This document summarizes a presentation given by Steve Mitchinson of Limebridge Australia on trends in the customer interaction space across the Asia Pacific region. Some of the key trends discussed include the growing adoption of IP telephony and cloud computing, increasing customer expectations, the importance of integration across systems and channels, and challenges around social media strategies. Recommendations are provided around improving recruitment, metrics, automation, and providing agents with integrated customer insights to enable more effective customer interactions.

1. Interactions 2012
JW Marriot Hotel, Indianapolis
APAC wide trends across the customer interaction
space – a consultants view
A brief look at trends including:
•A consultants perspective
•The IP Call Centre and IP Telephony space.
•Predictions for the short and long term
•Directions for consolidated vs. distributed call centres,
•Multimedia and its value
•Use of social media
Presented by Steve Mitchinson
Associate Director, Limebridge Australia
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2. Some general observations
Customers expectations are moving faster than most service providers can
adapt
Traditional contact centres are designed around “process” not “experience”
Too few understand the dynamics/opportunities of CC “supply & demand”
Current work allocations models don’t work in this complex environment
The customer's key requirement is to get through to an informed individual
 85% percent of customers happy to transferred to an expert
A rethink of recruitment practices & profiles – the changes in complexity have
significant training and recruitment implications in order to meet the different
requirements of the different channels.
To be an expert in connected digital world all you need is a browser
Ill considered social media strategies – maybe you don’t all need to be in the
middle of the dance floor
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3. The Journey – are we there yet?
Call Answering to Conversation to Interaction to Customer Intimacy
Steps Triage Containment Quality Function Location Integration Media Integration Interaction
Service Neutral Neutral Neutral Mgt
Technologies PBX/Key ACD Skills Call blending Network- Workflow Web Workflow Strong
system based & scripting, based transaction enabled, transaction process re-
routing, integrated routing, recording, web chat, recording, engineering,
IVR, front office distributed ERMS, e-mail ERMS, change
Predictive applications, switch/CTI, integrated response, integrated front management
Dialers, data mining, distributed front speech office/back and
CTI, Call multi- workforce, office/back recognition office, knowledge
recording skilling, remote office, , video integrated management
quality agents, integrated management emphasis,
monitoring advanced management cultural
management transition
and tools
Capabilities Answer Answer calls Route Collect and End of Integration, Customer Integration, Pro-active
the efficiently, calls to use distance control, choice of control, revenue
phone control costs, most able information impediments, efficiency, contact & efficiency, generation,
call queuing agent, about improved understandin media; understanding customised &
once call customers resilience, g and emphasis and support for optimised
that’s all at point of efficient support for moves to more complex response to
focus, contact, support for more the transactions every contact
improved defensive the global complex transaction
service revenue business transactions not the call
generation
Phases Call Handling Call Centre Contact Centre Cloud/BPO
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4. Are we there yet – obviously not
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5. Customer Expectations
They are not what they used to be
1. Remember me
2. Recognise & respect my value to you
3. Know me - recognise and identify my needs
4. Connect me to the person/solution best able to assist me – now
5. Provide me with (an integrated) choice
6. Help me – be proactive, partner with and educate me
7. The customer's key requirement is to get through to an
informed individual – research by BT suggests 85% percent of
customers are happy to transferred to an expert
How can you achieve this more readily?
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6. Contact Centre of the Future
Source: Peppers and Rogers May 2012
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7. 5 Ingredients That Support Great Interactions
What To Look For
The systems and tools are in place to deliver effective
Systems outcomes
The systems and tools in place are being exploited
Processes that are efficient and make optimal use of
resources & systems
Processes Processes that empower and allow staff to meet or exceed
customer expectations
People with the skills, knowledge, motivation and support
Employees to deliver effective service
The voice of the customer is understood and used to drive
Customers business improvement
An integrated channel strategy exists
An approach to culture and leadership that
creates engagement, motivation & effectiveness
Management Reports & Measures that drive improved
outcomes
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8. IP Telephony and the Cloud
Benefits to engagement
Win the hearts and minds of your employees and you will win
the hearts and minds of your customers
Linda Simonsen, CEO, Future People May 2012
We must :
Attract, engage, and retain employees in order to attract, engage, and retain
customers
To deliver this you must provide agents with Empowerment. You can only provide
effective empowerment if you have:
1. An integrated suite of easily accessible and easy to use tools (or set better than
your competitors)
2. Up-to-date and relevant customer insights so that staff can complete
meaningful and effective interactions with customers.
3. More powerful management tools to guide your decisions and performance- in
real time
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9. The move to IP Telephony
It has taken a while but....
International Data Corporation (IDC) recently forecast IP Telephony market
growth of 95% over the next five years in the APAC region
As traditional technology reaches the end of its lifecycle companies are looking to
control upfront costs and many are finally realising that IP telephony services are
an attractive option to:
Control up front costs but more importantly to better enable business
functionality
Improve disaster recovery capability
Reduction in floor space and associated overheads , through hot desking and
tele-working – often refereed to as our “our green initiative”
Productivity growth, through the introduction of new functionality
integration with other applications, such as CRM or Outlook to improve both
productivity and customer focus
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10. The growing acceptance of “the cloud”
A recent Accenture report suggested that Cloud has reached a “tipping point”
The Australian Outsourcing Report 2012 (May) suggests 35 percent of organisations are now
considering cloud computing when making the decision to outsource, and 15 percent have
adopted cloud computing at an enterprise level as part of their outsourcing strategy.
As major enterprises adopt it, the “security fears” will dissipate.
Because the cloud typically lowers costs smaller enterprises gain technology advantages typically
enjoyed only by larger companies at a fraction of the cost – improving their competitive
position.
We see examples of cloud computing changing the structures of businesses and markets and
helping get new products to market much faster. Coupled with the flexibility of smaller
enterprises this suggests cloud computing my well change many industries.
Remember a time when newspapers dominated news dissemination and classified advertisements
– how things have changed! The same debate is now focussed on retailers
The lesson from newspapers and retailers is that when an opponent – regardless of how small –
gains a significant advantage, you ignore it at your peril.
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11. What do we see driving these trends
•Ever increasing customer expectations that place
increasing pressure on companies to deliver
consistent, timely and effective outcomes time
after time
•Service providers need to be more responsive
•The goalposts for each of those requirements
shifts constantly- in the customers direction
• Customers now make the choice of channel – not
the provider (65% will switch between channels)
•Respect for the customers time is finally being
recognised
•Increased and often global competition means
you don’t get a second chance
•The increasing cost and complexity of “owned
infrastructure” is often the limiter
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12. The Phases of Outsourcing
From cost decision to strategic decision
– BPO 1. 0 – Lift & shift
– BPO 2.0 – Business Process Improvement
– BPO 3.0 – Cloud Opportunity
– BPO 4.0 – Big Data & Multi Media
Source: Martin Conboy, www.thesauce.net.au
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13. Social Media
Or .....Social Confusion
Fabio
In SmartCompany’s survey on business tech use, one statistic that stood out was that less
than 30 per cent of businesses were happy with their returns on social media.
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/
22/5/2012 Page 13

14. Removing the Barriers
Organisations are starting to understand the benefits of integration
Enterprises are now starting to understand the barriers that
stand in the way of achieving the desired outcomes.
•The inflexibility of premise-based contact centre systems- increases in
demand or a need to add new functionality can take weeks ( or even
months if Capex is involved)
• Organisational silos that exist internally between different data,
systems and processes can be overcome more easily
•Knowledge gaps – too many IT Depts/CIO’s are now “behind the curve”
•Artificial walls that exist between retail, contact centre and back office
•Ongoing negativity towards outsourcing of work (jobs) as the best “cost
reduction” option
•Costs of ownership – CC investments are often low in priority
The cost effective integration of various systems via cloud based services can quickly provide a
richer, cross channel view of customers and their value, status, preferences and history. This “single
view of a customer” empowers staff to deliver the interactions customers expects or more
importantly demand
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15. Getting it right
Far too many implementations fail the “partner test”
Enterprises (not MIS managers) need to put in the effort to find a provider
and a solution that:
•Acts like a partner
•Focuses on your needs, not their product
•Optimises your business processes for your clients – not to meet their
sales pitch
•Minimises the time to deliver and can do it on time and on budget
•Embeds (as opposed to transfers) knowledge into your business
• Effectively reduces risk
• Controls your costs
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16. In summary
Clients need...
A different complexity model
A rethink of recruitment, learning & development
Revised and more meaningful metrics
Contact centre-style queuing and routing capabilities for back office or process work to
deliver more effective and accurate prioritisation and distribution of that work activity
Automated escalation functionality that ensures service level goals are met
A presence capability to support work assignment to improve customer responsiveness
Recording solutions that go beyond outdated QM practices – it is also an essential part of
ensuring compliance with both best practice business processes and regulatory requirements
Effective real-time monitoring to provide management with the desired level of visibility
across all activities to allow more effective interventions
Integrated reporting that provides the ability to manage and respond to each variation
Technology which improves flexibility, ability to respond and enables employees to
participate in businesses processes from anywhere in the world.
Solutions that support better outcomes and accelerate competiveness
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17. Recommended Reading
Minding Your Digital Business – McKinsey Global Survey May 2012
Source:
https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/PDFDownload.aspx?ar=2975&srid=17
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18. Thank you
For further information: E: steve_mitchinson@limebridge.com.au or M: +61403001100

19. LimeBridge Australia
Who we are
Limebridge Australia is a specialised consultancy firm that helps it’s clients deliver better sales and service
interactions with their customers. We work across all types of customer interaction and have an outstanding
track record in delivery of operational improvements that are better for the company and customer. We have
a blue chip list of past and present clients who are references for our work and results.
► We improve the customer experience and create 20-40% capacity within four months through operational
transformation
► We deliver benefits in all customer contact points including call centres, self service, retail and back office
administration
► We start with a targeted diagnostic of 4-6 weeks which confirms the customer benefits, the size of the prize
and the changes our clients need
► Our point of difference is that we work with and train our clients people in our methods so that they can
improve continuously.
Victoria New South Wales Western Australia Queensland
L27 L57 MLC Centre, L18, Central Park Level 36, Riparian Plaza,
101 Collins Street 19-29 Martin Place 152-158 St Georges Terrace 71 Eagle Street
Melbourne Vic 3000 Sydney NSW 2000 Perth WA 6000 BRISBANE QLD 4000
T +61 3 9499 3550 T +61 2 9238 6265 T +61 8 6311 4699 T +61 7 3121 3058
E info@limebridge.com.au E info@limebridge.com.au E info@limebridge.com.au E: info@limebridge.com.au
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