Dimension Data, a leading IT solutions and services provider, today announced the launch of its ninth global study to benchmark performance levels and best practices within the contact centre industry. The ninth Global Contact Centre Benchmarking Report will be published in early 2007, and it is expected to draw participation from over 400 contact centres in over 30 countries around the world.
Figures from last year`s Global Contact Centre Benchmarking report suggest that at least 54 billion* calls are received by contact centres around the world annually. With the vast majority of contact centres (85%)* experiencing growth in call volumes of over 5% per year, it is not surprising that 75% of contact centres are now including customer satisfaction as part of their strategy, according to the Merchants Global Contact Centre Benchmarking Report 2006.
The expected growth within the industry will demand development strategies that embrace the entire contact centre performance and management process in order to deliver customer satisfaction and subsequently retain and grow the customer base.
Commenting on the Global Contact Centre Benchmarking study, Cara Diemont, marketing director, Customer Interactive Solutions, Dimension Data, said: "The role of the contact centre must be to drive customer satisfaction and to retain profitable customers. The way businesses perceive their contact centre can to a large extent be judged by the way their contact centres relate to customers.
Participation in the study is open to all contact centres with more than 20 seats. The research is being conducted via a new online survey portal that allows participants to assign different sections of the survey to the most appropriate individual within their organisation. This will allow for a more collaborative approach to data submissions and ensure that departments and individuals that own operations, performance, location strategy, technology and financial management, for example, are involved.
The 2006 Global Contact Centre Benchmarking Report drew participation from contact centres in 38 countries. With over 55% of last year`s participants citing the report as used to benchmark their own performance, the independent and confidential study provides an insight into the standards of the contact centre industry across the globe.
Each contact centre participating in the study will be entitled to a complimentary copy of the final report and may request a presentation of the report findings enabling them to benchmark their contact centre against the contact centres of their peers, on a national, regional and global level.
Diemont continued: "The need for the industry to benchmark its performance, especially in the areas of customer, organisation and staff is vital for successful customer interaction and ensuring that today`s contact centres are able to respond efficiently and effectively to the demands of today`s customers in terms of service levels expected. Similarly, unless contact centres transform in terms of understanding the significance of the contact centre in creating customer value and achieving commercial returns the industry as a whole will not deliver on customer service expectations."
Contact centres wanting to participate in the study can register online at www.ccbenchmarking.com or can contact Chantal Pillay at ccbenchmarking@za.didata.com, or +27 (011) 575 4132.
The study will be published by Dimension Data. All data collection adheres to data protection and data privacy regulations and guidelines, and all participant information is held and analysed anonymously.
* These calculations are based on average contact centre call volume and call statistics data from the Merchants Global Contact Centre Benchmarking Report 2006.
Contact centres participating in the study are entitled to:
* Complimentary report - participation is free and each contact centre operation that fully completes the survey will receive a complimentary copy of the final Report published in early 2007 valued at USD 1 500.
* Industry expert assessment - by taking part in the annual survey, contact centres are participating in a rigorous assessment of their contact centre operations - the questionnaire has been designed by industry experts to ensure it covers all essential aspects of a contact centre.
* Personalised data output - each participant may request the personalised output of their contact centre data in order to compare their contact centre sites to each other as well as best practice standards set by the report.
* Individual results presentations - participants are also entitled to request a complimentary presentation of the report findings to their organisation, particularly contact centre leadership and management teams.
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Dimension Data plc (LSE:DDT), a specialist IT services and solution provider, helps clients plan, build and support their IT infrastructures. Dimension Data applies its expertise in networking, security, operating environments, storage and contact centre technologies and its unique skills in consulting, integration and managed services to create customised client solutions.
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