Smartphones Break Physical Boundaries

The smartphone – arguably the hottest piece of technological real estate in existence right now. Every major tech firm is jumping onto the smartphone development bandwagon, whether it be hardware or software. The advent of such a device is quickly changing the public’s perception of what it means to be able to easily access information. Prior to the smartphone, the accessibility of information was confined to desktop PC’s; if people needed information, they had to go somewhere with an Internet-connected computer - an internet café, a library, an office perhaps. Then with the invention of Wi-Fi networks, laptop computers stole much of the desktops’ limelight. People were no longer confined to the few specialized physical locations with Internet access. The spectrum of Internet accessibility now expanded to coffee shops, restaurants, shopping malls – places that people actually wanted to go. The access of information seemed finally free. In retrospect however, people weren’t really freed from their network shackles; all Wi-Fi did was simply make the chain a little longer. It was not until wireless data networks reached its third generation (3G) that the physical restrictions were finally and ultimately eliminated, and it is with this wave of technology that gave rise to the smartphone and its various derivatives.

Best Call Center Metrics

Here at Centergistic Solutions, we like to stay on top of news and trends in the contact center industry. We recently discovered an informative article from the International Customer Management Institute (ICMI) entitled Seven Metrics to Watch for Call Center Success.

According to the article, there are seven performance measures that definitively indicate the success of any contact center. Among some of those named are contact quality, which incorporates how courteous agents are, as well as how well they can provide relevant information to customers, forecasting accuracy, which depicts the accuracy of predicting call volume as well as the planning of operations to meet those predictions, and self-service accessibility, which is how often customers are able to initiate and complete a troubleshooting program with little to no interaction from an agent.

In the article, ICMI also identified a key metric that was the single best indicator for contact center success. Studies showed that for every 1% increase in this particular measure, a corresponding 1% improvement in customer satisfaction would also occur. Furthermore, contact centers with higher results for this metric showed lower operating costs, reduced customer defection, and higher employee satisfaction rates.

To find out what this number one metric is, and to learn more about the other six performance measures that best depict contact center success, please visit http://www.centergistic.com/best_call_center_metrics.htm for the full article.