"Customer satisfaction is the strategic foundation of BT Retail. As an important part of a company, call center will deal with 2.3 million customer calls and is in the core position to ensure the strategic success of the enterprise.
These multi-functional call centers will use advanced customer relationship management technology, which will enable customers to communicate with us through the medium they have chosen. Thus, the skills of the customer consultant are crucial.
The aim of the next generation call center net is to transfer the best customer experience within the industry and improve its efficiency."
Pierre Danon, BT Retail executive director
The outsourcing of the customer service function mainly contains:
Customer Analysis, Welcome Call, Order Fulfillment and Management and Customer Technical Assistance
The outsourcing of customer service function in China is driven by the IT hardware manufacturers. It outsources customer center and on-site support service, which are earlier compared with other functional fields. According to the statistics of IDC, in 2006, the industry scale of the outsourcing of Chinese customer service function arrived at 450 million dollars, and nearly 5% of which are the income of offering offshore outsourcing. In the next four years, the market of the customer service outsourcing will remain fast development. BearingPoint predicts that this market will grow to 1220 million dollars until 2010.
The demands of the customer service function outsourcing are mainly from telecommunications, discrete manufacturing (home appliances, IT and other equipment manufacturers etc.) and the financial industry. Service has become an indispensable business function in modern enterprises, and at the same time, a large amount of professional resources are needed. However, customer service centers act as a cost center in the vast majority of enterprises. Enterprises usually use cost, operation efficiency and customer satisfaction as the KPI of customer service center, for more and more enterprises are considering or have outsourced customer center to professional call center operating companies. Therefore, the outsourcing of the customer service center has become the main content of the customer service functions outsourcing. But for discrete manufacturing industry, due to the cost and the ability of regional coverage, enterprises are outsourcing customer on-site service. Outsourcing companies can use IT system to monitor the condition and quality of service and customer feedback.
To the choice of outsourcing service providers in customer service center, outsourcing companies usually tends to outsource to the companies which are closer to themselves, without time difference and share the same language. While customer on-site service outsourcing usually request outsourcing service suppliers have enough service ability, technical ability and regional coverage ability.
Case Study:
At the end of 2004, in order to deal with the rampant fraud phenomenon in the tobacco market, Hongta Liaoning tabacco Co. LTD decided to use Neusoft call center platform and some other high-tech solutions to take the initiative to hit the illegal fraud and swindle cigarette markets.
According to the contract agreement and the specific anti-counterfeiting request proposed by Hongta group, Neusoft integrates advanced techniques, supporting facilities of call center and other its own resources etc, offering the integration of IVR (interactive voice response), network communication technology and large database technology etc. anti-counterfeiting solutions, and provides the users with automatic 7×24 hours interactive voice call service. Consumers can operate according to the pronunciation guidance as long as they call enquiry hotlines directly. The system will automatically combine datum to start comparable calibration directly. Meanwhile, the anti-counterfeiting system also provides consumers with the methods to report counterfeiting cigarettes.
Through cooperation, Hongta realizes the dual protection of its brand and consumer benefits by advanced IT and customer service technology, and powerfully hits the loose of the fraudsters and maintains the stability of the tobacco market.
Customer Service Center (Contact Center) combines various kinds of communication methods, the latest call center technology and well-trained professionals, providing our customers with various communication channels to communicate with their customers or potential customers.
These channels include the interactive application based on network, E-mail, fixed-line or mobile telephone communication, fax and SMS message.
The information system of Call Center brings customer interaction management concept to an unprecedented level and may provide individualized and professional solutions according to different customers.
Which institutions need call center?
Multinational companies, aviation and transportation, logistics service, banking, finance, insurance, telecommunications industry, the state-owned large and medium-sized enterprises, government agencies, public security organs departments, customs, taxation, foreign affairs, hospitals and other institutions, B2B / B2B e-commerce, IT technology services, real estate, automobile and departments of other industries .
Career development direction of call center staff in the future
Call center management personnel in top-end customer service manager, general manager, and training lecturer.National large and medium-sized enterprises and chain enterprise dealing with marketing, customer service and administration departments.All kinds of internationally known enterprises working in sales, public relations, customer service and administration departments.
Partnered Employer Campaign
LCCI Call Center courses and its assessment system are well recognized by Singapore call center enterprises
Contact Centre Skills Training and Assessment by Neutonlab Education Centre
LCCI Singapore office worked with Neutonlab Education Centre (ASIN789) to promote skille-based training such as customer service, English for Business, and Call Centre Operations since 2004. Neutonlab specialised in providing training programmes to clients covering government ministry departments, SMEs and publicly listed companies. Neutonlab has successfully capitalised on good corporate relationships by bringing in LCCI qualifications into its corporate training network.
One client, United Premas Ltd, a government-linked publicly listed company, has undertaken the sending of 60 staff members to attend Neutonlab’s call centre operations training.The staff achieved an overall passing rate of 85% in both units.
We think it is a good opportunity for LCCIIQ to further foster the corporate relationship through this angle other than issuing certification to their trainees, LCCI should recognise the effort the corporate has invested in HRD, by choosing LCCIIQ as the benchmark to fit into internal HR expectations. On 19 June 2008, LCCI Singapore office issued a “Partnered Employer Award” to CEO of United Premas Ltd to appreciate the supports contributed to the development of HR.
Following are partial of the organisations participated in LCCI Contact Centre Skills Training and Assessment
• Singapore Tourism Board (STB)
• Housing Development Board (HDB)
• Singapore Automobile Association
• Singapore Polytechnic Guilds House
• United Premas Ltd
• Singapore Post Ltd
• SBS Transit Ltd
• Daikin Air-conditioning Pvt Ltd
• RCI Leisure and Vacation
• Boon Lay Stationery Supply Pvt Ltd
• AIA Insurance
• E-fusion (Standard Chartered Bank Contact Centre company)
• Canon Marketing Singapore Pte Ltd
• MENDAKI (Council of Education for Muslim in Singapore)
Due to practicality based in assessment scheme on collection of competency evidence and nature of the skills that highly adhere with marketing and customer service expectations by different industries. There are so far only 3 centres in Singapore being authorised to conduct Contact Centre Skills training and assessment.
"Customer satisfaction is the strategic foundation of BT Retail. As an important part of a company, call center will deal with 2.3 million customer calls and is in the core position to ensure the strategic success of the enterprise.
