If any aspect of the enterprise was a solid candidate for an identity crisis, contact centers would be a sure bet. The fact is, when it comes to business pendulum swings, few areas of enterprise operations have undergone more shifting mandates than contact centers.
When contact centers entered the business mainstream in the 1970s, management attention was nearly totally focused on exploring ways to use this new tool as a means of serving customers more effectively. In the 1980s and 1990s, the focus shifted towards improved efficiency and cost savings. New technologies and applications were introduced like Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and workforce management that were all about reducing the cost per transaction.
A recent IBM Global CEO Study of over 450 corporate leaders showed an extremely strong executive consensus regarding the rebounding health of the market and the implications to business strategy.
The key findings of this Study are as follows:
- Revenue growth has replaced cost cutting as the #1 strategic objective
- Increased responsiveness to customers is seen as a key driver for top-line growth
- Business Communications and Computing Technologies are viewed as increasingly essential to achieving competitive advantage
This white paper explains the three best practices for today's profitable contact centers like lower your contact center cost structure with IP, making the most of the customer moment of truth, and self-service efficiencies that go right to the bottom line.
VMware Research Library
