Contact centres

Overview

Key to the commercial success of many consumer-facing organisations is the development of Contact Centres that provide a positive customer experience. Centres that deliver anything less can have a seriously detrimental effect on brand perception and corporate reputation; damage that is not easily repaired, even with expensive advertising.

Customers caught in a web of automated IVR systems – required to hold on for long periods of time, and repeat the same information over and over again – are often lost customers.

Many sectors, including Utilities, Financial Services, Telecommunications and the Public Sector now have to contend not only with issues such as regulation and de-regulation, market maturity and increasing competition – but must also try to satisfy a more astute and demanding consumer looking for improved services and greater value for money.

So an industry employing an estimated 3% of the entire UK workforce faces many challenges. And though there seems to be no consensus on the best way forward, two distinct models are emerging. Increasingly, technical support is being sourced from abroad. Where, however, an in-depth understanding of customer needs and relationship-building skills are critical to commercial success, many organisations are recalling their Contact Centres to the UK.

Against this background, clients are looking for new ways of working and commercial/operational initiatives that will have a positive impact on staff performance, customer retention and the profits derived from well-executed services.

Albemarle's Contact Centre expertise

Recognising the pivotal role interim management can play in helping organisations whose Contact Centre operations are undergoing a period of transition, Albemarle has created a dedicated Contact Centre Group consolidating our collective expertise in this area. We have a number of interim professionals, whose extensive operational experience includes:

  • Contact Centre set up
  • CRM strategy and implementation
  • People performance and process improvements
  • Cost reduction – out sourcing and off shoring
  • Recruitment, training and retention
  • Defining and improving customer experience and insight
  • Understanding and defining best practice, and its full implementation
  • Operational improvement in mature markets
  • Transforming Contact Centres into effective sales operations
  • Implementation of new Contact Centre technology
  • Off shoring and outsourcing – preparation of RFI/ITT
  • Procurement – creating value through effective negotiation and strong SLA
  • People and performance management
  • Management Information – systems and reporting improvement

Typical Albemarle interim management assignments:

Albemarle interim managers have been engaged by major organisations in both the private and public sectors for a wide range of assignments, including:

  • Head of Customer Retention
  • Head of Outsourcing
  • Head of Telesales
  • Head of Service Delivery
  • Customer Insight Manager
  • Senior Operations Manager – Customer Services

The 2008 REC (Recruitment Employment Confederation) Interim Manager of the Year, Prit Ahluwalia, is a contact centre specialist working on assignment for Albemarle Interim Management plc at Npower Business. Read more.

Contact Us

If you would like to learn more about Albemarle Interim Management and how we could help your Contact Centre achieve its business objectives, please call Chris Bernard on 020 7079 3737.

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