Outsource Issue 23 - (Page 32)

The FuTure is Now Virtual Assistance and Artificial Intelligence are here for customer service and sales, says Tom Topolinski – so what does this mean for the CRM space? Tom Topolinski, CEO, Topo Enterprises Tom Topolinski has over 30 years’ experience in technology and executive business management, with a strong focus on customer relationship management (CRM). He is the CEO of Topo Enterprises and a columnist for www.outsourcemagazine.co.uk hat is happening to advance the relationship between the vendor and the customer that we as businesspeople depend on? Today, we all know – or at least sense – that the normal way to support and communicate with our customer base is awkward, expensive and cumbersome in a standard call centre environment. We all know the problems associated with call centre metrics (average handle time, peak call management, accent and language requirements, call queue management, call abandonment, training of live agents, attrition and retention of those live agents and ultimately customer satisfaction). Today’s dilemma is to get the customer connected to someone that can solve the problems for the consumer or end-user in a rapid timeframe and at a communication level that satisfies the caller. This interaction is expensive, so the strategy is to generally “minimise” the interaction. But what if interactions were so inexpensive that communicating with “Outsource for skill arbitrage. Besides entrepreneurial skills and the core intellectual property of a business, everything is outsourceable.” - Veena S. Iyer 32 ● W www.outsourcemagazine.co.uk http://www.outsourcemagazine.co.uk http://www.outsourcemagazine.co.uk

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Outsource Issue 23

Outsource Issue 23
Contents
News & Comment
IT Security
Ian Collard
More Than Just A Headcount
Call Centre Technology
Social Issues
Understanding Value
Cutting Through The Noise
All In The Genes?
It’s Time For Contact Centres To Get Socially Responsible
Right From The Start
All In The Game
Relationship Management Centres
NOA Roundup
Document Management
Digital Vision
Review Ructions
Provider Perspective
A New Reckoning?
Head-to-Head
The Music of Outsourcing
Accelerating Innovation
Labour Arbitrage
Top Ten Tips
The Legal View
HfS: New outsource Partner
Online Round-Up
Sourcebites
Inside Source
The Last Word

Outsource Issue 23