Statistically Speaking

According to a Datamonitor report more than 3,000 call centers will exit the United States by 2008. Mark Best, Datamonitor technology analyst and author of the report, says the bulk of the centers and agent positions will shift to nearshore and offshore. He attributes the loss of other positions to the growth of self-service options available to customers and to DNC regulations. The report predicts that Canada will add 800 new call centers by 2008.

Sixty percent of retailers generate more profit from their multichannel customers than their single-channel patrons, and on average the former group is 20 to 25 percent more profitable, according to an Aberdeen Group report. A full 28 percent were not aware of which kind of customer was more profitable.

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit report "Riding the New Wave: Growth Strategies For a Recovering Asia-Pacific," 41 percent of senior executives in the region see efficient CRM systems as "crucial" to the success of multinational and local companies in the current environment. Sixty-one percent of respondents said they planned to focus on improving IT-enabled customer service processes, and 52 percent said collaboration with suppliers, partners, and customers was on their list of planned improvements.

Seventeen percent of insurance companies provide no acknowledgment of receipt of any online inquiries (though do eventually respond), with 27 percent failing to respond at all to online inquiries, according to a survey by The Customer Respect Group. On a 10-point scale the industry scored a low 3.4 for responsiveness. CRG garnered its results from its assessment of 72 insurance companies' Web sites.

Of the 232 decision-makers at SMB firms that the Aberdeen Group surveyed for a study, 60 percent indicated that they plan to increase their CRM spending. Thirty-nine percent plan financial-system investment, while 36 percent intend to bulk up their human capital management software spending. But only 22 percent deemed an integrated, single-source solution a high priority.

Survey results from a study conducted by BenchmarkPortal and Eagan Communications contend that 41 percent of the 300 U.S. and Canadian companies surveyed (whose annual revenue exceeds $250 million) don't respond to emails from customers. Forty percent did respond to emails from customers in 24 hours, but surprisingly 6 percent don't have email capability at all; only 15 percent send automated responses to let customers know their email was received.

A report from IDC says technology-marketing spending increased 6 percent in 2004, representing 3.2 percent of corporate revenues. For the marketing leaders at more than 100 firms in technology hardware, software, and services that were surveyed, brand building assumed the top rank among marketing priorities.

Fifty-three percent of top talent (the top-performing 10 percent of a company's staff) is referred for employment by a friend; only 6 percent are hired through a recruiter, according to a report by the Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA). Only 31 percent of "standard" employees are friend referrals; 36 percent are through a recruiter.

Fewer than 10 percent of site visitors actually add items to their shopping carts, while 42 percent of those customers do not further the process and move to checkout, according to a study by DoubleClick. Only 58 percent of those who proceed to check out actually click to carry out a purchase.

According to a Datamonitor report more than 3,000 call centers will exit the United States by 2008. Mark Best, Datamonitor technology analyst and author of the report, says the bulk of the centers and agent positions will shift to nearshore and offshore. He attributes the loss of other positions to the growth of self-service options available to customers and to DNC regulations. The report predicts that Canada will add 800 new call centers by 2008.

Sixty percent of retailers generate more profit from their multichannel customers than their single-channel patrons, and on average the former group is 20 to 25 percent more profitable, according to an Aberdeen Group report. A full 28 percent were not aware of which kind of customer was more profitable.

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit report "Riding the New Wave: Growth Strategies For a Recovering Asia-Pacific," 41 percent of senior executives in the region see efficient CRM systems as "crucial" to the success of multinational and local companies in the current environment. Sixty-one percent of respondents said they planned to focus on improving IT-enabled customer service processes, and 52 percent said collaboration with suppliers, partners, and customers was on their list of planned improvements.

Seventeen percent of insurance companies provide no acknowledgment of receipt of any online inquiries (though do eventually respond), with 27 percent failing to respond at all to online inquiries, according to a survey by The Customer Respect Group. On a 10-point scale the industry scored a low 3.4 for responsiveness. CRG garnered its results from its assessment of 72 insurance companies' Web sites.

Of the 232 decision-makers at SMB firms that the Aberdeen Group surveyed for a study, 60 percent indicated that they plan to increase their CRM spending. Thirty-nine percent plan financial-system investment, while 36 percent intend to bulk up their human capital management software spending. But only 22 percent deemed an integrated, single-source solution a high priority.

Survey results from a study conducted by BenchmarkPortal and eGain Communications contend that 41 percent of the 300 U.S. and Canadian companies surveyed (whose annual revenue exceeds $250 million) don't respond to emails from customers. Forty percent did respond to emails from customers in 24 hours, but surprisingly 6 percent don't have email capability at all; only 15 percent send automated responses to let customers know their email was received.

A report from IDC says technology-marketing spending increased 6 percent in 2004, representing 3.2 percent of corporate revenues. For the marketing leaders at more than 100 firms in technology hardware, software, and services that were surveyed, brand building assumed the top rank among marketing priorities.

Fifty-three percent of top talent (the top-performing 10 percent of a company's staff) is referred for employment by a friend; only 6 percent are hired through a recruiter, according to a report by the Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA). Only 31 percent of "standard" employees are friend referrals; 36 percent are through a recruiter.

Fewer than 10 percent of site visitors actually add items to their shopping carts, while 42 percent of those customers do not further the process and move to checkout, according to a study by DoubleClick. Only 58 percent of those who proceed to check out actually click to carry out a purchase.

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