Call Center Consultants?

[C.Tracy]

I'm curious if anyone has any "call center consultant" groups that they would recommend. I'm not as interested in the larger consulting firms (McKinsey, BCG, etc.) but more so in smaller botique firms that focus on call centers -- someone who has seen a lot of call centers and can run a best practices engagement.

Thank you!

C. Tracy

[mikael]

There are a number of consulting groups, including my own, listed here in the forum. That might be a good place to start your search. You might also take a look at the Help Desk Institute's Service Provider's Network (www.thinkhdi.com) Phil Verghis has a list of consultants on his site (www.philverghis.com), and there is an extensive one at www.realmarket.com.

Some years ago, I and one of my colleagues were being considered for an assessment gig. The client brought each of us down fora day, and asked both of us the same question: "Why should I hire you instead of Consultant-X?" Both of us answered much the same way -- "We will both look at the same aspects of your operations. The weighting we give will vary, depending on our own backgrounds, but we're both likely to tell you the same things. You should therefore make your decision based on who you feel more comfortable with, and willing to trust."

Assuming that you know the result that you want, and are confident of the experience and expertise of your candidates, I think that the above still applies.

[JoeB]

To add to MikaelÂ’s points, you want a consultant that will be able to provide analysis and make recommendations that are objective and defensible. In other words, he/she should be able to articulate the findings that depend less on their background and biases and more on measurable criteria that you can verify yourself (or seek additional opinions about). Similarly, the recommendations should provide a foundation for monitoring and continuous improvement, and not end when the consultant delivers the final report.

Although call centers are similar in many ways, differences in industries and business models preclude a cookie-cutter approach to call center analysis. You may want to ask the consultant to provide an outline of the analytical approach, how it is structured to reflect your situation and business drivers, and how he/she it intends to validate the recommendations.

Joe Barkai
DIAGNOSTIC STRATEGIES
www.DiagnosticStrategies.com
jbarkai@Diagnostic Strategies.com
Tel. 781-433-0833

[Earl]

C. Tracy,

In response to your question, When I was searching for Hot Seating software, I ran across this company called Call Performance Management. I was impressed with the persons I spoke with and when talking with the referrals they provided me, the clients all stated that they not only consult but they also transfer a lot of knowledge to the staff. You may want to look at them. I also read some of their articles in Call Center Magazine. The website is WWW.CallCPM.com.

[Robert]

I have used an organization called Call Center Resources. Was referered through industry associates.

They have US and International experience...start-ups, reorganizations, and explosive growth models.



They can be reached at kenvanvranken@hotmail.com

[pmorey]

There is a firm called Onusinterserv that is a one man operation. This guy is sharp.

[jp2time]

I'd recommend the following two. Mccng located at www.mccng.com or Bob Fletcher & Associates at www.bobfletcher.com

I've used both and they are GREAT!!!

[Annief]

about a year ago I did a national serch for a consultant to assist our center with a business plan which included the many aspects of call centers. I decided upon a small company out of New Hampshire called Powerhouse -- their number is (603) 472-6616. They have proven to be excellent and about to assist with any number of aspects of the business. I highly recommend them.

[kylohre]

I work for a Call Center Consulting company called WorkForce Management Group (WFMG). You can visit our website at www.wfmg.com or email me at duncan@wfmg.com for more info. We specialize in Call Center Magament, and have tons of experience in the fields. Some of us have even come directly from Call Centers, myself included, and have utilized many of the current WFM solutions on the market today. Hope to hear from ya soon.

Matt Duncan

[srevans]

C. Tracy,

If you are still researching call center consultants, I would like to throw a name into the ring. I have my own call center consulting firm that I started in 1992. My most current clients include Georgia-Pacific. I worked along the big 5 consulting firms - and had sole responsibility for the design and implementation of a service center (servicing 50,000 active customers). Of course part of the design process was the review of best practices. I have quite a bit of information I'll be happy to share. Just send a reply if you would like a copy of the call center best practices for 2001. Also, I wanted to say, good for you - looking at the smaller firms, from my own experience - you will find more hand's on experience and specific focus on your requirements vs. concerns for billable hours...
thanks,
Sherry
Evans Consulting Group

[Adorno]

C. Tracy,

Over a year ago we started working cooperatively with another consulting firm specializing in best practices for call centers. We worked on a large scale implementation for a financial institution with them. I think they are very knowledgable and would be good to contact for information.

Censeo Corporation is their name and they can be reached at www.censeocorp.com. I would recommend asking to speak with Ron Gross.

Hope this helps.

Anthony Adorno
Vice President
The DeGarmo Group, Inc.
www.degarmogroup.com
Adorno@degarmogroup.com
(309) 820-1435

[syamnt]

HI,

Wipro is $700 million company which does consulting to callcenter as its best practises.#1 IT company in india

Most of APAC & Indian callcenters work with us. For your information Wipro will be suiting your requirements.

please feel free to contact us.

[Alan Clayton]

You probably got inundated with people after this posting... :)

Another international firm that is opening centers all over the world is the CC3 Group.

www.cc3group.com

That firm has a consulting arm, a training arm and an outsourced call center division of their own.

Call for more details

Regards

Alan

[Danny]

Hi C.Tracy,

You might want to try Ascent Systems Corp. They are a smaller firm but specialize in this call centers. Here's their information:

Ascent Systems Corp.
www.ascentsystems.com
(p) (778)-882-2269
(f) (604)-515-8926

You can email Kin (president) at kinl@ascentsystems.com. They are located in Burnaby Canada. You can take advantage of the low Canadian dollar.

Hope this helps.

[ghorrocks]

Tracy

I see you have had a great response to your venture of finding a smaller yet experienced call center consulting group. I have yet another name to throw out there Dakota Performance Solutions
www.dakotaperformance.com (the website is getting re-worked) If you would like a deck emailed we would be happy to forward it to you.

We are a South Dakota based consulting firm that focuses not only on evaluating and finding those best practices but implementing them as well. We can develop and deliver necessary training to fit your needs. We have worked with the largest of call centers such as Citigroup to smaller such as purchase soft ,Cabletron and Revonet.

Please feel free to call or email if you would like more information.

Thanks,
605-376-6104
605-366-7233