24/7 Weblog

Predictive interactions – the latest buzz word in the world for customer service. What could be a better transformation than when your solution provider already knows what your pain points could be and suggests solutions even before they really became an issue to grapple with? 24/7 Customer has grown into that realm of solutions that guarantees customer delight.

24/7 Customer is a predictive interactions and contact center solutions provider that owns and delivers business outcomes across the customer lifecycle. The organization has 2 business units – iLabs and Contact Center Operations. 24/7 iLabs (Innovation Labs) is the research and innovation driven business unit of 24/7 Customer. This division is pioneering and evangelizing the concept of "predictive interactions" in managing end customer interactions. In the contact center operations – 24/7 Customer is the No.1 partner for 90% of its clients and is the only organization in the BPO Industry to have received a patent.

This patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has been given for our innovative customer contact management system. The USPTO awarded the patent for creating a unique system and method for managing customer requests and contacts to improve the customer experience. 24/7 Customer has applied for 6 more patents in the field of customer interaction.

Leveraging this suite of predictive customer solutions, 24/7Customer is also offering new career opportunities that involve technology and interactive media. Social and Interactive media careers are based on the new patented innovative customer contact management system that redefines the way a company interacts with its customers across devices, by transforming reactive contacts into smart interactions. 24/7 Customer will be hiring for over 1500 employees by end of this fiscal year this position.

At 24/7 Customer – there are career opportunities ranging from Analytics in iLabs, Social and Interactive media, Support functions and contact center operations. We have received the Best Employer Award at World HRD Congress, 2010.

As Michelle combs her hair in front of the mirror, she thinks to herself…what are they going to ask me? She adjusts her blouse, checks herself in the mirror one last time before picking up her file and walking out the door. Many of us have this question in our minds when we are about to attend an all important interview...Michelle like hundreds of other aspiring youngsters, who wants to be part of this flourishing industry, does too. Here are a few tips that will help you get an edge over the others:

• Dress to impress. The way you’re dressed conveys a lot about your interest in getting the job, about how serious you are about keeping it.
• Carry a well drafted resume. Avoid using canned resumes as most of the time you may not even know what is in it.
• Know your resume, the facts, figures and especially the dates.
• Offer a firm handshake and sit up straight in your chair while you speak to the interviewer. Maintain eye contact and speak confidently.
• Rehearse what you re going to say. Practice with a friend and a good command over the English language is absolutely non negotiable.
• Research on the company, their achievements, their goals and what businesses they do. These will help you in case the interviewer wants to quiz you on it.
• DON’T bad mouth either your present or your previous company.
• SMILE…it improves your face value.

24/7 Customer announces the Toughest Job interview in 247 words – BLOG CONTEST

You can send in your comments as entries to the BLOG CONTEST

Rules: The blog has to be of 247 words. Words more or less than 247 words shall be disqualified
Blog topic: Toughest job interview you have faced

For more information click here

Most of the analysis and outputs from CSAT surveys are focused on what needs to change at the contact center. Whether it is an improvement in agent performance or what kind of training or which center needs to be “brought up” to the network average, the call center agents directly come under the microscope. However a quick analysis of the extent of problems/ poor customer experience will show that nearly 50% of the problems originate outside the contact center.

Today’s freshers are faced with a problem of plenty. And rightfully so. They have multiple options in front of them ranging from the IT industry to BPO to retail to telecom to banking. And the list goes on. Very unlike what it used to be just a decade back. At one end they try to logically connect their education to their career, the other end is the promise of industries with good salaries, high growth and then there is peer pressure coupled with parental guidance. So what should they choose and why?

The BPO industry is a parking lot. I will work there for 6 months till I get a better job.

I am not sure that this is the right job for me because I may not grow.

The current debate around integrated outsourcing has clearly polarized the industry into “For” & “Against” groups. Those in favor argue that integrated services not just save clients money, but also drive Service Level improvements and improve productivity. Especially, where networks, applications, systems and devices play a significant role in the enhancement and transformation of customer service and delivery, it would make better sense to have a single service provider who can see both paradigms. The key here is 360 degree visibility that empowers the service provider to design innovative technology solutions for business process transformation. So, a banking & financial services company could ask its service provider to integrate its various branches in the country and also outsource its customer care services to the same service provider.

Sounds too simple? Here are two key challenges that I think will impact a successful integrated model in the long run:

The phenomenal success story of off-shore outsourcing to India was scripted on the core advantage of labor arbitrage that the country offered. Today, the very reason for this success is under evaluation. Debates related to this are inevitably around the 15-20% wage inflation in off shore locations like India . “Is outsourcig to India Sustainable?” “How long will India 's off-shore advantage last?” “Is the wage gap closing between the developed and developing nations?” “When will it stop making economic sense to off-shore outsource?” - are some of the frequently asked questions.

First came the attraction of fat pay packets and then came along a cool lifestyle to match. Young 20-somethings began to ride the heady wave that took them alongside a new shore every now and then. Most BPOs seemed to have identified "strong anchoring" as the key to stem attrition.

When off-shore outsourcing began, the outsourcer's biggest focus was cost-saving. So businesses outsourced their non-core activities and sat back to watch their processes being taken care of in off-shore destinations, while they saved phenomenal costs. Thus, BPO 1.0 or the "lift and shift" generation was all about identifying low-cost locations and shifting the non-core processes. When the cost-saving demand was fulfilled, buyers started benchmarking different centers on the basis of operational metrics and operational performance across specific business processes. Customer expectations moved towards quality and productivity improvement, heralding the reality that we know today as BPO 2.0.

Progress always involves risk. Progressive thinking is basically a combination of the ability to evaluate and anticipate risk and the courage to take an action based on one’s analysis.  Over the years I have learnt that taking chances is the key to business and self development. Those averse to it inhibit growth of any kind.

From a customer's perspective value includes direct or indirect impact on the business like revenue & profitability. High end initiatives like redesigning underlying processes, customer data mining, statutory reporting and inbound sales The value chain is an ecosystem of several factors like knowledge, Market forces, skills, criticality, Impact, and time.

Security has created more than its fair share of buzz in the Indian BPO industry this year. First there was a fraud at a Pune call centre, then there was an international sting operation that was aimed at the Indian BPO industry. These incidents definitely called for swift actions, which have already been executed by the Indian judicial system and policy makers. But for those still in a frenzy it is time to settle down and analyze the situation rationally.

BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) has been the latest mantra in India today. In order to meet the growing international demand for lucrative, customer-interaction centers, many organizations worldwide are outsourcing these services to locations like India. India has inherent strengths, which have made it a major success as an outsourcing destination. A vast workforce of educated, English speaking, tech-savvy personnel who are a boon in a high-growth industry faced with a shortage of skilled workers. A BPO career is today the most debated topic by the younger generation. One cannot avoid the ripples created by it. There are many perceptions and misconceptions about the BPO industry and, especially, the international voice-based call center industry. While many of the perceptions are true, there are a lot of myths as well that have little connection to actual ground realities. This article attempts to bring to light some "ground realities".

The BPO industry is here to stay. And India is firmly entrenched as a key player in this revolution. Today this industry generates revenues in excess of 100 billion dollars for the western economy. BPO companies handle business processes of leading global companies – serving as an extension of these global brands. Most of these global 1000 companies have already outsourced business processes and are actively looking at outsourcing more processes to India. In short, India is firmly on the outsourcing map of these large global conglomerates. It is no longer a question of why India – but more one of how to get to India.