How to Tell If Your Contact Centre Will Boom or Go Bust?

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As the contact centre industry continues to develop, the competition among the many different players in this sector intensifies. As this industry matures and the number of people who are a part of it grows exponentially, customers and end-users are getting more demanding in the choice of service provider (contact centre) that they pick. For contact centre operators, the challenge is even more daunting because, as more people, mostly Gen Y, are enticed to build a career in this sector, the issues that you need to contend with increases manifold. Of course, once you’re successful and are able to turn a mediocre contact centre into a “contact centre superstar”, the potential returns could be vast.

IQPC: 40 Years of Connecting Business Leaders

“We’ve come a long way from delivering a few seminars in the US in 1973 to over 1300 B2B events across 15 offices on 6 continents in 2013. A lot has changed in that time-frame: technology, to people’s expectations, the way we work, to the work force itself. However, regardless of what’s changed, the value of sharing business solutions remains a constant in every industry. Perhaps the most gratifying aspect of 40 years in business is the wonderful group of people we have met and worked with along the way.

Their enthusiasm, professionalism and dedication have made our success possible. I applaud their commitment to delivering quality events to and for our customers.”

- Rick Worden, Co-Founder and CEO, IQPC

Customer Experience in Asia – The Real Score [Video]

What do people think about Asia’s customer service environment? What are the best and worst experiences they’ve had? How can companies improve their customers’ experiences for better profit and brand value? Watch this video as people talk candidly about these issues.

Watch the full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvSiX7XXbSk

INTERESTED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC? http://www.customerexperienceasia.com/

Common pitfalls in FPSO contract negotiations

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In China, as well as in other parts of the world, contract negotiations and dealing with
disputes are two very complicated terrains that one must carefully thread. These issues
become even more magnified when dealing with large, complicated projects like FPSO, and
lately, FLNG.

Ahead of the upcoming FPSO China 2013 conference happening in 24-25 April 2013, IQPC’s Darwin Jayson Mariano spoke with David Boggs, Managing Director at Energy Maritime Associates, a noted consulting and advisory services firm for the offshore oil & gas sector, to shed some light on this topic.

GROUNDBREAKING: FPSO Sector Report 2013

It has been forecasted that between 2013 and 2017, $91bn will be spent on floating production systems (FPS) – an increase of 100% over the preceding five-year period.

How will this impact future development? What are the profiles of ongoing and upcoming FPSO contracts in different regions? Are FPSOs now on the verge of something big? Read more in this special FPSO Network industry report.

Be part of the largest meeting place dedicated to the FPSO community. Attend the 14th Annual FPSO Congress from 17-19 September in Singapore.

Download full report here.

What’s Behind the ‘Sizzling Hot’ Philippine BPO Market

When news broke out that US-based JPMorgan Chase & Co. could transfer more BPO jobs to the Philippines as the company bared its plans to generate at least $1 billion in annual operating cost-savings, it was met with a sense of elation – and zero surprise.

There is no question that the Philippines BPO sector is ‘sizzling hot’ these days. But, why is that? What’s the reason behind its success and what are the potential triggers that could doom it to fail? Read the full report to find out more.

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The Best Private Equity Exit Strategy

Given the relative confidence vested in the Southeast Asian region, choosing an appropriate exit strategy for private equity investments becomes an imperative. Download the just-released report, “The Best Private Equity Exit Strategy“, and understand the ups and downs of different exit strategies available.

Excerpts:

Perhaps one of the most uncontested truths in the world of private equity (PE) investment is that investors always begin with an ‘exit’ in mind. More specifically, a successful exit. But what makes an exit, successful? Of all the different strategies that investors can employ, what can be considered as the best one? To get some valuable insights on this matter, we spoke with Joseph Pacini, Managing Director for BlackRock; Simon Hopkins, Group CEO for Milltrust; Krit Phanratanamala, Investment Director for Thai Prosperity Advisory Co Ltd; Edward Gordon, Head of IB for Ho Chi Minh City Securities Corporation; Kian Hwa Tan, Senior Vice President for SBI Ven Capital Private Limited Securities Corporation; and Chris Chia, Managing Partner for Kendall Court.

Private Equity in Southeast Asia

Private equity funds are the reserve of capital that is invested by private equity companies. PE funds are usually set up as either a limited liability company or a limited partnership (LP). There are, however, other types of structures that exist which are also controlled and managed by the specific private equity firm that is acting as the general partner (GP).*

In Southeast Asia, there is much optimism going on among PE investors as key indicators present a promising outlook. In 2011, Southeast Asia’s aggregate GDP topped US$2 trillion**; the region is home to young and increasingly affluent population of 600 million; and “growth in the region’s six largest economies is forecast to accelerate by, on average, 4.5% to 6.7% compounded annually through 2015.” Great headlines that make global private equity firms take notice.

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The World’s Most Fascinating Building Facades Today

Building facades have gone an astonishing transformation over the past couple of years. Architects, engineers and building owners are now much more attuned to the latest technologies that bring form, function and ROI into one perfect blend. In this special issue, marvel at the most fascinating building facades today – from Zurich to Singapore to Sydney – and find out how high-performance building envelopes have evolved.

Is the time ripe to call for digital militia?

In military parlance, ‘militia’ refers to a contingent force composed of ordinary citizens who provide defense, emergency law enforcement or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. A number of defense organizations in the world employ militia to augment the capability of their formal military organizations during exigent circumstances, especially when dealing with attacks that could threaten the state’s vital interests and national security.

This is in physical world. Could the same strategy be applied to the digital world? Let’s examine.

Understanding Workforce Optimization

Craig Seebach, Senior Director, WFO Back Office Practice – Enterprise Intelligence Solutions at Verint sat down with IQPC’s Darwin Jayson Mariano on the sidelines of the 15th Annual Asian Shared Services & Outsourcing Week to shed light on the concept of workforce optimization. Some questions that have been asked include:

• What is workforce optimization and how does it benefit the organization?
• Do you think there is a strong need for SSO’s of today to implement a workforce optimization system? Why?
• In many industries, people are actually one of the main costs of business, yet much less attention has been given to optimize the process. What do you think is the reason behind this?
• What important lessons can other organizations learn from Verint in regard to workforce optimization?