Systems and network integrator Dimension Data has revealedwe may be on the “cusp” of a massive change in the contact centre environment,according to findings in its latest Global Contact Centre Benchmarking Report.
According this year’s sample of 554 operations spread across36 countries – the 12th such annual survey conducted by DiData – thecontact centre is moving from being a cost centre that is derided by customersto a potential sales generator, helped along by the recession.
DiData UKdirector of Customer Interactive Solutions, Howard Spinks, said: “The primarybusiness focus [in the contact centre] was on decreasing costs throughconsolidating and rationalising processes, functions and activities.
“Our report suggests that we are on the cusp of a contactcentre evolution driven in part by the tough economic conditions. Within threeto four years, we expect that most contact centres will become a key source ofvalue creation for businesses,” he continued.
Among other findings, the survey uncovered a 22% rise incontact centres putting in place processes and systems to identify salesopportunities in inbound calls, with 61% now boasting the feature. The numberof organisations with a strategy in place to reduce the cost of servingcustomers also grew to 67%.
Implementation of IP telephony technology is also on the up,with 60% of UKcall centres integrating the technology into their systems, edging outout-style CRM projects.
Busting a few myths, DiData said service levels in the UK,particularly in consumer-facing situations, were also found to be improving,while staff churn was among the lowest in the world and the low cost ofrecruiting and phone calls also made the industry more attractive to investors.
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