WIN FOR DENNIS

Dennis Rhodes, customer service manager at the Vodafone call centre in Stoke has been chosen as one of Britain’s most energetic bosses in a nation-wide search by energy company E.ON.
A colleague, Tracey Lusty, nominated him for the title of Britain’s Most Energetic Boss 2007.
Mr Rhodes said: “I was thrilled to have even been nominated, so to be told I’ve been chosen…is fantastic.”
His prize for being one of the six finalists is an overnight break at a spa on the outskirts of the Peak District.  Ms Lusty, who receives a case of champagne for her nomination, said: “Dennis is fantastic with both staff and customers, and even when things get really busy he manages to stay positive. He’s also really motivating and approachable, and makes work a great place to be.”
The overall winner was Professor David Hall, chief executive of HFL, Fordham, Cambridgeshire.


NEW VERSION

Infinity CCS has brought out the latest version of its call centre software, Infinity v3.6.  It includes built-in call recording capabilities to the agent’s PC, enhanced reporting, a quality assurance module and improved time-sheeting functionality.  Desktop scripting can now support most ACDs and diallers with CTI integration from Envox CT-Connect and Callmedia .
The latest upgrade is free to existing customers or for purchase at £750 or £45 per month to rent.
The free call recording includes QA integration for listening and retrieval; improved MP3 compression of audio files for reduced storage and increased portability; and a silence detection to detect “fake calls” or to alert supervisors if the call is not being recorded correctly, .
The enhanced time-sheeting module provides the ability to record the actual hours each agent or team has worked and the remuneration due, including performance based commissions and bonuses.  Once the shift is verified and signed-off by a supervisor, data can be automatically exported to any off the shelf or bespoke payroll system.
It also includes a reporting module that offers a single view of the progress of agents and campaigns at any given time.


NAME CHANGE

CM Insight, a customer management consultancy, has changed its name to Verint Consulting.  CM was acquired in February 2006 by Verint Witness Actionable Solutions, itself a combination of Verint and Witness.  CM’s management, including founder Mike Havard, remain in place.  The firm is based in Weybridge, Surrey, about a mile from Verint’s UK offices.


CONTRACT AWARDED

Fortnum & Mason has hired beCogent to handle customer service calls.  As a result, beCogent sya it will hire 35 more staff.