- When margins turn red, both government and business reach for the budgetary knife, often targeting the contact center.
- Impacts on the contact center can include revenue lost because of sales missed. Outdated software and technology is a formula for failure.
- The ramifications of careless cost-cutting and falling out of compliance can be avoided by asking five critical questions.
Governments since the Great Recession have felt the squeeze. That economic cataclysm slapped localities with a double-whammy not felt since 1980. Real estate taxes and state subsidies decreased at the same time, by an average of more than 2.5%. That sent government budgets into disarray and with them companies relying on government contracts.
The recession ended in the U.S. a decade ago this month and overall government spending has resumed its pattern of annual increases. But the downturn’s effects linger in city halls and state capitals, and struggles based on local conditions remain common. So, too, is the response of both government and business CFOs when margins narrow or turn red: Reach for the budgetary knife.
Contact Centers Too Often Are Targeted in Budget Cuts
That option can be unavoidable for governments mandated to balance their budgets. The same is true for private companies whose mandate, though not codified into law, is to make money. Managers across all sectors have transformed into art their skill in doing more with less. The pressure to perpetuate that magic endures, but the practice can turn carcinogenic, eating away and destroying the very thing it’s trying to protect. Indiscriminate cutting with metaphorical budgetary knives, after all, equates to swinging literal blades. Slashing without care can spill lifeblood.
Contact centers are a striking example. Newton’s third law applies: Every action carries an equal and opposite reaction. But that reaction, the product of indiscriminate cuts, might not be visible absent scrutiny. Impacts on the contact center can include revenue lost because of sales missed. Outdated software and technology is a formula for failure. Among the possible ramifications of careless cutting is falling out of compliance with government regulations.
5 Questions to Ask to Ensure Your Contact Center is Up to Date and in Compliance
Working with a knowledgeable managed service provider and relying on a comprehensive platform such as Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise can keep companies up to date and in regulatory compliance.
![[Read eBook: Five Things to Think About in Choosing a Managed Service Provider]](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/979031/f2893a3b-e15c-4a8e-889b-53bcd2c7447f.png)
Managers wondering whether their contact center meets all the standards can look to the following five questions for guidance:
- What about access for people with disabilities? Contractors and others operating federal contact centers must be cognizant of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This law requires that contact centers be accessible to people with disabilities. Managed service and software providers can help account for this regulation. Getting into contact center compliance might necessitate spending money, but the unseen expense of running afoul of federal regulation is bound to cost more.
- What about stored credit card information? Contact centers keeping credit card information on file for future use could have some explaining to do. Most businesses that take credit cards are barred from storing card verification numbers. Data security consultants advise against storing credit card data. Running credit card data through a certified credit card processor can help. Both legal implications and security risk are important factors to consider in assessing practices with regard to storing data, especially credit card and personally identifiable information (PII).
- What about calling protocols? Telephone solicitation can be a valuable means of driving revenue. It also can lead companies into a thicket of thorny regulations under the Telephone-Consumer Protection Act. For instance, it’s more than just good manners to avoid calls before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. It’s the law. So, too, are Do-Not-Call lists. These are among the better-known requirements. There are more. Knowing them isn’t as much the trick sometimes as following them. Cloud-based contact center software from Cisco can help. Built-in features can ensure a contact center is in compliance.
- What about recorded calls? Recording calls can offer a wide range of benefits in the operation of a contact center, from providing hard evidence in the case of disputes to valuable training tools to allow supervisors to improve agent performance. Companies commonly announce to customers that their calls may be recorded. However, companies don’t always think to announce that outgoing calls will be recorded. Failing to do so is a regulatory no-no in most states. Software can help here as it can in most cases. A strong managed service provider can be another benefit, delivering solutions before problems like these develop.
- What about a game plan? Like every other facet of business, having an effective game plan in place for a contact center can be the key to avoiding trouble. Such a plan should take into account all the variables, from security to regulatory compliance to service to performance. The right software is integral to any plan. So, too, are the right heads in the game when it comes to planning. It’s important to include people who understand what the pitfalls are in operating a contact center and how those can be avoided. A sound game plan is required, not to pinch pennies but to be smart. Faux savings now could translate to real costs later.
Choosing the right Managed Service Provider (MSP) can help keep your contact center both up to date and in compliance. Read our eBook for important considerations in the selection process: Five Things To Think About in Choosing and Managed Service Provider.
Comments