Tap Internet Provided Services to Maximize Outcomes By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. SaaS (Software as a Service) is a subscription service that provides software solutions from a centrally located host. It also goes by other names, with some vendors making distinctions between various offerings. For our purposes, however, we’ll look at the concept generically. SaaS […]
Be Ready for Artificial Intelligence to Revolutionize Your Call Center By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD One of the spaces I inhabit is the call center industry. Another of my worlds is writing. These two areas intersect in this column. Another commonality is how technology, specifically artificial intelligence (AI), will affect both sectors. Futurists in the […]
Should We Embrace Technology in Our Medical Contact Centers or Fear It? By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Throughout the history of the call center industry we’ve looked for ways to help our agents be more effective. In the pre-computer days this often meant physical solutions and electromechanical devices that allowed staff to answer calls faster, […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD The first issue of AnswerStat magazine rolled off the presses over a dozen years ago. Since then much has changed. Call center technology has advanced, customer expectations have expanded, hiring and training practices have evolved, and new service opportunities have emerged. The Internet exploded into a global phenomenon that altered […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD The term “Internet of Things” may be new to you, or it might be something you’ve already grown weary of with eye-rolling boredom. Though a definition for the Internet of Things is still evolving, expect to hear a lot more about it in the future. Basically, the Internet of Things […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Regardless of where you work, false alarms have likely caused frustration. I remembered this one day as I searched for the source of an electronic alarm, warning me that something was awry in my house. Since the beeping was intermittent, finding the source was comedic. With each alert I would […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD With the situation in Iraq again looming large in the news, I recall Operation Desert Storm, which occurred two-and-a-half decades ago. At the time, most foreign reporters relied on dial-up telephone lines to report the news. This approach was inexpensive, allowed for mobility, and provided flexibility. An alternate method was […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD I have a love/hate relationship with technology. I love to have the latest, fastest, and most powerful tools and toys, but I hate the time it takes for implementation, requiring that I preempt more important activities to install, fine-tune, and master my new technology. Therefore, I tend to stick with what […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD It recently became time to replace our 24-year old furnace. As the installer wrapped up his work, he began teaching about the critical aspects of carbon monoxide detection. I had placed our lone detector where the furnace and water heater were located; detecting the poisonous gas at its source, I […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD I’m a huge fan of technology—and the allure of speech recognition (also called IVR or interactive voice response) carries with it great appeal. Yet when it comes to real-life implementations, I find it decidedly lacking and frustration-filled. In the past I’ve been reticent to state my disinclination—knowing that I’m part of […]