BOSTON, MA--(MARKET WIRE)--Jan 13, 2009 -- The current economic climate has forced many organizations to re-think their strategic approach to operational execution, particularly as it pertains to the contact center. For many organizations, the contact center has become a critical component to achieving strategic goals because it is the heart of customer-facing activities, such as customer service or telemarketing. Unfortunately, many organizations are constrained by an eclectic mix of integrated technologies and proprietary solutions. Both front and back office operations can benefit from tighter integration between technology solutions, data, processes, and resources. A recent research study titled, "Enterprise Performance Optimization: Understanding the Customer-Focused Organization," conducted by Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE:HHS - News), finds that 69% of survey respondents believe the number one strategy for reducing cost and improving the customer experience is to gain a deep understanding of the link between back-office operations and customer service. Aberdeen's report reveals that the Best-in-Class achieve superior performance by taking a customer-centric view of organizational resources and initiatives. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=5513.

"A customer centric approach requires deep knowledge of customer satisfaction, buying behavior, and a foundation of customer data to ground strategic decisions about what to sell and how to sell it," explains Ian Michiels, Research Director and Customer Management Technologies Practice Leader at Aberdeen. "Enterprise Performance Optimization is an emerging class of technologies and processes designed to maximize spending, reduce costs, and ultimately increase revenue. Best-in-Class organizations exhibit an increasing focus on customer centric strategies which provide the foundation for EPO initiatives. EPO uses the tactics and processes in front office operations and applies them to back office operations to maximize profit, revenue, and employee satisfaction."

The report demonstrates the value of collectively leveraging organizational practices in process, performance measurement, knowledge management, and technology to provide a foundation for Enterprise Performance Optimization. By combining organizational capabilities and technologies, such as automated workflow and integrated analytics, Best-in-Class companies are able to positively affect customer retention and average revenue per contact.

The research educates readers about the various aspects of Enterprise Performance Optimization. The report also identifies Best-in-Class performance as a result of back and front office integration and the use of key technology solutions, compared to the Industry Average and Laggards. A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part to the following underwriters: Aspect Software and Knowlagent. Furthermore this research is being disseminated to the market through the support of various media outlets, such as the ECT News network and ITO America. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=5513.

For additional access to complimentary Customer Management Research, please visit http://research.aberdeen.com/index.php/-customer-management

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company

Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen(TM) for insights that drive decisions.

As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement - Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit Aberdeen http://www.aberdeen.com or call (617) 723-7890, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748 or go to http://www.harte-hanks.com.

 
© 2008 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
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     Media Contact:
     Ian Michiels
     Aberdeen Harte-Hanks
     (925) 264-1824
     ian.michiels@aberdeen.com