The difference now over the last nine to 12 months, is that we're having call center management teams saying, 'We need you to help us write a strategic plan to not only assess performance gaps but to understand what we need to invest in. Jackson explains that more companies and organizations want to create a long-term plan for providing customer service. Sometimes such a plan involves the complete restructuring or elimination of call centers. Carol Hukaris, the senior vice president of distributor operations and customer care for the Shaklee Corporation, says that the company thought about consolidating its three call centers into one or two centers, but chose to work with an outsourcer instead. Hukaris says that Shaklee Corporation worked with Response Design intensively before deciding to close down its call centers.
Consultants strive to find solutions that please call center managers and agents alike.
He says that he's often surprised to find that centers are more likely to hire a new person to handle new tasks rather than to work with existing agents who know the companies that they work for much better. Let's say, for example, that you want to help customers through e-mail and text chat. You can retrain agents to work with these mediums without having to teach them about your business as well, since they already have detailed knowledge of your company's products and services. Since outside consultants keep a professional distance from their customers, they can also recognize potential difficulties or opportunities early on. Kowal recalls one company he worked with where he assisted the consumer affairs and marketing services departments on developing a similar project.