Customer care architecture unveiled

2e2 has released the second in a series of architectures designed to deliver business outcomes and move it beyond the traditional 'siloed' approach to reselling, states V3.

One Contact is a range of services aimed at improving the way UK organisations interact with customers and citizens. This follows on from the 'equipping employees' architecture it unveiled earlier this year. Further architectures are set to debut later this year.

2e2 said One Contact services will be split into four main categories focusing on the contact centre and customer interaction: modernisation, investment in agent skills, delivering online channels through a hosting provider, and integrating technologies for better insight.

Businesses must improve their contact centre operations to deal with angry post-recession customers, according to a report, says Network World.

They will have to consider voice biometrics and ensure consistent service across social media to make sure customer demands are met, said the report by Contact Centre Babel, a customer service research group.

With disposable income increasingly tight, customers are becoming more intolerant of brands that do not measure up on the customer service front, said the report. Firms running or outsourcing service centre operations needed to consider making a range of technology available to improve customer service.

The New Zealand contact centre industry has grown over the past 12 months despite moves by Yellow Pages, TelstraClear and Telecom to outsource calls to the Philippines, and at least some jobs being created are more appealing to younger workers, writes Stuff.co.nz.

Australian researcher Callcentres.net says the number of 'seats' in New Zealand contact centres grew 4% to 29 000 and a growing proportion are now handling e-mail and social media.

Managing director Catriona Wallace says clothes and homeware retailer EziBuy has become an international trailblazer, using contact centre staff to answer phones, faxes, e-mail and Web chat with up to 10 customers at a time. "This is the new way of service. The new job in the contact centre will be 'gen-Y' handling multimedia."