Hi-tech solution can dial trouble

I thought your recent article about companies not realising the full potential of call centre technology, “Down the line” (MW February 11), raised some interesting points .

I agree the blame for bungled customer contact cannot be pinned on a lack of enabling technology. However, I find it very alarming that, of the call centres which have invested in some form of CTI, only half have successfully integrated the capability into effective customer-value management.

I would first like to stress that CTI (or any other form of tech- © nology) alone does not deliver customer-value management and CTI should certainly not be made into the holy grail of call centres. I totally agree with Alicia Clegg’s point about technology purchases following a company’s strategic vision, not the other way round.

Software should complement the requirements of call centres and their clients. There is no point having the very latest technology if clients’ individual requirements make it unnecessary or inappropriate. This would just increase call centres’ costs, which surely counteracts one of the benefits of outsourcing.

Niki Turner

Marketing director

The Ops Room

Twickenham

Middx