By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD
The 2011 ATSI Convention & Expo was recently held in San Antonio, Texas, on June 14-17. The keynote address by Dr. Mike Mandel was entitled “Brain Power: Words That Change Minds.” Dr. Mandel gave an entertaining and enlightening presentation, during which he shared some simple communication tools and strategies applicable to the workplace – and at home.
The focal point of the convention was the exhibit hall, with twenty-one vendors presenting their latest products, software, and services. Many exciting developments and innovations were on display, showing the vendors’ commitment to products that improve call center operations, expand serving offerings, and enhance agent engagement.
Three recurring themes seemed to pervade the event. One was HIPAA compliance, a second was cloud computing, and the third was the softswitch. Several of the products presented addressed HIPAA compliance issues, which is a growing concern among call centers, their clients, and their callers. Although centered on healthcare information privacy, HIPAA compliance has wide-ranging implications that are of increasing concern to call centers and their clients.
Many vendors also had products that operated in or took advantage of the cloud. These ranged from remote agents stations to disaster recovery/off-site backup to various cloud-based communication tools.
The third item, the softswitch, was also represented in the new and enhanced offerings of several vendors, offering increased flexibility, expanded scalability, and greater connectivity. Additionally, industry vendors are increasingly developing products and services that are platform independent.
Next year’s convention will be held June 12-15 at Omni ChampionsGate in Orlando, Florida.
[From Connection Magazine – Jul/Aug 2011]