The "PEOPLE" Only a Piece of the Puzzle

For my first contribution to this Blog, I wanted to share my opinion on one of the strengths of the contact center outsourcing industry - the PEOPLE. Many call center outsourcers refer to their “people” as their agents when marketing/selling their services. They’re portrayed as friendly down to earth people who build relationships with customers. You’ll notice this just by visiting some outsourcers’ websites, like Hamilton, Global Response, AnswerConnect, and even 24-7 INtouch.

I came across an older blog entry talking about automated answering attendants and the real value of people. I agree that there’s a common focus on training call center agents, allowing them to be knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. As much as this is true, it doesn’t guarantee service being delivered the way it’s intended to be.

The “people” can be great, but they still need the tools and support to deliver. I think this can be sometimes overlooked. Call centers need to further support their agents by providing them with the right technology or system that’s user friendly, giving them quick access to the information they need. In addition to that there are many other things, such as a solid procedure and process of routing calls to appropriate agents, proper staffing, and workforce management, just to name a few. All of these factors affect the “people” and what they can really do.

Overall, the “people” are important but not the only thing customers should look out for. It’s the other things that support and work together with the people that distinguishes call centers from each other. Like a Ford Mustang, the power of it’s engine is impressive, but it needs many other functions working in sync to operate at maximum level. For call centers, the people also need other things working with them to deliver true quality service.

- JU

Comments

[Shell Smith]

This is a great comment that I haven't thought about before. I agree that if the "people" have the right tools - they can better serve the customer. I also think that that is of huge importance when it comes to being flexible with the different situations that can arise. I have my "people" take this survey (www.mshare.net/aboutus-quiz.html) and then we discuss it. It is very informative about customer service.