Is Your Call Center Ready for a
Disaster?
By Randy Saunders
Hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, storms, power outages, terrorist
threats...you never know when or how your business might be
disrupted. But you do know that you must have a business continuity
plan because customers don’t stop calling and emailing when you have
an outage. In fact, volumes may increase. Your agents need to be
available to customers. One negative experience with your company
and you could lose that customer forever. Add the average number of
customer contacts you have in a given time period and it is easy to
see how quickly the damage to your business can multiply with any
outage.
Large companies with established national or global operations
typically have the resources to create redundant systems to overcome
a local or even regional outage. If there is an outage or problem
at one location, contacts are simply routed to the other open
sites. However, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) typically
don’t have the resources to build comprehensive disaster recovery
plans and are left with few options other than rebuilding the system
as quickly as possible.
Hosted contact centers to the rescue: Hosted contact center
solutions provide SMBs with a cost-effective and reliable solution
that minimizes business risks during an emergency by enabling agents
to work from virtually anywhere. The latest hosted solutions
require only a web browser, phone and internet access to provide the
same complete contact center functionality as if the agents were
actually on-site. Because all software and hardware are housed
off-premise in a secure hosting facility, the “contact center” can
continue to operate without disruption.
In fact, a hosted contact center can provide even greater
flexibility and security than redundant physical contact centers.
For instance, even if a company with multiple contact centers were
able to re-route incoming contacts to one of their other centers,
the remaining locations may not be able to handle the increased
volumes or have the proper training to adequately handle the
re-directed calls. A hosted solution enables you to automatically
route communications to available agents wherever they might be.
And if employees did have to be evacuated, re-establishing
operations is quick and inexpensive, since agents only need a web
browser, a phone, and access to the internet. This makes nearly any
home or hotel a potential temporary outpost. The end result is the
business continuity that your bottom line and customers require.
A virtual contact center for real-world events – and a global
economy: Because the hosted solution places the hub of the
contact center outside of the organization, it makes the virtual
contact center a reality. By strategically locating agents in
geographically diverse locations, you can dramatically reduce the
impact any single event could have on the business. Far greater
than even multiple contact centers, this can make the business
nearly immune to local outages or disasters.
Fine Art By Hyatt is one company that can testify to the advantages
of a hosted solution in an emergency. When Fine Art By Hyatt made
their original decision to go with a hosted solution from Cincom
Systems, Inc., a lot of factors other than emergency preparedness
entered into the equation. However, when Hurricane Wilma stormed
ashore less than 20 miles from the company headquarters in Naples,
Florida, this ability moved to center stage. Larry Block, president
of Fine Art By Hyatt, says “our agents in the Midwest and western
states were able to cover the phones while we were covering our
heads to protect from Wilma. We never missed a beat as far as
taking customer orders was concerned!”
Under non-emergency conditions, a hosted solution can provide
unmatched scheduling flexibility for agents and managers. It
enables the business to employ the best agents available worldwide –
creating a virtual contact center for businesses of any size.
The flexibility of hosted solutions also offers advantages during
call spikes. Because no special hardware or software is required,
you can quickly engage non-contact-center personnel to take customer
calls. In essence, your entire organization can become a pool of
backup agents for unforeseen load conditions.
The importance of multi-channel capability: A key component
in the success of hosted solutions when addressing business
continuity planning is the ability to integrate multiple channels.
For example, if your customers’ phones are out of service due to an
outage, they will try to utilize other channels of communication,
such as e-mail, until they reach you. During Hurricane Katrina and
the 9/11 attack, this situation became reality as millions of
telephone lines and cell phones were inoperable; yet e-mails could
be sent from many locations. The ability to substitute contact
channels proved vital in this situation.
Also, if your business involves utilities, certain government
agencies, and other organizations, call volumes are likely to
increase during emergencies. The ability to direct customers to
alternative communication channels that are operational or to agents
located outside the affected area could be critical. Today's hosted
solutions make all of this possible.
Hosted contact centers on the rise: The business continuity
and global business advantages of today's hosted contact center
solutions haven't gone unnoticed by businesses. According to
Datamonitor, hosted contact centers will be the fastest-growing
sector of the market, and by 2008, will account for 38 percent of
the global market. Additionally, DMG Consulting reports that by
2007, 20 percent to 30 percent of all new contact center seats will
be hosted. By providing an economical and viable alternative to the
on-premise contact center, a hosted solution enables SMBs to
establish business continuity capabilities and global customer
service that was previously not feasible. The end result is a
leveling of the playing field for SMBs and minimized exposure in the
event of a disaster.
Randy
Saunders is the marketing director for Cincom’s Customer
Experience Management products. He can be contacted at
rsaunders@cincom.com.
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