Newsroom

02 May 2002

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Asia Pacific gets represented on COPC Standard

Customer Contact World

Customer Operations Performance Centre (COPC) Inc, the leading global adviser on the customer contact centre business, expanded its international talent pool with the appointment of Christine Hagan from Australia's Centrelink Call and Stamford Low from Singapore's M1 into its COPC® Standards Committee.

They join a COPC Standards user group comprising companies in the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Japan and India including Bell Canada, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Client Logic, Convergys, L.L. Bean, Microsoft and Motorola to set the benchmark COPC Standards for customer contact centre performance and quality.

Through its ownership of the Standards, the Committee interprets and makes necessary changes to the Standards that encompass customer contact centre planning and leadership, processes, people management and performance measurement.

Hagan is the General Manager of Centrelink Call, the largest call centre network in Australia that delivers income support services for the Australian Government to about 6.5 million customers through its 27 centres.

M1's Low is the General Manager of Singapore's second largest mobile operator that handles more than one million mobile, paging and international direct dial customers. Low is also a key player in the Republic's customer contact centre circle in his capacity as Honorary Treasurer of the Call Centre Council of Singapore.

Both appointees have been instrumental in garnering customer contact centre industry awards for their respective organisations. Centrelink Call's 22-language call centre won the 2002 Australian Teleservices Association "Call Centre of the Year" while M1 clinched the Call Centre Council of Singapore "Best Call Centre Award" in 2001.

COPC Inc. President, Peter Bloom said the two new members bring a wealth of experience, intellect and insights that are necessary to make the COPC Standards truly global and address every aspect of customer contact centre operations in any market.

Bloom added, "The COPC Standards strive to be state-of-the-art, relevant and up-to-date with the rapid developments in the customer contact centre industry and its operating environment. As such, continuous improvements will be made to the Standards to help industry players keep pace with these changes and to nurture the industry."

On her appointment, Hagan said, "I am extremely proud to be part of this highly regarded body of customer contact centre professionals that is known and respected for its deep understanding of running efficient, effective and profitable centres. I am confident the COPC Standards will gain increasing popularity and acceptance in Australia, in tandem with the Australian Government's encouragement towards a more customer-focused delivery of civil services.

"Australia has a strong tradition in workplace training and staff development and that will be one major area that we can play a significant role in the COPC Standards Committee," she added.

Low regarded his appointment as a privilege and an opportunity to contribute to the university of ideas that steers the development of customer contact centre staff, systems and processes that are necessary to meet customers- greater expectations now.

"The customer contact centre business is becoming a borderless trade where only the most competitive and viable centres anywhere in the world will survive. It is therefore critical for Asian customer contact centres to meet the world-class mark, as stipulated and guided by the COPC Standards, to ensure that the current growth in customer contact centre job opportunities in the region continues its upward trend," said Low.