VoIP Contact Center: Why Shrinkage is Your Worst Nightmare

Whether you run an on-premise or virtual contact center, you know that shrinkage is your worst nightmare. This time that your agents spend doing anything other than interacting with customers is a drain on your overall budget. The biggest challenge for you is that some of the activities they are completing are necessary to the overall job. If yours is a VoIP contact center, you likely made that change to streamline your costs and keep everything running on the same platform. Why not leverage those same capabilities to ensure you can minimize shrinkage and use your agents to their full potential?

Why You Should Manage Shrinkage in the VoIP Contact Center

Knowlagent recently completed its own survey on shrinkage in the overall call center industry and published its findings in the Contact Center Shrinkage Survey. In their examination of the VoIP contact center industry, Knowlagent discovered that shrinkage can actually take up a considerable amount of an agent's workday if it is not properly managed within the overall environment. What does it mean to your VoIP contact center budget if your agents lose 30 percent of their time to shrinkage?

Shrinkage Losses in the VoIP Contact Center

Perhaps the most frustrating thing for your VoIP contact center managers is the reality that primary losses are outside of their control. In fact, the survey determined that 54 percent of all shrinkage has to do with activities such as lunch, tardiness, absenteeism, etc. While it is true your managers can offer incentives to try and combat shrinkage in these areas, some amounts you cannot avoid. The good news is, there are manageable activities that are also contributing to loss, including training, project work, social learning, etc. While these losses contribute to 46 percent of shrinkage and 12 percent of an agent's day, they can still be controlled and minimized, while ensuring the VoIP contact center receives the most benefit.

VoIP Contact Center Proven Best to Control Shrinkage

There are some levels of shrinkage that will exist no matter what methods you put in place to avoid it altogether. The best method is to try to implement tools that allow you to minimize shrinkage, while focusing on optimizing the performance of the center. The good news for those of you running a VoIP contact center, the lowest percentage of time in shrinkage is reported in this area simply because the methods put in place are designed to optimize time usage. The industry in which you operate can contribute to your shrinkage numbers somewhat, as regulations and compliance can dictate the processes you put in place. With careful planning of the VoIP contact center, however, you can minimize the overall impact.

Eliminate Your Worst Nightmare in the VoIP Contact Center

The reality is that shrinkage does not have to be your worst nightmare in the VoIP contact center environment. Look to key providers in this space to learn best practices and benchmarks to determine the best strategies to put in place to maximize the amount of time your agents spend interacting with customers. Look to automated platforms that capture information and CRM systems that ensure all information on each customer is available across the enterprise. This will minimize the amount of time the agent has to spend cleaning up an account, allowing them to immediately go to the next call. You will not only reduce shrinkage, but also deliver a better experience for your customers.

For more call center articles, visit: insidecallcenter.com

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Invasion of the Blogs

Blog content is king

Some people like to read blogs, others like to read newsletters, still others like to rely on feeds and some read a few or all of them. No matter the method the information is distributed, each medium has one thing in common: content. Having a blog connects your newsletter and your business with all of these readers and delivers important content in a particular style.

I've been blogging since June 2000. If you review my early blog entries in meryl's notes, you'll notice they're more personal. When blogs first hit the scene in the late '90s, they were personal diaries and journals. Like the blog business, my blog has transformed from personal to business speak, although I still add personal notes here and there.

A few bloggers tend to talk about their work, their products and their little world. That might work for celebrities where fans want to know everything about them, but it doesn't work for the average business person. Other business people want information on how to succeed and when a blog spends time hawking products offering information of no value, few people will return. The people whose products sell well are the ones who provide valuable information. Readers already know what kind of information they're getting, so they trust that when they buy something, it will be of the same or better quality. This value must be reflected in their blog. It's much like people who only sign up for a newsletter after first seeing an example.

Who should venture where one has not blogged before?

No one wants to be a lemming (I would hope). How do you decide whether or not to set up a blog? The answer isn't black or white (what did you expect?). Ask these questions:

Can you regularly update it -- at least five times a week?

Do you have something to say other than just linking to others?

Do you read other blogs or feeds?

Can you provide information of value to others not just to yourself?

How large is your newsletter subscriber list?

How many unique visitors do you get on an average day, week or month?

The big decider is whether or not you can write in the blog almost daily. The people behind the high traffic blogs post multiple times a day. Though resourceful, merely linking to other sites doesn't give visitors much reason to make the effort to come to yours. Reading other blogs or feeds is a great way to learn how to carry a discussion. Find other blogs covering topics similar to yours and check them out. Disagree with their opinions? Write about it and explain your reasons. Cross-blog discussions are common, and that's where trackback comes in handy.

Trackback is a blog feature. If you decide to comment on another blog posting in your blog instead of in that blog's comments page, then you link to the conversation through the trackback link. Trackback is similar to the permalink, the permanent URL for the blog entry, but it has a different URL for copying and pasting in your blog's trackback box.

Aside from the technical aspects of operating a blog on a daily basis, subscriber list size and Web site traffic are good indicators of what kind of reaction you'll get when opening a blog. Starting from scratch with little traffic means you have a long road ahead and lots of work to do. There is no magic formula anyone can sell you for $97 to make your blog an overnight success. But with some perseverance and ingenuity, your blog can engage many prospects and clients.

Pick a niche

Considering there are numerous blogs out there, pick a niche topic when starting a blog for a better shot at attracting and keeping an audience. meryl's notes focuses on three areas: webby, geeky and wordy. In reality, this is too much. What I need to do for my readers is create three separate blog entry points, so those interested in writing, newsletters and Internet marketing get nothing but the wordy entries. Those interested in Web design get the webby stuff and the technophiles receive the geeky content.

I also manage a personal blog separate from meryl's notes. It's about cochlear implants and deafness. This could fall under the geeky category, but it's a personal blog and doesn't belong in meryl's notes. This blog is written for a different audience.

The blogging tools for both of my blogs come with syndication capabilities so those using feed readers or aggregators can read the content through the software. For an explanation of syndication and feed readers, refer to What Is This RSS, XML, RDF, and Atom Business? When sending a new issue of a newsletter, comment on it or link to it in the blog, that way the blog and feed readers will get the goods, so all three bases are covered.

Blogs in disguise use the same tools

Blogging tools aren't just for, well, blogging. Such tools are an excellent way to help you update your Web site more often than you otherwise would. I use it to manage the list of tableless Web sites. Using blogging tools is much easier than the way I managed it before, updating the HTML files by hand. Though using a blog tool, it isn't a blog. In this case, the blog tool has become a content management system (CMS).

Small business owners don't have a need for the fancy and pricey CMSes out there. They find it easier to use blogging software to manage their sites or hire someone to adapt the tool for their site. Women's Spirituality is one such site. Karen Casey may not use the blog, but she does have discussions surrounding the articles she writes.

Blogs have found a place in businesses and people are finding creative ways to use them. Some companies have a blog on the intranet for communicating project status, jeopardies and metrics. They're used for knowledge management. With information pouring in, blog tools provide a way to share, organize and process the information.

Being a follower can be good or bad. No one wants to walk off a cliff with the lemmings, but everyone wants to succeed. Best practices won't help, since the decision to blog is based on the organization's mission, needs and goals along with its target market's desires and needs. A blog about lemmings? There is one, sort of. Or maybe you'd like to start your own and talk about dumb business moves.

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Financial Support Offered Via Government Grants For Small Business

The challenge that you will probably be facing if you intend to put up a new business or expand an existing one is the funding. Just like any other project, it generally is going to involve dollars. Brought on currently familiar in placing up a business may perhaps have already tried applying to avail from the government grants for small business.

The uncomplicated truth is that the nation government allots a commission from the national budget each year to assist those citizens who would like to be productive and contribute to the economic system by putting up their very own business. The benefits and government grants for small business are produced to promote totally free competition and increases employment although protecting the interests of both the consumers and the business owners. This government venture will indeed give chance to those who have the potential to contribute on the financial system especially in alleviating the effects of the recent global recession.

But it is logical for such kind of plan to be strict in approving application because of numerous reasons. Initial is since government grants for small business are primarily developed to support nonprofit organizations and projects involving research, development, medical and educational purposes. Furthermore, the resources which are always to be employed for this government plan are limited to accommodate all applicants. Of course, if it is possible to in fact acquire, then everyone is previously operating their personal businesses and according to experts, that is not considered as a healthy economic climate. Application screening and evaluation of government grants for small business are carried out carefully to select the deserving candidate with the appropriate form of venture or business. Simply because the grants vary from low interest loans to cost-free dollars depending on approval thin rightful recipient must be selected cautiously.

Government grants for small business are developed to give entrepreneurs enable you to start or improve their business but it often requires loads of effort to become qualified. Anyway it is worth the attempt if you are after something you can obtain for free.

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Applying For Government Grants For Small Businesses | Initial Alternatives For Starting A Business

Starting up with your own business isn't impossible. All it requires is proper awareness about governmental assistance that is possible to be incorporated so that you can actually take advantage of such benefits that can be included with appropriate guidance. Fundamental essentials of government grants for small business groups are frequently seen on news, commercials, and even on the web in advertisements and classified ads. One requires being extremely careful in identifying which of this information is authentic. You certainly don't want to end up losing funds before you earn some.

To understand some important facts about government grants for small business groups, one should realize that the word "grant" doesn't necessarily mean that there is no cost requirement at all. Although there are lots of exceptions wherein the total budget is provided by the government, these are limited to non commercial organizations which include nonprofit groups too. The gover nment grants for small businesses are also available in the form of loans and financial support from commercial banks and money lenders.

The Government f America offers a multitude of support programs for those who really are in need for such allowances. The government grants for small business groups can be usually obtained at certain governmental websites. There are numerous factors to consider before applying for a grant. We ought to understand that government grants for small business are created to protect the interest of business owners in the industry. Obtaining a grant is often hard as the competition pops up even before you put up the business of your niche. The easiest technique to start is to prepare all the necessary documents needed for the applications and also a comprehensive proposal. This essentially requires presenting the objective correctly with intricate illustration of the plans and budgets. If there will not be any issues regarding the elig ibility and also if the applicant is a law abiding citizen, then there's a far better chance of the plea being approved.

You must know the grant that you require for your needs and plans. Government grants for small business are supplied to the appropriate candidate so if you happen to meet the criteria then there's no reason why your grant should be obstructed.

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Loans To Small Businesses- The SBA Business Loan

The SBA has many loans to small businesses. One of the popular SBA business loan programs is the SBA CDC/504 program. The other is the SBA 7(a) program. Businesses who are interested in applying at their local bank or non-bank lender need to know as much as possible about what will be required prior to applying so they can be prepared. Below you will see the different requirements and information regarding this small business loan.

Loan Program- SBA CDC/504

Target Businesses/Borrowers For this Program-This program is designed for those small businesses that are already established and operating at a profit. The business cannot exceed a "tangible" net worth of $7.5mm to be eligible for this program and cannot exceed a net income of $2.5mm for the most recent two years. The purpose of this loan is long-term economic development within a community. The program is geared toward those businesses with "brick and mortar" operations with long term, fix ed rate funding. CDC's are certified development companies that work within a specific, designated community to help provide business financing along with the SBA and SBA approved lenders within that community.

Use of Funds- The SBA governs how the proceeds from any loan disbursed through this program. Below are some of these requirements.

Purchase of land or improvements to existing structures including buildings, landscaping, street improvements, etc Construction of new facilities or improvement of existing facilities related directly to the business. Purchase of long-term machinery used in the business

Maximum Loan Amounts- The maximum loan amounts can vary from $1.5mm to $4.0mm. Generally speaking, loan amounts rise if a project meets specific public policy goals such as community revitalization, job creation or community redevelopment of a business district, minority ownership, etc. See the SBA site for full details. Interest rates are pegged to a specified amount above US treasuries.

Credit Criteria- A personal guarantee by all principals with all supporting documentation is mandatory. (see above under 'Types of Documentation Needed') Additionally, the SBA will place a lien on the project being financed as collateral. This lien remains in force until the loan is paid.

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Government Grants For Small Business Among The Possibilities | Taking Probabilities In Placing Up Your Personal Business

Putting up your very own business is feasible by considering some options that can allow you to get the investment money. The most effective thing is enough knowledge on the sorts of government grants for small business you could take advantage. All it needs is appropriate guidance, difficult function, and some patience. There is plenty of government aid that is possible to avail and we see a good deal of them over the internet and newspapers. Even though a whole lot of them are there to choose from, you just need to be very careful by checking if this information is true as you don't want to waste more cash than you gain.

In order that it is possible to know that all the things you ought to have about government grants for small business is try inquiring about them on the web via government web sites or you are able to go directly for the nearest government agency in your place. The assistance offered by the government doesn't necessarily mean cost-free cash. T hey are generally within the form of low interest loans. Although there are lots of cases when the government provide total assistance with respect on the case, one ought to understand that these government grants for small business are primarily for nonprofit organizations that support scientific researches, medical and technological purposes, and those that have purposes which will benefit the community. A large variety of government grants for small business can only be awarded to individuals who passed the screening and strict reviews completed by the government.

The nation's government presents various kinds of grants and funds for those who are proven worthy and eligible to receive them. Government grants for small business are the most controversial offers. You can get an excellent deal of information in internet about the steps and procedures you should follow if you desire to apply. These government grants for small business are produced to promote free competition and to protect the interest of the small business sector. It is true that the possibilities of winning a grant is small especially if you are promoting a business which is entirely profit in nature. All it takes is tough work and proper awareness so that you can succeed.

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Fast Business Loan For Small Businesses

<P>The idea is not easy nowadays to acquire loans for your business. Banks and other financial institutions require a lot of requirements as well as collateral when you apply for a loan before it is going to be processed. The banks think that to grant loan to small businesses entails a lot of risks. Managers of small businesses usually lack the experience. The banks are usually very careful of granting loans to the applicants. </P>
<P>It is really difficult to acquire financing for small business owners because lenders are making it hard for them to do so. Standards are too high to accomplish, and due dates must be strictly met. They are very strict with the payment scheme and the standards set by the banks are high. However, lately there are new financial institutions that offer quick release of loan to businessmen in need of additional funding. The fast business loan programs are intended for businessmen who want to avail of a loan the easier and q uicker way. The competition is stiff among these lenders, that is why they don't ask for many requirements and this is very advantageous for business owners. </P>
<P>A You can now apply for a cash advance, a new lending scheme developed by the lenders.. Cash advance is more or less like using a credit card wherein you borrow money and pay at a certain given time. The proceeds of the loan may be used to administrative expenses, office renovation, purchase of machines and equipments or any expenses related to the business. The important fact is that the loan is being used for business expenses. In short, through a cash advance, the money is released to you very quickly. </P>
<P>One option though is the small business loan otherwise known as the Small Business Administration or SBA loan. The loan can be repaid for a period of seven to twenty five years. These loans are being backed up by the government and are accessible to small business owner s who need additional capital or funding for their business. You can opt to use your loan as a start up fund or to invest in building or for any other business expansion or action, as long as it is approved by the government. You can learn more about it by approaching such agency. Whatever option you choose, what is important is you have done your homework so you will not have a difficult time getting your business approved for additional funding. </P>

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