BT launches business continuity services in face of Swine Flu

Neil Sutton, vice president of BT's global portfolio, cites problems such as extreme weather conditions, industrial strikes and viruses such as Swine Flu. The company's solution is a bunch of special offers around an enhancement to its Next Generation Contact Centre service. As part of the service, called BT NGCC Protect, BT undertakes to help businesses ready themselves for business continuity risks in their contact centres, by auditing requirements and configuring systems so that staff can work from home, or other remote locations. "Businesses today face the dual challenge of ensuring excellent customer service, while keeping capital expenditure costs under control," explains Sutton. "But, as recent examples have shown, unexpected events – such as extreme weather conditions, travel problems or virus outbreaks – can quickly bring a contact centre to its knees," he adds. Advances in BT's on-demand contact centre technology and self-service CRM tools, as well as trial offers, will, says Sutton, put businesses in a stronger position to tackle any unforeseen events, while also benefiting from cost savings. Also, by hosting the service over BT's 21CN global platform, contact centre staff will, he insists, be able to access unified customer communications, a BT-designed desktop and CRM (customer relationship management) tool, quickly over the network.