Australian Contact Centres Predicted to Invest AU$1.9 billion in Human Resources and Technology by End of 2006

“In addition to the economic growth they have experienced,” continued Dr. Wallace, “contact centres in Australia are very close to growing into a global category of “achievers” as classified by the Index according to a set of customer service, human resources, revenue, operations and technology-based indicators. As ‘reasonable performers’ in the third quarter, they were only two points away from the higher classification. Considering all of this, we think the industry is headed in a positive direction as 2006 ends.”

The Aspect Australian Contact Centre Index Score for Third Quarter of 2006:
The overall score for the contact centre industry in the third quarter of 2006 on the Aspect Software Australian Contact Centre Index was 69 on a scale of 100, which reflects an increase of two points from the second quarter and is equivalent to a grade of “reasonable performance” as defined by the Aspect Software Index. A score of 100 would be “best-in-class”; 86 to 99 would categorize Australian contact centres among the “leaders” of the industry globally; 71-85 would categorize them among the “achievers”; 57 to 70 among the “reasonable performers”; 43 to 56 among the “vulnerables”; 29-24 among the “laggards”; and 18 to 28 among the “endangered.”

Technology was a statistically significant driver of overall contact centre performance in the third quarter, according to Dr. Wallace’s analysis of the study’s results.

“Contact centres are looking at how staffing and performance optimisation technologies can help them maximize their human resources in Australia’s tight labour market, where it’s very challenging to secure and retain qualified personnel,” said Michael Woodham, country manager of Australia and New Zealand for Aspect Software. “By automating the handling of routine, high-volume, low-value transactions, contact centres can free up agents to deal with higher-value interactions that would benefit from their sophisticated skills. An increase in performance and customer and agent satisfaction from this could help push Australian contact centres up into the categories defined by the Index as those of ‘achievers’ and ‘leaders.’”

Other Key Findings of the Aspect Software Australian Contact Centre Index:
• In the third quarter of 2006, approximately AU$5.6 billion was generated in contact centres with 20 or more seats, an increase from AU$4.2 billion in the second quarter.
• 35 percent of contact centres anticipate increasing full-time headcount, and 31 percent anticipate increasing part-time headcount in the fourth quarter of 2006. Approximately 12,452 agents (7,222 full-time and 5,230 part-time) will be recruited.
• 43 percent of contact centres agree that they do not have the necessary technology in place to fulfil the requirements of their businesses.
• At least one in three respondents considers ACD, CRM and reporting/analytical software to be the most useful technologies.
• In the areas of Customer Service, Human Resources and Revenue, performances were stronger in the third quarter of 2006 than in the second quarter. There was a slight decline in Operations performance from the second to the third quarter, resulting from an increase in operating costs driven by an upward pressure on agent wages.
• In the areas of Human Resources, Revenue and Operations, performances were stronger in the third quarter of 2006 than they were in the third quarter of 2005. Customer Service performance declined in the third quarter of 2006 compared to the same quarter last year.

The overall results of this study, according to Dr. Wallace, suggest that the most important underpinning factors affecting how contact centres perform are customer satisfaction, agent satisfaction and enabling technology. Top-performing contact centres are focused on training, coaching and developing the skills of their agents, offering flexible work conditions and generating revenue through increased sales and marketing activities and new product or service offerings.