To Insource or to Outsource? That Is the Question
When companies are considering whether to manage a project internally (or insource, as is often said these days) or outsource they must first ask themselves where, what, when and why.
View ArticleIdentification and Verification in IVR
Do you know who I am? That was a popular catch phrase from an American Express commercial around 1978. If you remember that commercial, then you probably danced at a disco. A real disco. In customer...
View ArticleMy, How You’ve Grown!
I’ve been a parent now for nine years. My boys are both the joy and struggle of my life. The excitement that accompanies the birth of one’s children is comparable to nothing else. That life-changing...
View ArticleDoes Knowing What You Are Called Matter?
OK, I’ll start off on the foot you didn’t expect just because I like to mix it up a little. Money. I am willing to pay for all sorts of things. Even things I don’t need. Crazy, right? I’m willing to...
View ArticleHow to Win a Really Cool Customer Service Award
At West, we are always looking for ways to enhance our customer contact solutions. Recently, we were honored by Frost & Sullivan for our best practices around customer value enhancement. I wanted...
View ArticleClearing the Fog Surrounding ‘the Cloud’
How many times have you heard, “Everything is moving to the cloud”? Data. Infrastructure. Applications. Services. Communication channels. It’s all going to the cloud. Yet, when we talk with many...
View ArticleIt’s Time to Transform Your Customer Service Experience
It’s a busy, busy world out there, and your customers are very busy people. What are you doing to transform your customer service experience? Consumers want to reach out to companies in a variety of...
View ArticleWhen NOT Finishing What You Start Pays Off Big Time
In our industry, the advice of not finishing what you start and embracing partial completion can pay off — big time. As you work to maximize the value of your customer contact strategy, aiming not only...
View ArticleWho’s Afraid of the Dark?
Put a group of boys together, especially a group of cousins, and eventually there will be a one-up competition. Put my nephews together with my son, and the five-year age difference between my son and...
View ArticleThe Role of Network Services in Customer Contact Transformation
Recent conversations around the office have gotten me thinking about network services and the role they play in customer contact technologies and services. Over the past several years, there have been...
View ArticleWarren Buffett’s Words of Wisdom Apply to Customer Experience Management
Many readers are aware that Warren Buffett, otherwise known as the “Oracle of Omaha,” is one of the most successful investors and wealthiest people in the world. Each year in early May, thousands of...
View ArticleDoes Your Company Measure Its Cost of Being Reactive?
Reactive maintenance resources can average 30 percent or more than the required resources in a proactive work model. In manufacturing, production downtime losses can average four times the wasted...
View ArticleIs a Customer Service Picture Worth a Thousand Words?
When something is personal, we can lose perspective. In the world of automated care, it is important to have the diligence to conduct regular usability reviews of your IVR application. If you are part...
View ArticlePlatform Vendor Selection 101
Recently, a customer asked me how they should go about choosing the best platform vendor. West builds and offers unparalleled support for platforms, so, of course, I wanted to say, “That’s easy, go...
View ArticleGrowing a New Automated Customer Care Solution Is Like Growing a Healthy Lawn
Warm weather is here to stay, and our focus is on household outdoor projects. Perhaps you are considering replacing your lawn with new sod to have the lush, green grass you have always wanted. While...
View ArticleThe Speech Bandits: Who Is to Blame When an IVR System Can’t Help Your...
There are three diabolical criminals on the loose, and they’re coming to steal your company’s money. But make no mistake, this is no smash and grab — they are thieves in the night, prowling cats for...
View ArticleDesigning IVR Applications From the Inside Out
I have been designing automated phone systems, otherwise known as interactive voice response (IVR) systems, for many years. Anyone can take stab at writing an IVR script — just like anyone can draw a...
View ArticleLeveraging Big Data for West Interactive Clients
Over the past year, West Interactive has been making strategic investments in technologies specifically focused on state-of-the-art business intelligence platforms that will help us to further analyze...
View ArticleEmployee Engagement: Why You Need to Measure It
The Gallup Organization recently released its annual “State of the American Workplace: 2010-2012” report on employee engagement, and the results are alarming. Seventy percent of the American workforce...
View ArticleRFM: It’s Not Just for Direct Marketing Any More
For those not in the field, RFM is an acronym for “Recency–Frequency–Monetary Value.” Direct marketers would examine their customer base and segment them on these attributes. For instance, if you break...
View Article
