ABSTRACT
At the time of this case study research, call centres were in the third generation of development, characterised by a tried and tested technological platform, which supported well developed processes and operating procedures. The primary focus of the case studies reported here was the transfer of simple transactions from the branch network into a telephony environment. In one case there was, however, an emergent emphasis upon relationship building and sales through the adoption of ‘talk time’, with advisers being expected to spend at least 65 per cent of their day talking to customers. Since then, we have seen a more aggressive outsourcing of transactional activities to low cost global locations, such as India, and a greater emphasis of the ‘sales through service’ techniques referred to above. In the UK environment, this has been coupled to the adoption of more sophisticated self-service technology, which acts as a gateway to the call centre operators. While one case organisation outsourced a portion of its operation to India, the other opted to remain solely UK-based, its objective being to use every customer contact opportunity to build a relationship with its customers, thereby enhancing opportunities for crossselling which, in turn, builds loyalty and ultimately, customer advocacy. What started as a local, tactical response to saving costs was a first step in the development of an alternative distribution channel for financial services – which has now taken on a global dimension.
