ICMI's High-Level Knowledge Exchange Conference to Address Potential Landmines in Establishing Overseas Call CentersPRNewswire-FirstCall Lured by cost savings as high as 50 percent, U.S. companies including American Express, Dell, GE, HP, Microsoft and Sprint are relocating or outsourcing some of their operations to countries such as India and the Philippines. Indeed, Forrester Research estimates that as many as 3.3 million white-collar jobs in America with $136 billion in wages will be exported by 2015, with call center services in the vanguard of that flight. Martin Prunty, president of Contact Center Professionals, www.contactcenterpro.com , and Brendan Read, services editor of Call Center Magazine www.callcentermagazine.com , will be featured speakers at Incoming Calls Management Institute's Knowledge Exchange conference www.incoming.com on September 18 at San Francisco's Hyatt Regency Embarcadero. They will address the risks, advantages and how-tos of outsourcing and off-shoring critical customer relations. "The challenge for businesses is to balance cost-cutting needs with customer expectations, and data and personnel protection," notes Read. "Unlike computer chip and garment manufacturing or paperwork processing which require no customer contact and have long been exported, the success of every call center depends in large measure on its employees' ability to interact with customers and deliver high quality service. And there is no doubt that cultural differences can impact the effectiveness of customer care." The cost savings come at the risk of customer backlash, and personal and data security, Read continued. He cites published reports of Americans having difficulty communicating with Indian call center agents, growing customer data protection fears, and personnel safety concerns triggered by military revolts such as the recent Philippines mutiny and terrorism such as August 25 bombing in Mumbai -- a major call center hub in India. In addition to this special focus, the Knowledge Exchange, which is co- hosted by CMP Media and runs from September 17-19, will offer call center managers in-depth, interactive training sessions in key areas including workforce management, technology, strategy and leadership. Attendees will have unprecedented access to industry leaders who will offer insight into the strategies, techniques and technologies that can help them maximize the performance and value of their contact centers, and make informed decisions on whether to outsource their customer care operations or locate them overseas. About ICMI Established in 1985, Incoming Calls Management Institute is recognized as the leading resource on management, operations, and emerging trends impacting the contact center industry. Based in Annapolis, Md., ICMI was the first company in the world to offer training seminars on call center management and operations. ICMI has consulted to organizations in more than 20 countries, and trained over 50,000 contact center professionals, offering applied business expertise based on "real-life" experiences and sound research. ICMI is publisher of the industry's acclaimed how-to textbook, "Call Center Management on Fast Forward". ICMI is independent and is not associated with, owned or subsidized by any industry supplier. About CMP Media LLC CMP Media LLC ( www.CMP.com ) is a leading integrated media company providing essential information and marketing services to the entire technology spectrum -- the builders, sellers and users of technology worldwide. Capitalizing on its editorial strength, CMP is uniquely positioned to offer marketers comprehensive, integrated media solutions tailored to meet their individual needs. Its diverse products and services include newspapers, magazines, Internet products, research, direct marketing services, education and training, tradeshows and conferences, and custom publishing. For further information, please contact: Marci Silverman of CMP Media LLC, +1-917-305-3326, msilverman@cmp.com. SOURCE: CMP Media LLC CONTACT: Marci Silverman of CMP Media LLC, +1-917-305-3326, Web site: http://www.incoming.com/catalog/products/fastforward.html Web site: http://www.incoming.com/ Web site: http://www.callcentermagazine.com/ Web site: http://www.contactcenterpro.com/ Web site: http://www.cmp.com/ |