Streamlining The Customer Experience

United Kingdom --  Today, the Professional Planning Forum announced the shortlist of finalists for the Contact Centre Innovation Awards 2007, to be presented at the Contact Centre Planning conference in Dublin on April 25-26.

Following a record number of entries, 15 contact centres have been selected as finalists this year, including five public sector organisations and organisations from the financial services, utility, travel, IT, business-to-business, outsourcing and service sectors.

The shortlist represents a fantastic variety of types of innovation. Projects include work that has improved efficiency, customer service and sales - as well as reducing sickness and attrition and improving employee motivation and retention.

Nominations this year show a growing focus on how the contact centre can
streamline the customer's experience and save time and effort on unnecessary contacts. The public sector projects in particular demonstrate how local government, although in many ways less experienced in operating contact centres, is developing fast in their focus on streamlining the customer's experience of accessing their services.

Nominations also include some excellent examples of successful workforce
management and optimisation implementations and new approaches to the
issues of successful planning/scheduling and management of a genuine
work-life balance for employees.

The Innovation Awards show how contact centre managers can transform
the experience for both customers and colleagues in centres that implement change successfully, explains Paul Smedley, Executive Director. "The work undertaken by these finalists has taken performance in these centres to a new level. These case studies offer practical examples to managers, planners and analysts."

"The role of resource planning is maturing and the initiatives that have
been submitted this year are excellent illustrations of this new thinking", adds Andy Turner, Contact Centre Planning Specialist and also a member of the judging panel. "Experienced, well trained and forward-thinking planners are becoming integral influences in the wider future planning and success of contact centres."

"We saw an amazing number of quality entries this year", concludes Steve
Woosey, newly promoted to the role of Membership Director. "The depth
of projects and the significant role that planning has played is something for us all to be proud of."

See the full list of Innovation Award Finalists >

See the presentations at Contact Centre Planning 2007 >

or contact Kirsten Wiltshire at the Professional Planning Forum.

Tel: +44 870 870 59 60 . email