Facing intense financial pressures, many organizations have shifted vital service functions to contact centers—forcing the real need to balance service quality and cost.

• Do your customers experience long wait times while on hold with your call center? 
• Are you aware of your current customer perception and are you meeting your customers' expectations?
• Do you have high turnover among employees in your call center? 
• Are your contact center costs increasing? 
• Are your customer satisfaction ratings declining? 
• Is customer service a differentiator for you? 
• Are you losing customers to a competitor?

The pressure is on to put the right people, with the right access to technology and data, on the frontlines of customer service—while reducing costs.

The Internet and off-shore resources have changed the landscape for customer service. Many organizations have invested heavily in call-center services and technology, but without careful planning or an understanding of how call centers can serve as a profit center. Not surprisingly, they have produced mixed results.

The key to accomplishing this is creating an integrated view of customers across channels and managing customer perception—making sure, for example, that a customer who receives information via the telephone will receive consistent information on the organization’s web site or through the automated telephone service—all while exceeding your customers' expectations in delivery of service.

West Monroe Partners can help you fine-tune your call-center operations. We have:

• Broad experience in all aspects of customer relationship management strategy, including marketing, sales, and customer service strategies. 
• In-depth knowledge of call center operations and best practices, as well as experience with website customer service and telecommunications trends and technologies. 
• Practical operations experience in a range of industries, from retail to banking and from manufacturing to health care. 
• Extensive experience with data and systems integration. 
• A strong track record for implementing process and technology changes on time and on budget.