Sample Trip Report

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Subject: Vanguard Communications/Incoming Calls Management Institute Seminar

On (date) I attended a seminar in (location) which was sponsored by Incoming Calls Management Institute. The name of the seminar was "Understanding and Applying Today’s Call Center Technologies.” The seminar leader was (Lori Bocklund/Dave Bengtson/Don Van Doren), a consultant with Vanguard Communications Corporation.

We talked about strategic alignment – how important it is that our call center technology enable our call center strategy, which supports our business strategy. We looked at the customer contact challenges presented today. We must use multiple media and build relationships with customers – not just service their needs over the telephone.

We learned the “why, what, how, who, when” of a broad array of call center technologies, from basic functions to advanced tools. We started with a discussion about infrastructure - application architectures, and network architectures. We talked about some of the emerging architectures that move intelligence outside of the switch, and leverage Internet Protocol (IP) for voice switching.

We talked about capabilities for routing and reporting, at both basic and advanced levels. We also looked at advanced management tools such as workforce management systems, simulation tools, and quality and logging systems. We talked about self service via voice response and the web, and the powerful business case it can have with the right application opportunities. We discussed things like conditional and skills based routing, networking sites, Computer Telephony Integration (CTI), and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems. The advanced technologies will help us move from using the call center as a tactical resource, to positioning it as a strategic element in customer relationship management. And they’ll help us to lower our costs of doing business, while delivering better service to our customers.

We looked at the specific capabilities of each technology, as well as the business challenges it addresses. For each one, we discussed the major vendors and how their offerings varied. Our materials packet included a handout listing vendors by category, along with their corporate URLs. There is also a valuable resource list with on-line learning centers, magazines, conferences, organizations, and other sources to turn to. Updates to this will be available to us ongoing at www.vanguard.net.

The instructor explained how the various technologies work together, and how different configurations could address similar issues. We also talked about the benefits to the company, the call center supervisor or manager, the CSR, and of course, the customer.

We had group exercises to apply what we were learning, and a lot of good discussion among the class members. In addition to the materials already mentioned, the course packet included a number of other useful takeaways, including a glossary, a “what fits where” table to help identify when to use different technologies, Call Center and Voice Response Best Practices and Trends, and a planning and implementation toolkit.

I think this course (was/was not) worth attending because (your reasons). I (would/would not) recommend that others from our (company/organization) attend. I learned a lot about the many call center technologies and have new ideas about why they make sense in our business and what we should do next. I would like to meet with you to discuss how we can use some of the helpful tools to get started on our strategic call center direction here at (your company).