Research & Insight

Research & Insight

customer service

Government Call Center Achieves Excellence in Customer Service

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

A frontline measure of how government meets the needs of its customers is how successful it is in answering its telephones promptly, accurately and courteously – so states the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) in its August 2000 report on customer service. The report found that federal agencies need clear goals and committed managers.

Prepared to Answer

Chris Pryer, Business Writer

Customer service is a term that rolls easily off the tongue of almost every corporate mogul you hear interviewed or quoted these days. They talk about the fierce competition they face in their chosen industry and that the distinguishing factor that separates the leaders in their field from the also-rans is how they service their customers after the sale. In the remote environment of eCommerce, it can be particularly difficult to maintain a satisfying relationship between the buyer and seller, whether it’s B2C or B2B. This has spawned a whole new generation of companies that specialize in helping other companies manage interaction with their customers over the Internet. Ziptone is such a company.

Digital Dilemma

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

Without a doubt, today’s competitive forces have pushed the role and importance of customer relationship management up to the top rung of the ladder to success for organizations. As it is so vital, it has become a specialized area and an industry in itself. Thomson Consumer Electronics, which manufactures electronic products for the well-known brands of RCA, GE and Proscan, came to understand in the mid 1990s that customer care is a separate skill and a trade apart from manufacturing. We are in the manufacturing business. We wanted to develop a partnership with a company that had expertise in managing a customer care center and call center, recalls Scott Medawar, Manager of Customer Care Operations for Thomson. They began outsourcing these strategic functions to Spherion in 1997. Prior to their agreement, Thomson had operated its own call center and had a relationship with Norell to staff the center (Norell later became Spherion).

Counting on Communication

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

From the Editor: Outsourcing drove down costs for Hallmark, which was the original intention. At the same time, outsourcing allowed Hallmark to sustain its high quality of customer service and satisfaction. Moreover, it’s interesting to see how this relationship grew and prospered over the years. Building on these strengths, the buyer continues to add more and different services to the contract…

The Tactics of Transformation

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

The outsourcing industry, having matured significantly during the past ten years, faces changes in 1999 that will not only alter the focus of the outsourcing industry itself, but will also transform the companies entering into such transactions.

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