Alpine Access

One of the benefits of VoIP is scalability, that is, the ability to add CSRs without having to install extra phone lines. Multichannel merchants 1-800-FlOWERS.COM and Vermont Teddy Bear have dealt with issues of seasonal scalability by working with Golden, Colo.-based Alpine Access, a provider of home-based CSRs. Vermont Teddy Bear, for instance, finds that its sales spikes come around Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, with each holiday rush lasting only about two weeks. While Chris Powell, contact center manager at the Shelburne, Vt.-based gift merchant, triples his in-house staff during this time, he still needs more reps to answer phones, especially as radio ads

By Hallie Mummert My Twinn leaves behind the brick-and-mortar call center for a Web-powered model Catalog companies need to be aware of three trends that will shape how business is conducted in the future, says Steve Rockwood, president at Alpine Access, a provider of Web-based customer service solutions, headquartered in Golden, CO. The trends are: • online customer service grows due to customer demand; • the labor market shrinks, and; • the Internet enables communication and a new way to work. For businesses that recognize customer service as a crucial component in customer acquisition and retention, the combination of these trends means

Catalog companies need to be aware of three trends that will shape how business is conducted in the future, says Steve Rockwood, president at Alpine Access, a provider of Web-based customer service solutions, headquartered in Golden, CO. The trends are: • online customer service grows due to customer demand; • the labor market shrinks, and; • the Internet enables communication and a new way to work. For businesses that recognize customer service as a crucial component in customer acquisition and retention, the combination of these trends means forging a new customer service model that is flexible enough to handle multiple points of