We know. It’s hot out. So since you’re stuck inside anyway on a Friday, a slave to air conditioning, take a few moments to catch up on what’s what in the world of call center outsourcing.
New York’s dBusiness News Web site has a useful list of points to keep in mind when looking for a call center outsourcing provider, wrote TMCnet’s David Sims this week. “Do they have the right technology?” This means financial soundness and the correct technology, as well as the ability, experience and institutional stability you’d expect from somebody you’re going to trust with such an important part of your business. As the article suggests, this should really be your starting point, not a later consideration: If a possible vendor fails this test that’s all you need to know about them, better find it out earlier than later.
Woes for AT&T (News – Alert) this week: a group of home-based call center agents working for the telecom giant are suing it, alleging the company classified them illegal as “independent contractors.” According to the complaint, AT&T hired the at-home call center employees to provide billing and technical support for AT&T customers. The employees allege that AT&T devised an illegal scheme of mislabeling these virtual at-home call center employees as “independent contractors” as a way of dodging workers’ compensation costs as well as paying state and/or federal taxes, said the release.
If you’re a call center agent, how do you very quickly get the attention of the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice?
One former call center agent for outsourced contact center services provider Convergys Corp. found out the hard way this week and gained a nice pair of steel bracelets for his efforts. Lance Moore was arrested Tuesday by an alphabet soup of federal agencies and is charged with leaking confidential information to a group of computer hackers, reported New Mexico newspaper the Las Cruces Sun-News.
Want to integrate some social media into your contact center services? Chances are you do, but probably don’t know where to start. BenchmarkPortal (News – Alert) has announced a new call center certification course location in Denver, Colorado, wrote TMCnet’s Susan Campbell. Offered at American Family Insurance, the next course is scheduled for September 13-16. For those electing to attend, a bonus day will be offered in Social Media Certification.
Call center operations are going to have to accede to increasing demands by consumers who wish to communicate via alternative channels including SMS and Facebook (News – Alert)…and who knows what else? asked TMCnet’s David Sims this week. Why? Customers want – and are demanding – more fluidity in how they resolve an issue, meaning the ability to slide from one form of communication to another.
That’s all for this week. Though it’s still hot – we can’t help that – at least now you’re caught up on all the latest in the world of call center outsourcing. See you next week!
Source:http://call-center-outsourcing.tmcnet.com/topics/call-center-outsourcing/articles/200032-tmcnet-call-center-outsourcing-week-review.htm
