COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, February 4 /PRNewswire/ --

- Report Sheds Light on Opportunity for Call Centers to Enhance the Customer Experience Through Better Tracking of Customer Satisfaction and Increased Agent Retention

Think Services' International Customer Management Institute (ICMI(R)) (http://www.icmi.com) announced the release of the industry's most comprehensive study of contact center people management and operations. The ICMI 2008 Contact Center Operations Report compiles responses from a critical mass of contact center professionals from around the world.

The results pinpointed some positives and promise, though shined a spotlight on even more opportunities for improvement - some of which are glaring. Here is just a small sample of the good, the bad and the ugly findings that are likely to elicit smiles, frowns and possibly panic among contact center professionals:

The good: -- The vast majority of centers recognize the paramount importance of call monitoring -- Most centers formally reward/recognize agents who consistently meet or exceed key objectives -- Most centers correlate employee reward/recognition with improved service quality, higher customer satisfaction and greater agent morale/job satisfaction The bad: -- The majority of centers rely on internal quality monitoring - rather than external customer surveys - to measure customer satisfaction -- Only two in five centers bother to measure agent satisfaction -- One in four centers have no disaster recovery or business continuity plan in place And the ugly: -- In nearly three out of four centers, leaders are rarely held accountable for agent retention -- Only 39% measure first-call resolution (FCR) - considered one of the most important contact center metrics -- One in three contact centers surveyed do not measure customer satisfaction

The report also includes industry experts' insight and commentary on recruitment, training, staff development, monitoring and coaching, employee retention, disaster recovery, staffing, metrics and budgeting. A complete report of the study, which was conducted in September of 2008, is available for purchase from the ICMI Web site at www.icmi.com/estore.

Media and analysts may request a copy of the report from Tara Gibb, ICMI Vice President of Marketing at +1-415-845-1019 or tgibb@cmp.com.

About ICMI

The International Customer Management Institute (ICMI) is the leading global provider of comprehensive resources for customer management professionals - from frontline agents to executives - who wish to improve customer experiences and increase efficiencies at every level of the contact center. ICMI's experienced and dedicated team of industry insiders, analysts, and consultants are committed to providing uncompromised objectivity and results-oriented vision through the organization's respected lineup of professional services including: consulting, training and certification, events, professional membership, and management resources. Learn more at icmi.com.

About Think Services, a division of United Business Media

Think Services connects specialized communities worldwide using educational events, consulting, training, certification, membership, and innovative media. Providing comprehensive opportunities for people to learn from, network with, and inspire each other, Think Services builds strong brands and works within communities to foster a unique affinity with its products and services. The division's flagship products include the Game Developers Conference, the Webby Award-winning Gamasutra.com, Game Developer magazine, the International Customer Management Institute (ICMI), and HDI. Think Services is a subsidiary of United Business Media, a global media and marketing services company with a market capitalization of more than US$1.6 billion. To learn more, visit www.think-services.com.

Tara Gibb, ICMI Vice President of Marketing, +1-415-845-1019, tgibb@think-services.com