Customer Interface - May 2000--A Reborn Asia Opens for... -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 5/1/2000
Last Visited: 6/22/2001
- Peter Williamson , CEOTelstra Inc.
A chief consideration during the site selection phase is whether to locate one regional call center , or establish several centers in keeping with the near customer , near market customer care dictum.Metro-politan areas of Australia , for example , are preferred over in-country locations if a staff increase is expected , or multi-lingual skills are needed , or high customer service abilities are required.
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Peter Williamson , CEO of Telstra Inc. , the company's U.S. subsidiary , who helped build Telstra's New Zealand operation , says that while Australia offers many site selection advantages , chief among them may be the absence of restrictive government policy.I would suggest that Australia demonstrates one of the most effective models of deregulation ever introduced , Williamson says.
Because of its time zone , Australia is seen as an ideally placed location to assure follow-the-sun services to customers worldwide.Australia boasts annual call center growth of 25 percent , with an estimated 1 , 300 call centers.
While Australia is used as a base to serve Japan , South Korea and even China , Hong Kong still retains the role of having superior access to China's consumers.
China's Story
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Peter Williamson , at Telstra , observers that to do business it takes a nano-second in California , in New York it's a minute too long , in Britain they can do it in two hours , but if you're going to do business in Asia , it takes dynasties..
From that perspective , Asia appears to have plenty of time to capture a title that has alluded the region in the past - global preeminence on a 21st Century stage.
May 2000 Table of Contents