Good customer service means repeat business

Managing director TalkTime Asia (Thailand) Deirdre Hutchinson said, "Sixty-eight per cent customers stop doing business if they receive poor service." But about 50 to 75 per cent of customers who have their complaints resolved quickly return.

Hence, Hutchinson believes business is won or lost mostly on the basis of call-centre performance. Her company, TalkTime Asia, has been offering consultancy services to set up and operate call centres and also provides training for personnel.

Hutchinson entered the call-centre industry 14 years ago when Ireland saw a boom in its service sector, with call centres from the United States relocating there. She came to Bangkok in 2002 at the request of TA Orange, now called True Move, to manage their call centre. "When I came to Thailand in 2002, there were only 100 call centres in Bangkok. Six years later, there are 400 and it [is projected to] grow by 15 per cent till 2010 to 2012," she said.

Hutchinson said the Thai market focused on the domestic arena, unlike India, Malaysia and the Philippines, as there is a smaller foreign-language skills labour pool. But, in term of performance, she said, Thailand ranks high in categories such as service level and first-call resolution. "The Thai call-centre industry is competitive in term of salary and operating costs, though improvements can be made in telecommunication costs."

By the month end, TalkTime Asia will start its call centre with 60 seats, which will be expanded to 200 by the year-end.