What is the position of the Polish call center market against the background of the European market? Do you notice considerable differences?

Wojciech Glapa: There are no longer any considerable differences between Poland and Europe concerning telemarketing, as we have already finished our education in this matter.  Sometimes we are even more broad-minded and brave in taking up decisions, probably due to our more liberal approach. We are open to use outsourcing services and through broad range of services available on the market Polish customers are more dynamic and brave in changing their providers. 

Janusz Tomiczek: Indeed, call center market is very dynamic and we could notice its fast growth in the recent years. Companies compete with each other not only in terms of prices for provided services but also in terms of their quality, innovativeness, strategy and complementarity of services. Outsourcing of full set of business processes is more and more often discussed, which broadens possibilities of competition on the market and indicates the most powerful market players that are prepared to respond to challenges and expectations defined by the market.

What can we still learn from each other on the European market?

Wojciech Glapa: We can teach our European neighbours our courage in taking up decisions and learn from them conscientiousness and methodological approach to cooperation.  In Poland we start to act on an impulse and we perfect the details later, everything is done rather on the spur of the moment. I observe excellent organization and methodology in executing business strategy.

Janusz Tomiczek: For us, suppliers of telemarketing solutions, the most important is strict cooperation with European partners, to whom we try to show something new, innovative, of course, with maintenance of top level of provided services. It explains why we analyze in detail the needs, trends and processes that accompany customer services in call centers operating in various parts of Europe.

You have mentioned Polish openness to outsourcing. Do you think that outsourcing services begin to replace internal call center? Which solution is the most popular among the customers?

Wojciech Glapa: It is hard to state it clearly, which solution is most often selected by the customers. To tell you the truth, everything depends on the customer’s business model. All models have their advantages, however, outsourcing seems to be more suitable for one model, whereas inhouse seems better in other models. Inhouse is selected when contact with the customer is one of the main strategic goals of the company, whereas outsourcing is selected when contact with the customer is of lesser importance and applies to a single element of such strategy, e.g. sales and measuring its effectiveness. 

Janusz Tomiczek: And due to the abovementioned reasons, strict cooperation on the market becomes the most important factor, because delivery of services or solutions together with services depends on the characteristics of a given business activity and assumed goals. Relations between the provider of solutions and services and the outsourcing call center company are changing from direct competition and fight for the customer into symbiosis and mutual analysis of the needs and defining an optimal offer for the customer. 

What trends are dominating on telemarketing market today?

Wojciech Glapa: Success fee, or in other words a sales fee, is one of relatively new and widely applied trend. Another trend, which becomes more and more significant, is searching for complex partners, who will not only handle sales, create a product and take care of logistics, but will also take control over the entire chain of activities. Today, customers appreciate complementarity of services as they are no longer interested in monitoring the whole network of subcontractors by themselves.

Janusz Tomiczek: Nowadays, the trend of searching the companies that can handle entire processes – chains of processes, not only particular elements of such processes, becomes the most popular. Due to that we can state that large call centers of great potential that are inconsiderably dependent on individual projects will strengthen their position on the market and  will dominate over the smaller companies. 

Not only the needs of the telemarketing services recipients are subject to change, but telemarketing as such is also changing. It is no longer only a telephone conversation with the customer. Which means of communication with the customer become most popular?

Wojciech Glapa: Contact with the customer via telephone is more and more difficult, which is due to the wide range of different offers on the market. It is not easy to convince a customer to talk with the consultant via telephone, thus we need a supplementary means of communication. The best and most popular is e-mail, but not standard mass mailing, but mailing that will be interesting for a customer. In this case mailing campaigns are the best solution, as the initiative is on the customer’s side and the consultant calls back the customer after receiving a signal that the customer is interested with an offer, e.g. enters his or her personal data in the form. Through such an order of actions in communication we can be sure that we don’t miss the target, but we get to those who are really looking for a particular offer. This communication model is like mailing inbound with telemarketing outbound together. This is also a new effective trend in generating customer databases. I’m sure it will play an important role on the market in the nearest future. 

Janusz Tomiczek: Due to that new trend, telecommunications systems providers, including Alfavox, make efforts to develop functionalities of their solutions. We enhance our voice platform alfa Contact Center and alfa PDS to make all expected communication channels available and to provide openness concerning back-office handling. 

What else should we take into account to develop along with this branch of business?

Wojciech Glapa: I am sure that we should never ignore those services that are related to maintenance of customers. We must observe customer needs and react to each attempt of communication from the customer’s side. When the customer initiates communication because he or she wants to resign from a given service, the consultant calls back and presents another attractive offer. It is so called the last-chance-call that must not be forgotten in communication with the customer, as it may bring considerable benefits.

Janusz Tomiczek: Constant monitoring of trends and market requirements as well as expectations of the customer are altogether a key to keep a leading position on the market. Innovative, cutting-edge offer adjusted to the requirements of the customer and giving him advantage on the market is the source of success. 

What shall ICT system that supports call center guarantee?

Wojciech Glapa: The basic feature of the present ICT systems in telemarketing branch of business is flexible licensing of the costs. In case of commercial call center the problem is that implementation of advanced ICT system, which is an expensive and big investment, is risky, because agreements with partners are concluded for a specific period of time or with a short period of notice. Due to such unstable future and uncertain revenues, enterprises use simpler and cheaper solutions. The situation is different if we talk about inhouse, where the future is more predictable. A good ICT system must consider those differences. 

Janusz Tomiczek: We, as suppliers, try to listen to our current and potential customers and improve our solutions in order to overtake the market needs and help in creating functionalities that guarantee advantage on the market.

System is not all. It has to be handled by people – do telemarketers easily adjust to technological changes, do they learn quickly how to operate new systems?

Wojciech Glapa: There are no problems when the solution is ergonomic. Ergonomics of the system is the most important issue, which enables a consultant to act quickly and effectively and handle a great number of customers in a very short time. The most important is user-friendly interface. If the interface is complicated and is not intuitive, the time of handling one customer may extend up to several minutes, whereas it should not exceed 3-5 minutes. Efficiency in all center is not a result of the processes or procedures but of the ergonomics.

Janusz Tomiczek: Our basic assumptions while designing our systems include maximum ergonomics of work, functionality, adjustment to current needs and possibility to easily introduce the required modifications. 

Alfavox has implemented PDS solutions in Arteria. How do you benefit from these solutions?

Wojciech Glapa: Cooperation with Alfavox within PDS solutions gives us first of all the efficiency in sales, but also the efficiency in economics of our entire company. Through implemented solutions developed by Alfavox we can employ a few hundred agents simultaneously. Alfavox provides transparent outsourcing, reporting and analytical tools which enables us to draw conclusions concerning effectiveness parameters of telemarketing activities and efficient implementation of possible improvements and modifications.

What can you say about cooperation with Alfavox as a company?

Wojciech Glapa: Cooperation with Alfavox is based on partnership from the very beginning. We both understand each other’s needs and communication between us is based on understanding. Furthermore, we appreciate a lot engineers working in Alfavox and flexibility of the management of the company. Alfavox provided us with a team designated strictly to our needs, we cooperate with them incessantly for years and our engineers have excellent contact with them.  

Janusz Tomiczek: Thank you for your confidence in our company. We will endeavour to meet your expectations.

Grupa Kapitałowa Arteria SA is a leader on the sales of outsourcing and customer service market in Poland. It provides services based on its own 450-position call center, 600 mobile traders and 70 points of sales.

Alfavox Sp. z o.o. is a supplier of advanced platforms for the contact center telecommunications systems dedicated to small, medium and large business customers. The company possesses unique competences in development and implementation of advanced integration projects.