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Posted on 25 March 2013 by Jason AlleyAs I reflect on last week and my time spent at Enterprise Connect, I can’t help but think about all of the conversations I participated in about the unmet needs of small contact centers. The #1 question asked at the show was around how a small contact center can possibly compete with the “big guys,” meeting the same expected service levels that they do with limited resources. Many were wondering if the cloud can help them meet this challenge.
For those who may be unaware, 65% of the contact centers in the world have less than 50 agents, meaning that [...]
Posted on 15 February 2013 by Jason AlleyIf you were to ask your contact center this question, “Who’s got it better than us?!,” how would they respond? How about your customers? Would they enthusiastically shout, “Noooo-body!” like the San Francisco 49ers (American) football team that just played in the Super Bowl? I know, they got beat and you’re probably thinking, “The Baltimore Ravens have it better than the 49ers…” but did we really have to go there? Ha!
While it’s a bit of a reach to think your contact center agents and customers will jump out of their seats and excitedly chant, “Noooo-body!,” perhaps it’s a worthwhile [...]
Posted on 10 August 2012 by Jason AlleyAccording to a recent Gartner survey, Cloud Services Brokerage (CSB) is playing a larger role in the future of IT services. So what is it and why should we care in the world of customer care?
Are more and more of your customer care (and other) applications moving to the cloud now that concerns have been addressed? If so, you are likely facing three new and interesting business challenges.
How to manage varying contract, billing and support terms of various cloud services How to integrate multiple cloud applications to deliver end-to-end services How to augment functionality offered by cloud [...]
Posted on 21 May 2012 by Jason AlleyWhile preparing for a presentation I was delivering at ACCE on mobility, cloud and the future of customer care, something hit me…the killer app for mobility might be as simple as harnessing the power of customer moments!
Think about how we use our SmartPhones and Tablets. We expect to pull these powerful computing devices out of our pockets, backpacks, purses and handbags, and do business in the moment, on a moment’s notice, with only a moment to spare. It’s all about the moment.
While I’d like to take credit for the insight, a seed was likely planted while reading [...]
Posted on 24 February 2012 by Jason AlleyI’m sitting in the Hong Kong airport reflecting back on this week’s APAC Partner Conference in Phuket Thailand. It was an awesome experience (of course the beautiful setting had nothing to do with it…) and between this trip and one last month to Kuala Lumpur I’ve learned a ton about the implications of the cloud in the Asia Pacific region speaking with Interactive employees and partners as well as key analysts and consultants in this part of the world.
Andrew Milroy of Frost and Sullivan shared that the cloud is projected to be the number one priority for [...]
Posted on 28 November 2011 by Jason AlleyThe term “cloud” has been so widely used and abused that confusion has hit an all-time high. Some say it even rivals the likes of “CRM.” The purpose of this post is to attempt to throw out a starting point to reference and solicit your thoughts, feedback and experiences so we can collectively create clarity around the topic and how it relates to the contact center.
So, what is this cloud thang anyway?
Below are the first two results that came up when searching Google Images for “cloud computing.”
The first is pretty straight forward. The [...]
Posted on 19 August 2011 by Jason AlleyYou have an existing customer that, even though the relationship is fairly new, is getting ready to place a monster order for add-on business that would blow your number out, secure your spot as the company’s top performer, and put you in a position to consider taking the next 2-3 years off.
Not to pour vinegar on your Cheerios, but… Just before the order is signed, there is a technical issue that causes this customer’s business to come to a screeching halt, including a significant loss in revenue. Needless to say, they are in an absolute uproar. The CEO [...]
Posted on 27 May 2011 by Jason AlleyHow much importance are your agents placing on Average Handle Time and After Call Work metrics? Is it producing the results you’re looking for?
During the latter part of my consulting days, I worked on a Workforce Optimization Planning project designed to empower the agents of an already world-class center to “be the best.” Part of the client’s initial vision was to provide as many stats to the desktop as possible so agents could self-manage. They figured that if agents had all the data then they would be empowered to deliver even more exceptional customer service.
One of the [...]
Posted on 7 April 2011 by Jason AlleyMy son Tate had a baseball tournament down in Arizona a few weeks back. My dad and son Ryan joined us, and we made an Alley guys’ Spring Training trip out of it. We had the time of our lives in what felt like baseball heaven. We basked in the warm desert sun bouncing between the Big League Dreams and Cactus League parks, watching our favorite players participate in America’s greatest pastime.
On the last day, we saw the strangest thing…
As we walked into Giants stadium in Scottsdale, we noticed everyone wearing agent headsets and talking on the [...]
Posted on 15 February 2011 by Jason AlleyHave you ever put all your chips on red or black at the end of an evening of gambling? Last week at dinner a friend shared that her husband won over $20,000 doing just that. That happens to everyone, right? Not! Having worked on a consulting project in Vegas for over a year, I can tell you this is indeed the exception. The flights coming into and out of Vegas tell it all… Planes filled with raucous anticipatory celebration transpose into somber ships of what-ifs and what-the-heck-did-I-just-dos…
Companies are being asked to place similar risky bets on contact center [...]
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