Workplace productivity is a significant concern in today’s competitive economy. To stay efficient and ensure profitability, companies need to do more with less—especially regarding time and money. One way to do this is by reducing the amount of time and money spent on training employees.

We built our platform to be put into the hands of a “Citizen Architect”, someone you probably already have in your organization. The persona of a Citizen Architect is going to be someone with an understanding of how processes work and the intricacies of the specific operating procedures. These resources do not need to be overly technical, however any grasp of HTML or Programming can certainly help relate some of the general concepts and best practices we recommend when using SpiceCSM. Many of our clients exclusively use non-technical resources to manage all their business process and content management while allowing technical resources to focus on the connections that push and pull data between those processes.

At SpiceCSM we have noticed a growing trend in deployment methodologies used when implementing a client's solution. When working with clients who have many overarching project goals or other unique complexities involved, we have seen many of them turn to a phased “crawl, walk, run” approach to maximize their returns and make the deployment work more seamlessly. The concept applied here simply means that by offering an incremental approach to deploying a project or use case we try to avoid being so far sighted that it prevents progress towards a more immediately usable solution. Instead, by focusing on and solving “micro-projects”, the synergy of those projects being completed in a more timely manner can have as big if not a bigger impact on the organization than one large project done in the same amount of time.

Traditionally, workflows have been way a to present simple information in an organized and logical manner. They are very helpful in communicating the structure of a complex system or an organizational hierarchy. However, that is all they do; statically display visual information to another person. One of the main goals when originally developing the SpiceCSM Process Workflows was to be able to present complex and dynamic information. We wanted to give users with a specific skill set the ability to convey their knowledge to a large number of less skilled users in a structured, dynamic and logical way. Additionally, we needed the ability to import data into the process so that the less skilled user did not have to use a separate system to look up information. Those original requirements gave the process workflows an enormous amount of power and flexibility. As the years passed, we saw the way processes were being used had evolved in ways we had never imagined when originally designing the SpiceCSM Process Workflows.

Connecting data between different systems using API’s or system level connections is an integral part of any digital transformation. Businesses can create a digital mesh using a variety of hand-picked systems rather than finding a one-size-fits-all solution. Specialized systems can each focus on a particular task but still collaborate with and leverage the capabilites of other external systems. Using integration capabilities like API’s, many disparate systems can be combined to create a best-in-breed ecosystem to better serve any particular business function. With SpiceCSM all manner of systems can be tied together, regardless of whether they have API's, and you can easily create a unified interface for your newly created digital eco-system.

Since 1995, Gartner has been drilling down into massive amounts of data to uncover trend cycles in sectors that heavily depend on IT and tech, including healthcare. The Gartner Hype Cycle for Healthcare Providers report seeks to predict the lifecycle of tech trends based on the predictability of media and social hype. In the latest report, Gartner recognized 38 new and emerging tech area in the Healthcare Provider sector. One such area is Healthcare CRM/Contact Center Systems. This key solution, Gartner declares, is at or reaching its peak in the hype cycle, yet by many organizations, it remains overlooked as a necessary cost center.

It was a full house at the Henderson House in Weston, MA on March 25th for the NECCF Spring Forum. The major theme of the day was the rapid changes occurring in the contact center industry and all attendees were eager to learn more. The first presenter, Michael Jordan from Metro Credit Union spoke about his experiences managing a call center in the banking industry. He is currently facing significant challenges in the management, ease, and implementation of multiple channels. Like many contact center managers, he and his agents are supporting phone, chat, email, and social and the task is overwhelming, not to mention confusing. Luckily, SpiceCSM was there to give Michael some insight on how our cloud based platform integrates with each app, providing a single agent desktop/CRM/reporting dashboard that can handle all channels simultaneously.

Customers today have a different frame of reference and expect more from all of their providers, regardless of industry. They expect the same level of exceptional service from online retailers to insurance providers, utility companies and beyond. Regardless of your industry, using an integration platform and guided process such as SpiceCSM allows you to bridge those divides and seamlessly provide superior customer service across any industry providing any service. As you read this article you can add this to the end of every sentence…”SpiceCSM already does that!”

On Wednesday, November 13, CEO of SpiceCSM, Mike Ryan, traveled to Jersey City to participate in the inContact Panel Discussion alongside many well-known names in insurance, healthcare, and financial services. During lunch, a great discussion about Customer Engagement and Service Level Differentiation took place and new ideas on thought leadership were exchanged. This is the second Discussion Panel that Mike Ryan has participated in and it certainly will not be his last; inContact fails to disappoint!