The Monitor

Reading through some of our recent case studies, it’s surprising how much in common our customers share when talking about what they want a call recording or quality monitoring (QM) system to deliver for them. This article picks out three common themes which we hope will help you when thinking about your own investment or upgrade. 1. WILL IT HELP ME RUN A SLICKER OPERATION? Many of our customers who have bought into the technology are committed to reducing inefficiencies and labour...

A recent guide released by Contact Babel on Customer Contact Analytics cites one of the key drivers for uptake of speech analytics being fine avoidance and compliance with legal regulations. Certainly one of the key sectors we are now starting to see some significant growth in is the financial services and trading floor space. Particularly within those organisations governed by the Dodd-Frank Act (DFA). The DFA has enabled regulators to issue trade reconstruction requests, where they want to look more...

The editorial team at MyCustomer.com have done a sterling job in the creation of a new guide focussed on the modern contact centre, the challenges faced and the tools, tactics and technology to address them. In fact we were so impressed we decided to sponsor the contact centre management guide so that we could share it with our customers. Covering a range of topics including creating a contact centre strategy, powering up your staff with gamification and rethinking your contact...

The whole drive around PCI compliance is focused at stopping fraud most of which starts from within an organisation and this along with employee theft accounts for just over £1 billion in losses to the UK. Preventing fraud is one part of the equation but so too is dealing with it when it happens, this normally starts with the suspicion of specific individuals and a subsequent investigation process. Investigative interviewing is a delicate area and professionals in this space use...

Presenting the latest developments in ‘workforce optimisation technology’ visit Business Systems at this years Call Centre & Customer Management Expo and get your hands on a free copy of our PCI Compliance Best Practice Guide. Expert Consultancy Clinic Following last years success we will once again be running our free consultancy clinic. Designed to help resolve your technology issues it will also generate some fresh ideas to take back to the contact centre. Not attending the show but still need...

If you currently have a maintenance contract with Business Systems to support your call recording, analytics or workforce management system, then we have some good news! We have just launched our customer case management web portal to give you more control and visibility of your support cases and how they are being managed. How will it benefit you? As well as logging cases online, attachments such as screen grabs can be added and you can keep updated on the progress...

Visit Business Systems and sister company OPEX Hosting on stand F20 at this years’ Call Centre and Customer Management Expo taking place at London Olympia on October 2nd and 3rd. This year we will be showcasing the latest advancements in ‘voice of the customer’ technology including Call Recording, Quality Monitoring, Workforce Management, Customer Feedback, Analytics and much more. Consultancy Clinic Need advice on your latest technology challenges? Put our in-house experts to the test at our consultancy team and let...

Covering topical issues such as PCI compliance, the advent of social media and delivering cost savings through the implementation of Analytics technologies, Business Systems Annual Conference attracted over 390 delegates last November. Incorporating presentations delivered by industry experts from the ICS and PPF, the conference also provided key insights on the latest technologies from companies breaking new ground. BT’s customer experience futurologist, Nicola Millard provided a seasoned, high energy keynote speech on her latest research tackling the economic climate, changing...

The importance of Business Systems’ mobile call recording technology and market trading surveillance systems, has been recognised with nominations for three industry awards in the FST awards. Business Systems (UK) Ltd the voice and speech technology specialists have just announced that they have been shortlisted in three categories of the Financial Sector Technology (FST) awards. Market Detect their intelligent trading surveillance system has been shortlisted for ‘Most Innovative Data Intelligence Product’, whilst Vocal Mobile their patented mobile phone recording solution has...

Following last year’s appointment of an Inside Sales Manager and a period of accelerated growth within Business Systems, a number of refinements have been made to our sales support and customer contact infrastructure. Most notably, customers now benefit from the allocation of a client liaison executive who effectively acts as a sole point of contact, ensuring that our clients get the most from their technology investments, that their changing needs and requirements are addressed and that they are communicated with...

The annual conference ‘Improving Performance in the Contact Centre’ received a record number of attendees in November, which only goes to prove that this is still a centre-stage event for the call centre industry. For those of you that missed the event here are the highlights:- there was excellent contribution from two of the industry’s leading digital editors Jonty Pearce of Call Centre Helper and Jon Snow of Call Centre Clinic. Top of the list was addressing issues such as...

Business Systems road-shows are bringing the message to your doorstep. Travelling around the UK and working in conjunction with associations like the Institute of Customer Service (ICS) and the Professional Planning Forum (PPF), Business System is providing a forum that helps to explain how this technology benefits the everyday business and saves you the expense of travelling. Business Systems (UK) Ltd and OPEX Hosting will also be showcasing the latest in Analytics, Workforce Management, Quality Monitoring, Hosted Solutions and Consultancy...

The old saying goes:- “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” but paradoxically, as technology marches ever onward we need to introduce elements of change to remain at the top of our game – and so it is with the Customer Service Centre (CSC). The Business Systems (CSC) is going through some significant changes in the name of progress, all of which is aiming to turn good service into better service for our customers. At the heart of our service...

Inspiring speakers, classy venue, record registrations, running in its 7th year, the ‘Improving Performance in the Contact Centre’ 2008 Conference proved as popular as ever. Over 250 delegates attended the event held at London’s premier wine tasting venue, Vinopolis. If you didn’t manage to attend - here’s the highlights: Paul Cooper, Communications Director at the Institute of Customer Service (ICS) emphasised how customer service professionals are the ‘brand guardians’ of today, representing the front line of what truly differentiates your...

Last month Business Systems attended the Financial Sector Technology awards and were proud sponsors of the ‘Best Trading Platform’ category. The winning entry demonstrated how the use of technology had improved processes, speeded up response times, enhanced capacity and helped further the chances of future business success for the company. The award presented by Stephen Thurston, Director at Business Systems was received by Florian Miciu, Chief Technology Officer of Chi-X Europe. Congratulations to Chi-X Europe and all the other award...

The Monitor’s news hound goes deep into the past with the picture alongside, sent courtesy of purser Mark Wright from the Navy’s supply centre at Butlers Hard on the Solent. Mark wrote:- “We considered buying one of these systems a few years ago for our command centre, but as we couldn’t find anyone else who had one we decided against it. Did we make the right decision”? “Outstandingly good Sir” are the words that spring to mind; your decision is...

The success of Business Systems' ‘Improving Performance in the Contact Centre’ conference and exhibition showcase continues to grow and the 2008 event is no exception. This year’s event promises to be the best so far. The conference element has the latest input from industry experts such as the Customer Contact Association and the Institute of Customer Service; with registrations well up on last year, it proves that management interest in these issues remain key to delivering performance targets. For those of...

CCExpo 2008 is the focus point for contact centres, it draws large crowds, and demand for call recording applications continues to grow year on year. As you would expect from call centres the principal interest was for agent quality monitoring and PCI compliance, both of which are mainstay competencies for Business Systems. The ‘business analytics’ application of call recording is gaining traction and has made significant strides over last year; organisations are starting to understand how they can leverage their...

Business Systems will once again be exhibiting at this years Call Centre Expo alongside sister company OPEX Hosting. Opposite the networking bar on stand number E9 the companies will be showcasing both CPE and Hosted Contact Centre Solutions. The key message at the event will be focussed on ‘flexibility’ as collectively the companies can provide solutions which allow clients to record any time, any place, any where. In particular the company’s flagship mobile phone and SMS text recording technology will...

the way to increase ‘call centre value’… Growing to become one of the most popular independent specialist events, as bumper registrations proved… For those of you who did not secure a place here’s a resume of events from the Improving Performance Conference held in November. We were delighted to have on board some key industry players again this year. Gary Schmidt, Customer Process Leader from CUNA Mutual Group in the States highlighted how the implementation of a quality assurance programme...

This nostalgic picture of the Racal Rapidax Ranger – the first digital call recorder released by Racal Recorders in the early 90’s (91 or 92 as a best guess). While the Monitor’s editorial team has high regard for Racal Recorders there is no denying the fact that the company (up to its ears in VHS tape and Wordsafes at the time) was just a tad too traditional and the release of the Ranger was definitely on the risqué side. There is...

Anyone who has a little bit of the philatelist in them will know that the ‘penny black’ is a rare old find and as a result, is a very welcome addition to either your stamp collection or pension fund. The recorder shown here does not fall into this class, old and rare it may be but welcome it is not, unless of course you are desperately looking for 300 kilos of landfill. This product was called ‘Voicelog’ and for the...

Our mailbag this month produced an assortment of odds and sods but we thought this photo from Australia was an absolute gem and just begs to be published. The note attached to it says: it’s an early recorder from the trading floor of the Oonadatta Opal Exchange – casino spiele yeah right! Yes there is a place called Oonadatta and its slap bang in the middle of opal country but we just can’t shake that feeling that we’re being strung...

The Call Centre Expo (CCExpo) understandably is well and truly focused on the contact centre space and Business Systems UK will be featuring the latest offerings from NICE and Vocal Recorders along with the in-network services from OPEX Hosting. In addition to its established contact centre services, OPEX has produced some exclusive products for Business Systems’ customers and a good example of this is their ‘Customer Satisfaction’ service, which focuses on customer loyalty. (More information about this service is featured...

Just to show that real life is stranger than fiction, we thought we would share this with you. Regular readers of the column will remember that two issues back in the interests of Air Traffic Control we ran a ‘nonsense-contest’ asking readers to identify a 1950’s airport from a tiny old sepia photo and a bunch of misleading clues. An impossible task we thought and one that kept the editorial team here chuckling for days. Well the laugh is on...

Call Centre Association reviews topical issues! In parallel with the Exhibition, Business Systems hosted a specialist conference focusing on techniques and technology to improve performance in contact centres. Judy Smyth from the Call Centre Association (CCA) started the conference with a keynote speech that highlighted the most pressing issues for contact centre managers. One common challenge for call centre managers was the need to secure support and involvement at board level. History shows that without board involvement, operational targets and...

Read on for an update on the latest product launches and recording technology Event Highlights Nearly three hundred companies attended the UK’s largest specialist event for Call Recording in London on November 30th. For those who didn’t get a chance to attend here’s a resume of events. The London Showcase was manufacturer agnostic and featured top technology across a range of business applications catering for both ‘non-complex’ and sophisticated business processes. Two recently launched products, NICE ‘Perform’ and Vocal ‘Evolution’...

Business Systems provides the best independent Call Recording Showcase at two superb venues:- Call Centre Expo and the City of London. To see the next generation of Call Recording technology and how it is set to change the way we work, you can catch a glimpse at the most exciting product launches to date at the forthcoming Call Centre Expo, (NEC, Birmingham, 28th and 29th September) and, at the City of London Call Recording Showcase (London, 30th November). Nice's very...

What do the Leaning Tower of Pisa, London's Broadgate and a large pile of voice recorders have in common - more than you might think! Everyone knows that the 'Leaning Tower of Pisa' leans but not necessarily why it leans. The answer strangely enough, is due to wet soil which is in effect 'lifting' the tower on one side. In the 1990's steps were taken to stop the lifting process by placing 900 tonnes of lead blocks at the base...