Customer Self-Service and Multichannel Contact Center Research Results Released

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Jan. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Customer Management Institute (ICMI) (www.icmi.com) has released its 2010 research report, Self-Service and the Multichannel Contact Center (http://www.icmi.com/Resources/Research/Self-Service-Report), including key findings and study results.

These study results were taken from a 2010 Self-Service Contact Center survey conducted via email solicitation and online. More than 400 contact center professionals from various industries and all over the world participated.

The study results show that both contact centers and customers are getting an overall lackluster performance from self-service strategies.

"It has been an eye-opening study," said Layne Holley, ICMI's Director of Community Services. "When you consider the investment that companies have made or plan to make in self-service strategies against how they execute these strategies, we see that there's much room for improvement when it comes to ROI and customer satisfaction."

A few key findings (http://www.icmi.com/Resources/Articles/2011/January/Self-Service-and-the-Multichannel-Contact-Center-Research-Findings) from the research study include:

• More than three quarters of respondents (79.5%) indicated that their customer care operations provide customers self-service opportunities.
• Taking into account the respondent data on the success of self-service in reducing operating costs and increasing customer satisfaction, we can confidently infer that at least some of the trouble in meeting service level goals can be attributed to the failure of self-service strategies to truly address and meet customer needs.
• The main drivers respondents cited for implementing a self-service strategy for customers were operating cost reductions (83.4%) and meeting customer demand for service options (74.3%).
• Over half (64%) of respondents don't know if or when a customer has tried to self-serve but then opted for a live representative.
• Among the tools contact centers use to support Web self-service channels, in particular, leaders emerged: issue tracking (53%), knowledge management (44.6%) and service management tools (42.3%).
• A troubling 43.6%, almost half of respondents, don't measure customer feedback on their centers' self-service channels.
• Many survey participants appear to be following some good practices in agent recruitment and hiring for the multichannel environment, with more than half (64.4%) of respondents using the Web (online career sites, company website, etc.) more for recruitment and screening applicants early for the skills needed for multiple contact channels.

A complete review of the survey's final results is available in the research report, Self-Service and the Multichannel Contact Center (http://www.icmi.com/Resources/Research/Self-Service-Report), which includes self-service and multichannel practices.

In addition, ICMI offers a free whitepaper(http://www.icmi.com/Resources/Whitepapers/Customer-Self-Service-Whitepaper) featuring a portion of the survey results and presents commentary through webinar (http://www.icmi.com/Resources/Webinars/2010/Qtr4/Customer-Self-Service-and-the-Contact-Center-Research-Findings-Challenges-and-Practices) and podcast (http://www.icmi.com/Resources/Podcasts/2010/Qtr4/Customer-Self-Service).

Funding for the survey was provided by contact center solutions software provider, inContact (www.incontact.com). (The underwriter, inContact, does not have access to individual survey responses, nor will they be shared with the underwriter.)

About ICMI

The International Customer Management Institute (ICMI), celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2010, is the leading global provider of comprehensive resources for customer management professionals – from frontline agents to executives – who wish to improve contact center operations, empower contact center employees, and enhance customer loyalty. ICMI's experienced and dedicated team of industry insiders, analysts, and consultants are committed to providing uncompromised objectivity and results-oriented vision through the organization's respected lineup of professional services including: Training and Certification, Consulting, Events, and Informational Resources. Founded in 1985, ICMI continues to serve as one of the most established and respected organizations in the call center industry.

ICMI is a part of UBM Live, which provides leading integrated media solutions and professional services across 20 different markets. Operating across the globe, its events, training, publications, award programs, and websites offer professionals in Interiors, Security, Venues, Customer Management, Safety & Health and Facilities the ultimate experience in learning, networking, and business development.

For more information, visit www.icmi.com.

About inContact

inContact (Nasdaq: SAAS) (http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=SAAS) helps contact centers around the globe create profitable customer experiences through its powerful portfolio of cloud-based contact center software solutions (www.incontact.com).

The company's services and solutions enable contact centers to operate more efficiently, optimize the cost and quality of every customer interaction, create new pathways to profit and ensure ongoing customer-centric business improvement and growth.

Learn more about inContact at www.incontact.com

SOURCE International Customer Management Institute

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