TUANZ - Telecomunications Users Association Of New Zealand

TUANZ - Telecommunications Users Association of New Zealand

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Posted Tue 31 July 2007 @ 12:01 p.m. by Sarah

Here’s a tricky one for the seasoned contact centre professional – how do you hang up on a client? Nicely! You've given them the right information or you’ve completed the deal but still they want to chat. How do you move on to the next call without offending the customer already on the phone. The other day one of my colleagues mentioned that they should offer courses to people on how to terminate a phone call. It reminded me of the time years ago when I was at journalism school and a seasoned...

Categories: Leadership | Recruitment and HR

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Only 50% of technology used effectively

Posted Mon 30 July 2007 @ 1:48 p.m. by Sarah

When Datacraft representative Paul Goode moved to New Zealand he was initially impressed with the high level of technology adopted by contact centres. His first thoughts were that the local scene was equal to Scandinavian countries in being the most technically advanced in the world. Then he discovered that while New Zealand contact centres might have the gear, they aren’t using it effectively. He estimates that only 50% of technology in contact centres is actually utilised. Goode has 15...

Categories: Benchmarking | Technology | Vendors

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Are agents evaluated on only five calls a month?

Posted Wed 25 July 2007 @ 12:55 p.m. by Sarah

How many calls does your contact centre record? According to report available at callcentres.net and sponsored by HigherGround Technologies, contact centres in Australia sample only 1-4% of agent calls per month and “five calls per agent are typical”.“The tendency is to monitor calls that fall outside some acceptable threshold, such as call length, number of transfers, wrap-up and hold time. But if the object is to evaluate the agent’s performance then the monthly scorecards should reflect more normal...

Categories: International | Recruitment and HR | Technology

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Statistics, trends and strategies

Posted Mon 23 July 2007 @ 1:49 p.m. by Sarah

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about contact centre professionals, it’s that nothing quickens the pulse quite like a good set of statistics. And that, Mouthpiece readers, is what the Datacraft presentation at the Contact Centre Networking Event is set to deliver. I’ve been offered a sneak preview of the presentation and it’s sure to get the pens racing across the page. Based on the Dimension Data Global Contact Centre Benchmarking Report, a number of key findings are backed by statistics...

Categories: Benchmarking | Events

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How do you measure First Call Resolution?

Posted Thu 19 July 2007 @ 9:24 a.m. by Sarah

First Call Resolution might be the most important metric, but how do you measure it when your contact centre isn’t set up to complete every transaction? That’s the query from one contact centre manager at a national financial organisation with multiple branches. Here’s her dilemma: “We complete 70% of the functions that a branch does except for specialized investments and lending etc. These calls have to go through to the branch or specialist to deal with as they can’t be handled in our contact...

Categories: Benchmarking | Leadership

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TUANZ member survey - recruitment and retention

Posted Tue 17 July 2007 @ 12:48 p.m. by Sarah

We’re sending out a member survey on Recruitment and Retention to contact centre managers today, so when it hits your inbox could you please take a couple of minutes to fill it out. With the unemployment rate currently at 3.8% - well below the OECD average of 5.5% - finding quality staff to fill contact centre seats is a key issue for New Zealand managers and team leaders. The TUANZ survey is designed to gather information that is specific to this country. All replies will be treated in the strictest...

Categories: Recruitment and HR

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One Night at the Call Centre – movie

Posted Mon 16 July 2007 @ 12:54 p.m. by Sarah

Good news for those who missed out on the recent Mouthpiece giveaway for the novel One Night at the Call Centre, a movie of the book is currently being filmed in Delhi and Mumbai.According to the Hindustan Times, the movie has been renamed ‘Hello’* and is co-written by the novel’s author Chetan Bhagat, and directed by Atul Agnihotri. The newspaper has run four articles since filming began and by all accounts Bollywood is as prone to on-set dramas as Hollywood. A member of the original cast has left...

Categories: International

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Standing up for contact centre agents

Posted Wed 11 July 2007 @ 9:39 a.m. by Sarah

Following news articles yesterday regarding the possibility that Telecom may move 250 contact centre jobs to Manila, technology journalist Peter Griffin has written about the possible effects of outsourcing in his NZ Herald blog.In it Griffin questions whether shifting crucial telco services (in this case broadband support) offshore is a wise move before going on to slam the contact centre profession:“I’ve never worked in a call centre but I know people who have and generally didn’t enjoy it. For...

Categories: Recruitment and HR

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Is 10 seconds standard for abandonment rates?

Posted Tue 10 July 2007 @ 10:04 a.m. by Sarah

When do you start measuring abandoned calls? Ten seconds after the connection or 10 seconds after the voice announcement is complete? Or is there an entirely different industry standard? That’s the query from one manager whose had conflicting advice on how long to allow before a counting an ‘abandoned call’. They had thought the industry standard was 10 seconds, but they were recently advised that as their voice announcement (which offers alternative contact numbers) is 29 seconds, abandoned calls...

Categories: Benchmarking | Profile

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Amway catch the bus

Posted Mon 9 July 2007 @ 11:29 a.m. by Sarah

With million dollar renovations taking place at Amway HQ, noise and dust levels are running high and patience is running out. So contact centre manager Gay Reed-Barrance has hailed a bus – two in fact – to take care of business. Rather than relocate for a couple of months to a back-up centre provided by Plan-B, Reed-Barrance has asked the company to provide two buses, each fitted with 11 workstations equipped with PCs and handsets. While she expects it to be a “tight squeeze” during peak times,...

Categories: Profile | Technology

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Recruitment & Retention

Posted Mon 9 July 2007 @ 10:53 a.m. by Sarah

R & R is usually shorthand for Rest and Recreation but for contact centre managers it's now likely to stand for Recruitment and Retention – more cause for a headache than a holiday.The recent benchmarking survey by callcentres.net of 45 New Zealand contact centre managers showed it was their top concern. And, as you might expect, recruitment companies are offering plenty of advice on how to find – and keep – good staff. Hudson, in its annual contact centre remuneration guide, points out that...

Categories: Recruitment and HR

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Conference 2007 - Gay Reed-Barrance Writes a Guest Blog

Posted Sun 1 July 2007 @ 7:34 p.m. by Ernie

Its a real challenge for the TUANZ team and contact centre committee to design a conference programme that assists attendees to reflect on their contact centre's past performance and then focus on new ideas and initiatives that will grow their business, stimulate their teams and enhance customer service - all within budget in a tight employment market! From the feedback so far I believe we delivered something for everyone, some take homes for me: - Find out what your customers truly...

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