Attendance Up 48 Percent at CMP Media's Call Center Demo & Conference Dallas- Outlook Good for Nation's Call Center Industry -PRNewswire-FirstCall CMP Media's 2003 Call Center Demo & Conference Dallas last week drew 1422 attendees -- a 48 percent increase over last year. Eighty-two companies exhibited, including 47 new to this Dallas event. Call Center Demo also saw 19 new product announcements that reflect a continued commitment to improving all aspects of the call center industry, from customer service to workforce training and management. "Based on the tremendous turnout at CMP Media's last two call center shows, and the IT personnel and call center managers' unwavering commitment to long-term planning and applying creative solutions, we believe the outlook for 2003 is more positive than for 2002," said Warren Hersch, editor-in-chief of Call Center Magazine. "Operating under tighter budgets, call centers will concentrate on cost-effective solutions, more manageable department or enterprise projects which are easy to implement quickly, and workforce optimization (WO) solutions, including workforce management, quality monitoring, analytics and training/e-learning." "The increased conference participation clearly indicates the critical role that high quality customer care is playing in today's challenging economy. The success of the first contact center show of the year highlights a growing acknowledgement in corporate America that call centers should also be profit centers. Keeping abreast of technological and operational advances in the customer contact industry is key to selling more and saving more while developing and maintaining a competitive advantage," said Executive Director for Events, Simon Cooper. According to Brad Cleveland, president and CEO of Incoming Calls Management Institute, "The strong showing at CMP's Dallas event is the latest sign that this market has new life to it. Forward-thinking end users and suppliers know that economic and geopolitical concerns will not go on indefinitely, and they are making investments in their futures. We believe the signs bode well for 2003 and beyond." The Dallas event featured four conference tracks, pre-show workshops from ICMI, and site tours of local area call centers organized by CCNG. For the first time, the North Texas Technology Council's Telework Conference was held on the pre-show day, followed by a full "Teleworking in Call Centers" track. Despite the soft economy, or perhaps because of it and the attendant need for companies to implement cost-effective customer service programs designed to increase their efficiency, the call center sector is continuing to grow and to develop new technologies to better serve their customers. Keynote speaker, Bob Fletcher, VP, Customer Care (eastern region), T-Mobile said, "T-Mobile currently has 7000 agents in nine centers handling over 200,000 calls a day (75 million/year) and we're looking to expand in 2003, adding another center to handle increased demand." 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; or Anne Sage of Casey Sayre & Williams, +1-310-458-1224, asage@cswpr.com, for CMP Media LLC. SOURCE: CMP Media LLC CONTACT: Marci Silverman of CMP Media LLC, +1-917-305-3326, Web site: http://www.cmp.com/ |