ICMI's Customer Management Insight - September 2007 - (Page 1) SEPTEMBER 2007 BY GREG LEVIN Email in the call center is not going away; however, your customers might be, depending on how well you manage it. M TECHNOLOGY Mastering Email Management Many companies have become so focused on steering customers to robust and potentially cost-effective self-service channels like interactive Web pages and IVRs equipped with advanced speech recognition, they’ve placed email management on the back-burner. Some have even unplugged the stove. Study after study cites organizations’ poor (or even nonexistent) email response times and quality — and the negative impact on customer satisfaction and loyalty that results. Companies that are lucky enough not to lose customers due to poor email handling still must contend with the repeat emails and phone calls from these frustrated folks checking on the status of their original query — an issue that can cost the center dearly in terms of both dollars and agent burnout and attrition. Call centers’ email struggles, say industry experts, stem from several things, namely inadequate email systems and tools; lackadaisical agent hiring, training and quality assurance tactics with regard to e-support; and a tendency to try to apply traditional phone-based management techniques CONTINUED PAGE 6 12 STRATEGY Legal Compliance Tips to ensure that call center polices satisfy both customers and regulators. 20 PEOPLE Monitoring and Coaching Develop a culture of positive feedback and agent development. 30 OPERATIONS Special ACCE Preview A look at the topics, research and events planned for this year’s show. M CONTENTS
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