Independence is a virtue, for sure, and it can be tempting to think we can do everything all of the time for ourselves.
But as wise Bono-san points in his song about Ikea furniture: sometimes you can’t make it on your own!
That’s why gathering many talents together is how an organisation does its most effective business – and why centralising core skills – from sales, to technical support to customer service – is now an accepted part of the economic and jobs landscape.
In this big picture, the call centre and contact centre concept can look similar, but in fact they are not interchangeable units –a contact centre also handles e-mail and other data, particularly with the rise of live web chat.
The most recent and all-encompassing term is the grand-sounding yet eminently sensible Business Processing Operation (BPO), which brings all required services together in one location, whether outsourced or not.
According to the Taylor & Anderson Report back in 2011 more than 90,000 people are employed in 400 of these BPOs, primarily across the Central Belt of Scotland.
With financial services the greatest number, there is a large volume working in media, telecoms, and utilities with retail, motoring, technical support and travel also represented, according to Scottish Development International.
When myriad services come together – sales advisors, appointment setters, telesales executives, reservation agents to name but a few – it is vital they all work together rather than retaining their wee mini-empires under one roof.
One part of this shared working comes with a comprehensive and cohesive knowledge base, where customers looking for results online are given clear direction to the correct information.
After all, as we all know, there’s nothing more frustrating, especially when we’re about to miss the start of Game of Thrones, than clicking through numerous FAQs and pages only to find that a call will be necessary after all – if they can even find a number. Aaaaaargh!
Providing a swift answer or a way to purchase a product is clearly a win on both sides.
It’s not only digital natives that will be looking for deeper knowledge and more rapid responses, the digital immigrants have shown they have enjoyed the move too.
The rise of social media means even Facebook pages can be the first port of call for customers, and Tweeting to an account can be simpler and more anonymous than lifting a telephone.
Technology is evolving faster than gamers’ opposable thumbs, but content is still king.
The multi-channel world is an incredible opportunity for business to extend its reach, but should one strand be taken away than it can take everything down. More than ever, the future of this sector relies on working together as a team . . . are you ready to warm up and take to the field?