Most people agree it's a great thing that tools like blogs and social networks have amplified the voice of the customer to help root out bad customer service.
But what about bad customers? What about customers who reveal their darkest secrets, ask the most embarrassing questions, and make the most outrageous demands?
"I think most people would be pretty shocked by what agents go through as part of their 'normal' workday," said VEGAS.com's director of customer contact, Rob Cate.
"For instance, almost daily one of our agents will be asked to attend shows with callers, all-expenses paid, who then e-mail pictures that make even our most liberal employees blush. And I've heard equally startling stories from peers, like the guy who made a marriage proposal to an agent after a two-minute support call, or the lady who asked if she needed a computer to obtain high-speed Internet access."
To honour the voice of the agent and inject a little humour into what is sometimes a very stressful job, Interactive Intelligence (Nasdaq: ININ) is launching a contest inviting contact centre agents to submit their most outrageous customer interaction stories. The more bizarre, wacky, preposterous, outlandish, unreasonable, or over-the-top, the better.
To provide a break from the madness, the Interactive Intelligence "Outrageous Interactions" contest winner will receive a trip for two to Hawaii. Participants submitting entry referrals are eligible for cash prizes.
The contest is open to contact centre agents and managers worldwide. Stories must be written in English, limited to 500 words or less, and can be based on customer interactions by phone, e-mail, letter, or Web chat.
The winning entry will be selected by a panel of industry experts, including Dr Donald E Brown, president and CEO of Interactive Intelligence; Ginger Conlon, editor-in-chief of 1to1 Media; Blair Pleasant, president and principal analyst of COMMfusion LLC; Art Rosenberg, principal analyst and syndicated columnist of The Unified-View; Rich Tehrani, president and publisher of TMC; and others.
The deadline for entries is 31 August 2008. Interactive Intelligence plans to announce the winning entry on 30 September 2008. To submit an entry, or learn more about the contest, visit http://www.outrageousinteractions.com/page/page/5375660.htm.
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Interactive Intelligence Inc (Nasdaq: ININ) is a global provider of unified IP business communications solutions for contact centre automation, enterprise telephony, and enterprise messaging. The company was founded in 1994 and has more than 3 000 customers worldwide. Interactive Intelligence is among the top 500 global software and services suppliers, and is ranked among the top 200 North American networking vendors. The company employs approximately 600 people and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It has six global corporate offices, with additional sales offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Interactive Intelligence can be reached at +1 317.872.3000 or info@inin.com; on the Net: http://www.inin.com.
This release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are described in the company's SEC filings.
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