TMCnet Call Center Software Week in Review

News traveled fast in the Call Center Software realm this week. For starters, Teleperformance (News - Alert) published a blog predicting a new wave of customer service apps that would divert customer calls from traditional help channels.

Forrester (News - Alert) analyst Kate Leggett emphasized that companies would need to leverage the unique properties of mobile devices including their photo, video and GPS functions so that they didn’t simply duplicate their Web presence with their mobile app offerings. A customer who had a car accident, for instance, could use a mobile device to transmit a photo of the damage to his or her insurer.

More than half of consumers use a tablet or smartphone, and many spend more time using online apps than browsing websites. The customer service apps will help companies adjust to the way their customers live now.

In other news, the Five9 Adapter for Salesforce has provided CRM in the cloud for Expert Planet. The Five9 (News - Alert) solution connects 1,000 agents for a company that has no actual contact centers. Expert Planet runs multiple sales and marketing campaigns, and the Five9 Adapter for Salesforce gives them unified customer data as well as full contact center functionality.

Also, customer service management just got a whole lot more interesting with Missions, an open-source CRM program from Zurmo. Execs or managers can set up missions within the software that they want agents to step up and solve. Rewards for solving problems can vary depending on what executives are willing to offer their employees.

Instead of managers complaining about how no one in the call center takes initiative while customer service reps have no idea what the managers want them to do, Missions creates an environment for innovation and allows agents in a repetitive environment to step up to show that they have more to offer.

Finally, call center managers and agents have something to celebrate in October. The International Customer Management Institute (ICMI) is conducting the Call Center Demo & Conference in Dallas, Texas, on October 9 through 11. As part of the convention, four call centers will offer site tours in the area. These centers will include DealerTrack, Rent-a-Center, NOVO 1 Contact Center and Hilton Reservations & Customer Care.

In addition to the tours, call center professionals will have the chance to network and to attend seminars about some of the most pressing issues in the industry.

That wraps up TMCnet’s Call Center Software community news for this week. Check back next week for more community news and have a great weekend.

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