"In my view the evolution is on going and will continue well past 2009. We will all have to learn to be more effective through technology and in how we manage each customer contact. We have to be focused on contact excellence and better customize the experience based on the value of the customer to the enterprise"

"I see that outsourcing will survive the crisis. Business will look into outsourcing to survive the crisis due to lesser production cost"

"The process needs to be simplified. Calling a call center and being put on hold for long amounts of time will not look (just one example). Customers need (demand) quick resolutions. I believe those who do survive will have better systems / processes in place, be leaner and more customer friendly."

"Building customer relationships is a key. In our industry, manufacturing equipment, those who service customers the best will be the winners."

"I think consumers will realize that they have choices to make and they are going to be looking for the best deal. If you are in the cell phone industry not only will the consumer be looking for a great deal but they also want friendly service when they call customer service. Since most cell phone companies are giving the best deal around right now the service provider with the best customer service team will be the survivor."

"Everyone will tighten their belts and think out of the box in terms of staff rewards and recognition with little or no budget."

"The contact center industry should certainly be looking for ways to save money and the environment and to work more efficiently. We should strongly consider such things as 4 day work schedules so employees can save on gas, child care, etc. Implement better recycling initiatives for paper & computer equipment, turning off lights & adjusting their thermostats and to promote incentives for innovative ideas from their employees on ways to save."

"Cut down automation processes which help move users from calls to the web but make sure there is a benefit to the end user. Do not automate just for cost saving automate to improve the service."

"Evolution is not necessarily upwards at times decent is a better option, i think the core focus of entire contact center industry in 2009 would be towards sustainabilty rather than expansion, the good thing about this is that it will provide time for industry players to recount, regroup and redirect resources, it is also a good time to reset our missions and objectives."

"Flexibility and more creative approaches."

"We have to be carefull as to what we nedd to invest upon & not to forget our customer are also feeling the pinch hence extra caring is needed. Also looking forward to win more awards."

"Contact centers are either downsizing manpower or closing down to prevent further loss, which is obvious. But more importantly, if a contact center needs to survive while it still can, it needs to be more competitive. For example, if the competition is eyeing at gaining more customers by offering unlimited long distance calls at an affordable rate, your contact center should also be considering offering such kind of service or if it cannot because of certain limitations, probably the contact center will need to diversify in its business, like adding more products or services and eliminating those products or services which are not really that high in demand."