Contact Centres Face New Challenge as Attrition Costs Fall by £800M, Reports CCA

CCA Convention to Lead Debate on Global Customer Service Standards
GLASGOW, Scotland--(Business Wire)--
A reduction of £800 million in the cost of staff attrition has helped UK contact
centres deliver major improvements in customer service but they will face tough
new challenges when the recessions ends, warns CCA, the industry champion of
global customer service standards.

CCA Chief executive Anne Marie Forsyth urged contact centre managers to attend
CCA Convention in Edinburgh on November 4 & 5 where more than 500 professionals
from the public and private sectors will debate ways to accelerate improvements
in contact centre operations and to get the best performance from staff.

Forsyth said: "The recession presented serious difficulties for everyone but
ironically, one positive side effect for the customer contact sector has been a
dramatic reduction in staff attrition costs which were running at £1 billion a
year. We need to ensure the situation is not reversed as the economy recovers
and that the ultimate winner is the customer who has a right to expect
first-class service from well-trained staff."

CCA Convention, the industry`s premier event, will be chaired by Gavin Esler of
BBC`s Newsnight and Sky News anchorwoman Kay Burley. Bookings are strong despite
the downturn as organisations seek insight from global leaders on boosting
customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Guest speakers on November 4 include the world`s best-known brands including:
Guy Crawford, Chief Executive of Jumeirah Group which owns the world`s first
seven star hotel; Ronan Dunne, UK Chief Executive of O2; Bob McDowell, Vice
President Information Worker Business Value for Microsoft; Silla Maizey,
Customer Director of British Airways; Richard Hemsley, Chief Operating Officer
at Royal Bank of Scotland; and Caroline Lien, Operations Director for Comic
Relief.

It will also feature a unique CCA International Business School session on
November 5 featuring the world`s foremost thinkers on customer experience.
Speakers include: Dr Carsten Sorenson from London School of Economics; Professor
Chris Voss of London Business School; Professor Umit Bitichi & Professor Phil
Taylor of the University of Strathclyde; Professor Henks Akkerman of Tilburg
University; and Kevin Page, Operations Director for Clydesdale and Yorkshire
Banks.

Forsyth commented:"CCA Convention is so successful because delegates can access
leading-edge research and the brightest minds in customer service under one
roof. Typical concerns are new technology, measuring customer experience and
getting the best out of an increasingly static workforce. Delivering premier
customer service is complex and Convention is the place to find innovative
solutions."

Valerie Darroch, Editor of inTouch, the industry`s leading journal said: "The
recession has caused seismic change in the way organisations think about
customers and increased their understanding of the strategic role contact
centres play. However, we must continually innovate and challenge current
service models and Convention will provide insights on the way ahead."

Cheryl Black, Customer Service Director at O2 added: "In this year, much more
than others, it's vital to take time out of the day-to-day business to learn
about new strategies for leading your business through this challenging
climate."

Linda Maslen, Head of Contact Centres, HMRC, urged professionals to attend CCA
Convention: "Having been both a delegate and a speaker at Convention, I know
from experience that it always provides a fantastic learning opportunity to
understand the latest thought-leadership in customer contact."

CCA has chosen Comic Relief as its charity for this years` Convention and
announces the launch of an online appeal for the organisation. CCA will also
donate £5 for every attendee at its Excellence Awards dinner on 4 November.
Caroline Lien, Operations Director at Comic Relief said: "I`m thrilled CCA has
chosen Comic Relief as its charity of choice for this year`s Convention. So many
people across a wide range of contact centres give their time and support to
make the campaign such a success and I`m looking forward to meeting many of them
at the event."

Major sponsors of Convention include BT and Avaya; Plantronics; salesforce.com;
Sabio; Calcom; and Dimension Data which is sponsor of a special Learning Zone
where delegates can download CCA White Papers.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About CCA (Customer Contact Association) CCA Industry Council is a leadership
forum for the heads of customer contact strategy, both in private and public
sectors. The Council offers a unique blend of visionary research, intra group
case studies and benchmarking. Industry Council has recently dealt with topics
such as 'New Sourcing Strategies', 'Cause and Effect of Demand', 'Merging Voice
and e-Channels' and 'New Generation Employees'. CCA Industry Council represents
between 25%-30% of those working in contact centres in the UK and is in a
fundamental position to affect real change within the sector.

Industry Council members include: Bank of America; Barclays Wealth; BBC; British
Airways; British Gas; Bord Gais; Capita; Coventry Building Society; DWP; HMRC;
ESB; NHS Direct; NS&I IBM; Lloyds TSB; LV=; Clydesdale & Yorkshire Banks;
National Rail Enquiries; O2; RBS; Royal Mail; Shop Direct; Sky; Teleperformance;
Tesco; Vodafone.

For further information visit www.cca-global.com

CCA
Pauline Cochrane, Head of Events & Partnerships
Tel: + 00 44 (141) 564 9010
Email: pauline.cochrane@cca-global.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009