Outbound Call Center Featured Article

TMCnet Outbound Call Center Week in Review

By David Sims
TMCnet Contributing Editor

Lots happening in the outbound call center space this past week, let’s get you caught up.

TMC’s (News - Alert) Chris DiMarco wrote that interactive voice response systems are ubiquitous in the call center space. Even if you’re only using one to greet customer or help direct their calls, IVRs save you time and money while simultaneously increasing the information that your agents have at their disposal.  

Well, they would in a perfect world at least; let’s not forget the other side of the coin: those horror stories you here about disconnected calls, menus that go in circles, or unresponsive commands.

So how do you make sure that you’re getting the full host of benefits out of your IVR system? Veteran call center training provider RCCSP’s IVR Design program offers a two day, hands-on instruction that lets attendees delve deeper into their current system and provides them with the knowledge they need to create working IVR solutions.  

This course provides practical hands-on guidance for designing the best customer-focused Interactive IVR for your business. Attendees will learn scientifically-proven techniques that increase throughput and IVR containment while reducing errors. The sessions are hands-on and designed to interactive with constant updates that reflect the latest trends and research.

Depending on which IVR platform you are currently using, developing a proper response tree can be as easy as flipping a few menu switches or as difficult as writing code. Regardless of the technical skill needed to make these adjustments, this course takes a deep look into what makes a successful menu and how to keep it that way. The course is perfect for business analysts, IVR specialists, and software developers. Both technical and non-technical attendees are welcome.

Raju Shanbhag noted that Enrollment Rx announced that the company added various new higher education institutions to its customer list.

Force.com, the leading enterprise cloud-computing platform from Salesforce.com (News - Alert) has assisted in the building of Enrollment Rx solutions. Enrollment Rx continues to expand its footprint in the higher education sector with a full suite of cloud-based CRM -- Enrollment Rx enrollment management, Placement Rx career services management, Alumni Rx alumni relationship management, and Stutrax Student Information System (SIS) since its launch in 2009, the company stated.

“We continue to make good on our promise to democratize enterprise software for the higher ed market,” said Lawrence Levy, president of Enrollment Rx. “Our track record of successful CRM implementations and ongoing customer momentum shows that the market is in full swing, ready to take advantage of the financial, operational and business benefits that cloud computing offers. We typically implement our solutions at a rate of five times faster and at half the cost of traditional CRM products.”

Higher education institutions of all sizes can automate communications, improve data transparency and create unmatched business process efficiencies with Enrollment Rx's cloud solutions. To help their professional staff use their time more efficiently and effectively, and maintain better contact with prospective students, Dixie State College implemented Enrollment Rx. They've already seen productivity improvements, after being live on the system for two weeks.

And Carolyn J. Dawson wrote that subsidized healthcare benefits will now be accessible to thousands of retirees of auto part manufacturers. A Voluntary Employee Benefit Association or VEBA known as the Auto Retiree VEBA Trust will be created as per direction received from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

Due to VEBA participation, substantial federal tax credit will be made available for the subsidized healthcare benefits. Health Coverage Tax Credit eligible benefits will be provided for the first time through this industry-wide VEBA.

Retirees of Metaldyne Corporation of Plymouth, Michigan will be the beneficiaries of this trust. A VEBA under Bankruptcy Code Section 105 and IRS Code Section 35(e)(1)(K) was successfully established by Farella Braun + Martel Restructuring & Insolvency practice partner Dean M. Gloster. Retirees of Metaldyne and other auto part manufacturing companies with ages between 55 and 65 will benefit from the Auto Retiree VEBA Trust.

The headquarters of these auto part manufacturing companies however need to in the states of Ohio, Michigan or Wisconsin in the past or present. The federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation also needs to be providing the pensions for these companies. Regardless of current state residency, retirees of Allis-Chalmers, Amcast, Collins & Aikman, Delphi, Hayes-Lemmerz International and dozens of others are now eligible for the subsidized healthcare benefits.

The advantage of the federal Health Coverage Tax Credit can be taken by Auto Retiree VEBA Trust participants. Participants, their spouses and dependents can reimburse sixty-five percent of health insurance and prescription drug premiums. This includes dental and vision care premiums of any combined program. If the Trade Adjustment Assistance program is renewed by President Obama on October 21, 2011, the reimbursement rates are expected to rise to 72.5 percent.