That’s right: I’m spending your money. But you won’t mind . . . if you’ve got a first-tier WFM solution in place. Here’s why. Start with your agents. The goals here include improving call handling performance, and motivating and retaining agents. WFM systems help achieve those goals with smarter scheduling, gamification and continual coaching. Lifestyle... Read More

Call Center scheduling is a lot more complex and a lot more comprehensive than “just” setting work hours. WFM software provides advanced scheduling systems that go far beyond the time clock. Read More

In one of our internal seminars the other day, Donny Jackson, our Senior VP of Software Development, gave us a kind of point-to-point roadmap of how IVR is part of, and in many ways central to, omni-channel commerce architecture. I thought I’d share the main stops along the way with you. It begins with intelligent... Read More

Productivity and motivation go hand in hand in the call center. Or at least they should. Too often, both are missing in the call center, or one shoves the other aside. One of the obstacles to bringing those together is scheduling. It’s a kind of Goldilocks dilemma: how do you get it just right? How... Read More

FIRST PRINCIPLE When IVR works well, customers love it—and often prefer it. When it doesn’t, they hate it. And far too often, it doesn’t work well. I know: tell you something you don’t know. To work well, your IVR system has to be smart. Smart IVR solutions never make you repeat information your customers have... Read More

When it comes to implementing technologies, or finding new ways to connect technologies, taking a bite-at-a-time is the predominant best practice—for a lot of reasons. But here’s the question people often struggle with. Which bite do I take first? Your customers will tell you by their behavior, and this article helps you analyze the most... Read More

In recent blogs, I’ve repeated a phrase: omnichannel commerce. It’s not often used, but I didn’t invent it. I use it because it creates a clear distinction between what omnichannel is today—primarily a retail architecture—and what omnichannel will be when it matures: an architecture used in every category of business. (Fact check me on this:... Read More

One of the key buttons I’ll be pushing in the Omnichannel Blog over the coming months is the simplicity of moving to the omnichannel model. I’ll be returning often to the theme that the omnichannel is not a technology, but a way of thinking about technology. To transition to virtual desktops, or advanced disaster recovery,... Read More

Search for “Omni-Channel vs. multichannel” and there are a lot of explanations as to what the difference is between them. Some are spot on; others are dense and circuitous and brimming with jargon—and not close to hitting the mark. This article distinguishes between the two and explains why the distinction is important. Read More

As one year ends and another begins, it’s customary to look both ways: behind us at the technologies and best practices of the past year, and ahead at what’s next. Omnichannel leaps to mind. If we look back, we see how retailers have embraced the omnichannel experience, and the clear value it’s brought to them... Read More

Developed by Teleopti and hosted by USAN, the recently released WFM version 8 includes more than 100 improvements over the previous release, making it a truly groundbreaking WFM solution. Among those powerful new features are gamification, through which agent engage in fun, game-like competition that boosts motivation and rewards measurable performance, and mobility, which includes... Read More

The omni-channel customer journey is an obvious necessity, but companies are struggling to get it right. But it doesn't have to be complex and costly. With USAN's Customer Engagement solution, you're closer than you think to omni-channel customer service. Read More

Despite the many proven benefits of running applications in the cloud, several legitimate concerns are keeping contact center solutions “on the ground.” In this blog post we explore the benefits and barriers of moving your contact center to the cloud – and offer insights on how USAN is removing those barriers. Read More

How does a call center technology provider ensure data security and privacy? Read this article to discover the top threats facing cloud call centers and what to expect from a vendor's security and compliance practices. Read More

It’s easy to get caught up in the opportunities made possible by big data in the contact center. The information customers provide both explicitly and implicitly about their preferences and intentions can lead to valuable insights that improve how you engage with them. Once you start thinking outside the box, it seems there is no... Read More

  Your organization’s contact center is a hotbed of data. Every interaction with the customer results in a wealth of information – some of it inferred, some of it explicitly stated – about the customer’s needs, wants and desires. This data offers organizations of all types and sizes an opportunity to take customer service to... Read More

As a panelist at ICMI Call Center Demo and Conference, Ian Hunter spoke about channel agnostic business processes that enhance the customer experience. He explores the theme in greater detail here, and refers to some useful reading material from Forrester analyst Paul Hagen. Read More

The mission and goal of your call center are to provide the best customer experience, but from an analytics perspective it’s somewhat like the chicken and the egg dichotomy: which comes first, the data or its exploitation? Report highlights a rich seam of customer revenue According to a piece by Simon Lande in CMS WIRE,... Read More

What is the impact of big data on the customer experience from the call center? Historical and real-time data can be used to improve your customer service options. Read this article for more information about how data can be used to improve customer satisfaction. Read More

In my version of the perfect call center, the customer gets their needs met effectively without negatively impacting handle time. And this all happens because a properly designed solution makes the customer feel like the agent was practically expecting the customer's call. Read More