Outbound Call Center Featured Article

TMCnet's Outbound Call Center Week in Review

By David Sims
TMCnet Contributing Editor

Looking at the first week of outbound call center news for 2012, TMC’s (News - Alert) Ed Silverstein reported that while Mitt Romney may have narrowly won the Iowa caucus for the Republican race for president, he and his fellow candidates sure have annoyed some local residents given all of the robo-calls they received in recent weeks.

It always happens during presidential primaries. Four years ago, Iowans were similarly nagged by robocalls from the frantic Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama campaigns.

KCCI TV in Des Moines reported that one resident, Sharon Anderson of Council Bluffs, received between six and 10 of the phone calls each day. What made it worse is that her family was trying to clean up their basement from flood-related damage over the summer, and the calls kept on coming. Anderson was so annoyed she decided not even to take part in Tuesday’s caucuses.

The prerecorded robo-calls – which ask for electoral support – would invade their privacy between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., according to the news story. Many also got asked questions in a political survey.

TMC’s Tracey Schelmetic noted that while most companies understand the value of quality inbound customer service – a customer or client calling in for information, queries and guidance, many customer-facing organizations often treat outbound customer contact as an afterthought.

One outbound technology – voice broadcasting – has proved to be an effective tool in today's multimedia world.

Voice broadcasting can be a powerful business tool when used properly. It can automate phone calls for appointment reminders, delivery confirmations, event promotion, debt control, IVR campaigns, phone voting and surveys, automated teleconferencing and to relay vital information to your contacts over the phone. But it's critical that companies that choose voice broadcasting choose a tool robust and flexible enough to meet their needs.

Open source VoIP solutions provider Star2Billing S.L. has introduced a new free and open source voice broadcast application for FreeSWITCH that will enable companies to engage in automated delivery of interactive phone calls to contacts, clients and the general public.

And Rajani Baburajan wrote that CRIF, a provider of credit management and lending solutions, announced it has obtained Credit Rating Agency (CRA) registration from CONSOB and ESMA (the European Authority supervising securities and markets).

The registration, in accordance with the EC Regulation 1060/2009 dated 16 September 2009, regulates credit rating agency operations on an EU level. CRIF ratings can now be used and are valid in all European Union countries.

This is an important development for the company because it recognizes the quality and robustness of CRIF methodologies, processes and organization, as well as compliance with the strict requirements of the September 2009 European Regulation, according to company officials.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO East 2012, taking place Jan. 31-Feb. 3 2012, in Miami, FL. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities.

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