Outbound Call Center Featured Article

Outsourcing Institute Expands Management Team with Contact Center Solutions Expertise

By Neelam Malkani
TMCnet Contributor

The Outsourcing Institute, the world's largest and most trafficked neutral professional association dedicated solely to outsourcing, announced the expansion of its management team with the hiring of Jeff Russell as Managing Director of its Contact Center Marketplace. Russell will oversee The Outsourcing Institute's newly formed solutions designed specifically for the contact center industry.

"I am excited to be part of The Outsourcing Institute team and look forward to assisting both buyers and providers in the contact center outsourcing space. Our menu of services will include strategy consulting, procurement assistance, RFP software, training, recruiting, sponsorship and marketing programs," shared Jeff Russell. "Whether it's traditional call handling, mobile device, social media interactions or back-office support, people are relying more than ever on contact centers to provide customized customer care," added Russell.

With more than two decades of experience in outsourcing industry, Jeff Russell is considered a pioneer in customer care. He initiated and directed many of the first outsourcing projects that took place between North America and Europe to near-shore and off-shore locations. He has also directed outsourcing operations involving the Middle East, Europe, South East Asia, Africa, and both North and South America.

In this capacity, Russell will harness and drive customer contact center-specific programs and tools for The Outsourcing Institute to help providers and practitioners better buy, sell and manage in a rapidly growing and evolving arena. The program will include special interest groups, advisory, training, recruiting and vendor selection services and tools, including its new RFP Builder software. For providers, there will also be targeted promotional, sponsorship and business development offerings.

"We are excited to have Jeff onboard as he has a history of directing rapid growth strategies and developing unique solutions," commented Outsourcing Institute CEO, Frank Casale. "Contact center outsourcing is one of the most exciting spaces in the industry today. There are many challenges, however, as most buyers strive to keep up with the pace of change and providers struggle to differentiate themselves in a hyper-competitive marketplace. By creating this new focus, and putting Jeff at the helm, we can better provide innovative solutions and support to both sides."