Interim Call Centre Management

There are a number of business situations in which an interim manager is the ideal strategic decision for the call centre industry.

• Rapid Expansion
• Business Improvement
• New Products/Markets
• Mergers/Acquisitions
• MBOs/MBIs/IPOs
• Joint Ventures
• Business Turnaround
• Corporate Crisis
• Critical Skills Gap

Rapid Expansion
The call centre industry needs to be able to expand and contract at almost a moment's notice. Interim management is the perfect resourcing solution. It delivers an experienced management team, handpicked for each situation and which can flexed up and down as and when required.

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Business Improvement
Cost reduction and service level improvement are the watchwords in today's telebusiness industry. Interim managers – who have delivered these business improvements for other call centres – are a no-risk, results-guaranteed route. Companies who deploy them are gaining immediate access to their experience and insight – and have a guarantee that results will be delivered fast.

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New Products/Markets
The launch of new products or entry into new markets frequently relies on the contact centre team. In today's fast-moving environment there is no time to waste and no room for failure. Product and service innovation is often relentless, new markets must be explored today and successfully entered tomorrow. Experienced interim call centre managers can leverage their experience to rapidly set up a new contact centre team or retrain an existing one – equipping it to successfully target new markets or cross-sell new products to an existing customer base.

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Mergers/Acquisitions
A merger or acquisition places a lot of pressure on existing staff: it distracts them from the day-to-day, and creates uncertainty. If both organisations have call centres, the amalgamation of these can be extremely complex. Interim call centre managers can relieve this pressure, ensure economies are achieved, service levels maintained and customer transfer smoothly achieved. They absorb the additional workload and have the experience to support managers who have not been through the process before.

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MBOs/MBIs/IPOs
Buyouts, buy-ins and IPOs can be a new experience for a call centre management team – yet there can be no room for failure, they must go well. If the company concerned has had its call centre function provided by the old parent company, a critical first step for the new call centre management team is to set up a new contact centre and migrate customers to it as smoothly as possible. An interim call centre manager can be handpicked to deliver this specific project. The manager will also help the board in other ways during this critical time of massive change – by acting as a sounding board, and relieving them of some of the inevitably increased workload.

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Joint Ventures
With the partner companies behind a joint venture each having their own 'man on the board', a joint venture can get mired down in inter-company politics and vested interests. An interim call centre manager has the gravitas to deal with both companies at the highest level, and the independence to say what's in the interest of the venture itself. As a result, the joint venture achieves its full potential – and all the partners benefit.

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Business Turnaround
In business turnaround situations you need decisions to be taken, they need to be the right decisions and they must taken fast. Interim call centre managers who are turnaround specialists can quickly assess a company's situation, see where strategy is failing, and bring their massive experience and impartiality to bear. If poor call centre performance is a critical part of the problem, an interim call centre specialist can then be called in to recommend and implement the changes required. They can cut through the historical clutter to see exactly what needs to be done, and then help the call centre management team do it – either by getting truly hands-on or by mentoring the management team. This can include grooming key managers to take over the reins and continue the good work once the interim manager has left.

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Corporate Crisis
A new competitor has entered the market, finances are under threat, the critical IT system is way over due and off budget, a huge hole has been found in the accounts, the Chief Executive has left and joined a rival, you are facing a hostile takeover, you are threatened by a huge brand scandal or industrial action. The crises a company can face are unpredictable, demand a unique set of skills and put management under enormous pressure. A well-chosen senior interim call centre manager will have been through exactly the same situation before, will know what action needs to be taken and will be able to support and mentor the management team throughout the crisis.

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Critical Skills Gap
Interim call centre managers are the perfect to plug a short-term, business critical gap created by an unexpected departure or by an unexpected contract win.

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