Article by Terry Proxton – marketing director of Pulse Enterprise UK Ltd.

The manner in which traditional outsourced outbound calling services are delivered is shifting - mainly in response to the consumer backlash associated with unsolicited cold calling, particularly business to consumer. In addition, outsourcing vendors have their fingers on the pulse, and have new services such as 'warm calling' cued.

From the standpoint of contact centres, a new Datamonitor report examines what emerging trends are in store in 2007 in terms of functionality, and how outsourcers can best meet the requirements of both investors and consumers.

A function-by-function analysis done by Datamonitor indicates inbound customer care, which could include contact centre agents handling loyalty programs or taking messages, will remain the largest single horizontal market through to 2012, accounting for nearly half of all outsourced contact centre agent positions (APs). Outbound calling (proactive selling of products and services) contact centre APs are expected to proportionately drop throughout this period.

Outbound calling is changing in response to the backlash

Investors in outbound sales & marketing services have faced considerable hostility from consumers and governments alike over the past four years, which has manifested in a number of 'do-not-call' lists. This has meant a shift in how outbound calling is handled.

inbound customer care is also expected to shift to revenue generation opportunities. More contact centre investors are looking to outsourcers to help ensure end-user enquiries turn into cross-sell/upsell opportunities.

Investors are taken with the idea of migrating their customer care operations from cost centres into profit centres. Outsourcers are leading this effort by providing well-trained contact centre agents in both service and commercial aptitudes. However, it is certain that in order to turn a client query into a new deal, contact centre agents must ensure that the reason for the call is resolved fully and that a level of trust is built between the contact centre agent and the caller.

Three-step approach to getting the right mix

Developing a horizontal contact centre mix that drives new investment is a priority for outsourcers, and one that is multidimensional.

Outsourcers looking for the optimal mix of contact centre service offerings need to first consider the opportunities being afforded by geography and vertical market. Once they have identified potential sweet spots, they should examine the nuances associated with each separate function they wish to provide, identifying any potential challenges. Once this analysis has been made, outsourcers need to consider their own internal operations in order to determine what they are capable of doing at that point in time, and in what they may need to invest for the future.

Like any sector, contact centre outsourcing is evolving in the services that it provides investors. By ensuring continued innovation in all aspects of functionality, outsourcers are able to meet the needs of their partners and end-users. However, those that succeed will be the players that can pinpoint market opportunities, and how their operations can meet those requirements.