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by Paul F. Kirvan,
FBCI
Business Continuity Strategies
for Customer Relationship Management
With the growing adoption of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) initiatives
in just about every type of industry, call centers today are much more
than cost centers. They are increasingly considered strategic business
assets."
Call centers help companies achieve customer-centric
objectives as well as provide world-class customer service and technical
support. CRM is designed to optimize profitability, revenue and customer
satisfaction by organizing the business around customer segments and encouraging
customer-satisfying behaviors.
For many companies, call centers represent
the principal link between their customers and themselves. Successful
call centers differentiate companies, directly impact their annual turnover
and competitive position, and are critical in achieving CRM goals.
As a key element in CRM, call centers
use three building blocks to satisfy their customers: people,
technology, and process.
- People - The
human element is probably the most important component in a call center.
- Technology
- Call centers use network services to connect customers with the call
center, telecommunications systems including Automatic Call Distributors
(ACDs) and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems; and IT products
such as workstations, computing platforms, Local Area Networks (LANs)
and Computer Telephony Integration (CTI).
- Process -
To make everything work harmoniously and cost-effectively, and to satisfy
CRM objectives, a series of processes are needed to define how systems
and people work together.
With the increased emphasis on customer service,
the bar has been raised on customer expectations. Customers expect 24x7
availability, as well as e-mail and Web integration. Access and availability
are among the keys to top-drawer customer service.
But what about
the relationship of these three elements? For today's high-tech call center,
people, technology and process are truly integrated. The loss of any of
the key elements - whether accidental or deliberate - can put call centers
at risk.
Risks
to People
Successful call centers base their success on how
well their staffs perform. If call center staff members are unable or
unwilling to perform their assigned tasks, the call center is at risk.
Risks
to Technology
Call center systems such as ACDs and IVR are at
risk from fires, floods, loss of power, system failure, component failure,
loss of data (with no backups), vandalism, and human error. Voice network
services are at risk from cable cuts, power failures, security breaches,
and service interruptions. Data communications equipment at risk includes
routers, hubs, switches, and power supplies. Data network services, such
as switched or private circuits, or Internet-based services, face the
same risks as voice networks. Business applications require hardware,
such as mainframes, mid-range systems, and servers, plus business applications,
utilities, and web-based programs. Threats to hardware are the same as
for telecom equipment, while human error, viruses, security breaches and
theft of information threaten software.
Risks to Process
Without documented procedures on how to operate,
call centers cannot function smoothly. The overall business process, e.g.,
Customer Relationship Management, is comprised of numerous sub-processes
and functions, each of which link together in various combinations.
If we examine call center operations,
we can see that loss of any of the key elements - whether accidental or
deliberate - can put call centers at risk.
Risks
to People
Successful call centers base their success on how
well their staffs perform. If call center staff members are unable or
unwilling to perform their assigned tasks, the call center is at risk.
Risks
to Technology
Call center systems such as ACDs and IVR are at
risk from fires, floods, loss of power, system failure, component failure,
loss of data (with no backups), vandalism, and human error. Voice network
services are at risk from cable cuts, power failures, security breaches,
and service interruptions. Data communications equipment at risk includes
routers, hubs, switches, and power supplies. Data network services, such
as switched or private circuits, or Internet-based services, face the
same risks as voice networks. Business applications require hardware,
such as mainframes, mid-range systems, and servers, plus business applications,
utilities, and web-based programs. Threats to hardware are the same as
for telecom equipment, while human error, viruses, security breaches and
theft of information threaten software.
Risks
to Process
Without documented
procedures on how to operate, call centers cannot function smoothly. The
overall business process, e.g., Customer Relationship Management, is comprised
of numerous sub-processes and functions, each of which link together in
various combinations.
Conclusion
The best time to introduce business continuity into
customer relationship management is at the very beginning. That way, CRM
process is built on a solid business continuity foundation, and a CRM
program is less likely to be compromised, thus providing better service
to customers and increased profitability to management.
Paul F. Kirvan, FBCI,
is Senior Consultant with Fortune Communications, Inc., a telecommunications
consulting group based in West Long Branch, New Jersey USA. Fortune Communications
is a strategic business partner of Rothstein Associates.
Copyright (c)2003, Paul F. Kirvan, FBCI. All Rights
Reserved.
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