Contact Centers

For many catalog/multichannel operations directors, call-center positions are fairly straightforward. You want people who can speak comfortably on the phone, have patience with difficult or complaining customers, can upsell seamlessly, and so forth. It isn’t so simple to find people who are as well-versed when it comes to designating call-center staffers to handling live chat, however. But Philip Bennett, executive vice president/customer service for optionsXpress, an online options, stock and futures brokerage, offered a best-kept secret to the largely catalog/multichannel audience in a session during last week’s National Conference on Operations & Fulfillment in Orlando, Fla. He played up the benefits of finding

OK, listen up readers: I really want your opinion on this.
I recently bought a new Apple MacBook Pro from the company’s Web site. But rather than get rid of my old Mac PowerBook, I decided to update it with the latest operating system. So during a routine check of the old Mac, I noticed it only has half the RAM that was in the machine when I originally purchased it.
I bought the PowerBook four years ago, and my warranty has long since expired. But hey, where’s the RAM that was supposed to be in my Mac?
So expecting nothing, I

Some call-center employees stay with their companies for many years because their employers are generally fair, locations are convenient for them, the pay is good, the work isn’t too hard, and their coworkers are likable and supportive. Despite a good work environment, doing the same job day in, day out can get a little, well, boring. This not only results in a feeling of staleness, but it can also manifest in that rote, pro-forma voice that undercuts interactions with customers. So how can managers enrich or enliven the work environment to keep reps feeling and giving their best? Here are 10 ways to

We hope you get the most out of this special report on operations and fulfillment. We chose a balanced array of three topics that should give you plenty of money-making and cost-saving ideas. Specifically, the articles focus on the top operations benchmarking strategies, the most useful and usable warehouse metrics, and an assortment of ways to keep your call-center reps happy and interested in their jobs. —Paul miller, editor-in-chief 7 Steps to Self Assessment: How better benchmarking can maximize performance in your fulfillment center by Kate Vitasek 5 Most Useful Fulfillment Metrics: Ponder your goals, gauge your progress and line up areas

As per my headline, for this issue of Catalog Success: The Corner View, I hand my pen — um, keyboard — over to Catalog Success E-Commerce Insights columnist Alan Rimm-Kaufman. Alan heads the Rimm-Kaufman Group, an online agency providing large-scale paid search bid management and Web site testing services, and was formerly a marketing executive with the Crutchfield catalog of consumer electronics. I leave the stage to Alan, who starts with a potential scenario followed by nine predictions for the future of the catalog/multichannel business as it affects you. Scene: A bar at a conference hotel during a marketing trade show. Bill:

Over the course of this series, I’ve discussed several techniques to help you maximize revenue in your call centers. Today, I offer another way to make sure you aren’t leaving sales dollars on the table.
(For part 1, click here. For part 2, click here. And for part 3, click here.)
To review, I’ve defined the four types of calls into your call center as follows:
1. calls answered where an order occurs;
2. calls answered where an order doesn’t occur — contact data captured by the customer service representative (CSR);
3. calls answered where an order doesn’t occur — contact data not captured

We all know that not every prospect who calls your call center actually places an order. This week, in the third installment of this series, I offer a fresh way to leave no stone unturned and no money on the table when it comes to your prospecting efforts.
(For part 1, click here; for part 2, click here.)
First, a quick review of my last column, in which I defined the four types of calls your call center receives:
1. calls answered where an order occurs;
2. calls answered where an order doesn’t occur — contact data captured by a customer service representative (CSR);<br

In the second part of this series on how to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your call center as a sales channel, this week I provide tips on how to increase your call-to-order ratio.
(For part 1, click here.)
Not every prospect who calls your call center actually places an order. We all should strive for a 100 percent call-to-order (CTO) ratio. But due to the nature of the call center itself, with its inherent imperfections in technology and human behavior, 100 percent conversion is virtually impossible.
So let’s explore how to increase your CTO, increase your average sale and make sure

While many catalogers receive the lion’s share of their sales today via the Internet, call centers still handle a significant, albeit declining, amount of volume. Due to the nature of how call centers are set up, many times orders slip through the cracks. One reason for this is technological: Many call centers have systems that impede sales flow.
Other reasons are due to the people in catalog/multichannel call centers. Customer service representatives (CSRs) are the people on the front lines of our businesses, and, in short, they’re the people who can make or break your business. In fact, a number of my recent columns

In the final installment of this two-part series on call-center training techniques, this week I focus on how working with enthusiasm can make all the difference in your call center’s productivity.
(To read part one, click here.)
Plan for the unexpected
Role-play the entire sale process — opening, closing, upselling, cross-selling — with your customer service representatives (CSRs), and pay special attention to handling objections. Be aware of all of the potential customer objections that could come into play with your product, and come up with multiple rebuttals that your CSRs can use for each.
Consistently train your reps until they can