BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - August 7, 2007) - The evolution of the contact center into one of
the primary interaction points for customers has accelerated the need for
companies to provide accurate, timely and consistent responses to customer
inquiries. Those companies who strive to differentiate themselves when it
comes to customer service are increasingly turning to Intelligent Contact
Centers as a way to both provide quality responses to customers and
alleviate competitive pressures. In a recent survey conducted by Aberdeen,
a Harte-Hanks Company (
NYSE:
HHS), 97% of Best-in-Class companies that
strive to improve call center quality report an increase in customer
satisfaction. In fact, a large percentage of BIC companies report
improvement in several key call center measurements, including cost per
contact and first contact closure rate.
A large percentage of companies surveyed identify the need to remain
competitive in the industry as the top pressure forcing them to implement
Intelligent Contact Centers, with nearly 50% of both BIC and Industry
Average companies citing this concern. With the exception of Laggard
companies, who rank closure rates as their primary pressure, the need to
improve first contact closure rate is identified by a large number of
Best-in-Class and Industry Average companies as the second most pressing
business concern causing them to implement different call center technology
solutions.
BIC companies are addressing these pressures in a number of ways.
Sixty-eight percent (68%) of BIC companies utilize online searches for
customer data to allow all facets of the business to have access to the
most dependable, correct and timely data on customers and their inquiries.
Compared to the 28% of Laggards who employ similar solutions, Best-in-Class
companies are ahead of the curve when it comes to disseminating customer
data across business channels to improve customer satisfaction and
ultimately remain competitive. Furthermore, although only 38% of BIC
companies currently utilize BI/Analytics to identify areas in need of
improvement, 41% plan to do so.
"Providing dependable, accurate and well-timed data across all channels is
critical to enhancing the customer experience," says Alan Hubbard, SVP
Customer Management Technologies Group at Aberdeen. "In order to achieve
Best-in-Class status, companies must implement knowledge management
solutions to enable agents and customers to accurately retrieve answers to
customer support issues and inquiries in a timely manner."
The research educates companies on the benefits of collecting, analyzing,
and disseminating key customer data in order to enhance the customer
experience in the call center space and remain competitive in the industry.
The report also provides the results BIC companies have seen across several
key metrics after employing Intelligent Contact Centers and compares these
results to those of the Industry Average and Laggards companies who have
pursued different strategies.
This report is made available due in part by the following underwriters:
Astute Solutions and Aspect. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report,
visit:
http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=4131
About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company
Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market
intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more
than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely
positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating
demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment
analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets,
corporations turn to Aberdeen™ for insights that drive decisions.
As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in
context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's
analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of
Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement -
Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role
Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit
Aberdeen
http://www.aberdeen.com or call (617) 723-7890, or to learn more
about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748 or go to
http://www.harte-hanks.com.
© 2007 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
260 Franklin Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02110-3112
Telephone: (617)723-7890
Fax: (617) 723-7897
www.aberdeen.com
Contact Information: Media Contact:
Alan Hubbard
Aberdeen Harte-Hanks
(617) 854-5301
Alan.hubbard@aberdeen.com