Categories
Call Center

Outbound Calling

Past, Present, and Future By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD The most buffeted segment of call center work has been the outbound arena, specifically, consumer calling. With the combined effects of a public outcry against intrusion, political expediency, and the enactment of state and ultimately a national do not call (DNC) law, outbound calling to consumers […]

Categories
Call Center

Let’s Watch a Movie

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD When someone says, “Let’s watch a movie,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Do you immediately think of a group outing to go watch the latest flick? Perhaps your preferred viewing venue is the more cozy environment of your living room couch. Could it be that watching a […]

Categories
Healthcare Call Centers

Making Ripples

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. When I set up my office several years ago, I invested a great deal of time to produce an optimal configuration, the epitome of efficacy and efficiency. Yet over time, things changed. New technology was interjected, additional office accouterments were added, and the scale of my work increased. As each […]

Categories
Call Center

Robo Calling Should Screech to a Halt

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Are you fed up with receiving “robo” (pre-recorded) calls? Last year, in an effort to curb their use and appease public outrage, our elected officials required that an opt-out option be present on all pre-recorded calls.  Unfortunately, it was deemed both cumbersome and ineffective in curtailing the unwanted intrusions. One […]

Categories
Business

Politics and Outsourcing

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD It seems that “outsourcing” has been politicized. Once a word becomes politicized, as outsourcing was in the 2004 United States presidential campaign, all reasonable thinking stops and logic becomes, well, illogical. Rhetoric steps in and common sense is relegated to lesser important things. Think of any major societal issue and it […]

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Call Center

Be Careful What You Bill For

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Over the years, I have heard ample discussion on a multitude of creative ways to bill clients for call center services. The prevailing goal of each consideration is to maximize billable services and fees. While this is an admirable business objective – since the goal of commerce is to make […]

Categories
Healthcare Call Centers

Putting First Things First

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. Perhaps you’ve heard this story. Imagine you’re sitting in a college class. It’s one of those big classrooms with tiered seating, able to accommodate hundreds of students. The class is assembled with eager expectations; what will the professor do today? At precisely 8 a.m., he strides in and, without acknowledging […]

Categories
Business

What Were They Thinking?

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD My wife’s Avon order arrived the other day and… Okay, I confess, the order wasn’t just for her, but mostly. The only Avon product I deign to use is their Care Deeply Lip Balm. It is the ideal combination of firmness and moistness. Some competing products tear your lips off […]

Categories
Writing and Publishing

Hope for the Flowers

By Trina Paulus (Reviewed by Peter DeHaan.) In addition to all my varied writing functions (writing articles, websites, and blogs, publishing two magazines, and way too much editing) I also write an occasional movie review and book review—just for fun. Here’s one of my recent efforts: Hope for the Flowers is a delightful allegory encapsulating messages […]

Categories
Business

Why Area Codes Change

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD As telephone numbers are assigned, the availability of numbers within an area code diminishes. In order to make sure that there are always numbers available, usage is analyzed, number exhaustion dates are projected, and steps are taken to provide for more numbers. Although short-term steps can be taken to deal with […]