Call Center Consultants and Advise
Call center consultants always seem to be able to point to a couple of successful examples where their ideas have been successful. Does this in any way mean that their process or idea or operational plan is successful? Of course not. An example is nothing more than something that someone can point to that demonstrates that in that specific environment, under those specific conditions, their idea worked.
When selecting a consultant, remember that they have ideas but no actual dollars into the program they’re touting. It’s a lot like the weight lose industry showing off their best specimen: (I lost 50 pounds in 3 weeks with [fill in the blank weight loss product]) But notice that in the small print, they say results not typical. This is the same thing with consultants.
Look at the number of consultants recommending call centers offshore or do a relocation outside the US. These people only look at the potential cost savings and minimize the overall expense.
What good is moving offshore to get low wages when you end up alienating your customers with less than effective customer service? The problem however is that management can measure the savings while the cost is much more difficult to determine. So the savings are magnified while the costs are minimized. This results in a move that in many cases doesn’t result in anything positive for the company, it’s employees or customers.
Oh, but it does benefit the consultants :o)