What Contact-Center Managers Really Need
by Citrix Online

If you manage a contact center, you probably have a wish list of things you’d like to do to improve your operations. One thing every contact-center manager would agree to: They want their contact centers to be streamlined, efficient powerhouses. What managers don’t want is overburdened employees who have to put up with unreliable, inefficient technology and customers who are chronically dissatisfied. Without oversimplifying things, there are two critical areas that can make or break your contact center: people and technology.

Your employees are the lifeblood of your support organization. If they’re burned out and constantly battling outdated software and irate customers, you’ll find yourself spending more time than you’d probably like reviewing résumés just to keep up with turnover. Do what it takes to pick the right people for the job to begin with, and then keep them satisfied by giving them the tools they need to do a good job. Equip your team with tools that enable them to improve the quality of support by, for example, increasing first-contact resolution and reducing incident-handling time. Technology that enables your team to provide reliable, efficient remote support will improve employee morale and job satisfaction. Plus, keep your team up-to-date with product information and technology, and encourage employees to pursue educational opportunities that will benefit themselves as well as your organization.

If your employees are indeed the lifeblood of your organization, technology is what keeps things moving. If you don’t fully evaluate your support operations and understand what you need to keep things running smoothly, you’ll drain your budget on technology you don’t need or use. Plus, unreliable or unsuitable technology will make your entire support team suffer. Before investing in something new, take the time to thoroughly evaluate your support operations, interview your team members, demo different support solutions, and then make a decision based on the big picture rather than a knee-jerk reaction to the fire of the day.

Take a deep breath and focus your attention on your team and your technology. With these components in place, you can’t help but shape your organization into the powerhouse it was meant to be.

About Citrix Online
Citrix Online, a division of Citrix Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CTXS), offers the leading Web-based access, support and collaboration software and services. The division offers Citrix GoToMyPC®, the easiest-to-use solution for remote, secure and managed desktop PC access over the Web; and Citrix GoToAssist™, the most secure, reliable and powerful solution for Web-based technical support and customer collaboration. Citrix Online products are used by more than 4,000 companies worldwide, including Cisco Systems, Siemens, Intuit, Cablevision and Microsoft Business Solutions. The division is based in Santa Barbara, California, and is on the Web at www.gotomypc.com, www.gotoassist.com and www.citrix.com.