Benchmarking delivers a crackerjack profile of a contact center’s operations that can inspire management to move forward aggressively, even in a less-than-robust economy,” added Belfiore, who has been with the company since 2000.

Proctor Financial, Inc. Call Center Achieves Its Second Certification as a Center of Excellence

The Proctor Financial, Inc. customer contact center 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.

“Center of Excellence certification indicates that the contact center delivers superior customer service within a responsible cost structure,” said Belfiore. "A great contact center operation reflects its management's passion for balancing the demands of high quality and low costs. Proctor Financial, Inc. has shown its ability to achieve that balance through its objective performance metrics. We have validated its metrics and have certified that Proctor Financial, Inc. is, indeed, among the best in its industry. I congratulate Proctor Financial, Inc. on a job well done.”

“Benchmarking delivers a crackerjack profile of a contact center’s operations that can inspire management to move forward aggressively, even in a less-than-robust economy,” added Belfiore, who has been with the company since 2000.

New Show on CallTalk Discussing Transitioning Customer Service Teams For Success With Generation Y

BenchmarkPortal will air a new online radio show on CallTalk, discussing transitioning customer service teams for success with Generation Y. Your company can have a more engaged workforce, decrease your attrition, increased customer satisfaction and experience some profound financial impacts to the organization by placing a much stronger focus on redefining what development and growth means for Generation Y. Kevin will discuss four critical pillars to consider to keep their attention and engagement.

The host for this show is Bruce Belfiore, CEO at BenchmarkPortal. Bruce hosts the monthly online radio show "CallTalk", which discusses hot-button issues with industry experts and interacts with a large audience of call center managers. Bruce is also Chancellor of the College of Call Center Excellence, which provides certificated courses to call center professionals. He has also taught the course "Call Center Management" at Purdue University. He is the author of the book Benchmarking At Its Best for Contact Centers, a manual for best practices benchmarking, and has written numerous research papers and best practices studies focused on contact center topics. He is a consultant to call centers in a wide variety of industries seeking to improve their results, and is noted for helping to calculate the financial impact of proposed changes.

The guest speaker is Kevin Childs, Senior Partner with OneSource Consulting. Mr. Childs co-authored the book Interpreting the Voice of the Customer, with Dr. Jon Anton, of Purdue University. With career experience built on human capital/staffing and on-demand/Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and workforce optimization industries, he has held numerous executive leadership positions that have influenced the Contact Center, Customer Service and Help Desk Industry.

The free online radio show will air Wednesday, October 17th, 2012, at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET. Click here to listen to CallTalk, (http://www.benchmarkportal.com/call-center-newsresources/calltalk-online-radio-show.)