Which is best, outsourced or in-house contact centre operations? According to a recent industry study, outsourced wins hands down, outperforming in a number of key areas.

Outsourced UK contact centres:
• offer average speed to answer times 26% lower
• have 10% lower non-talk time
• answer 27% of emails within an hour – three times faster than in-house

These are just some of the findings of a study of the UK contact centre outsourcing industry undertaken by two respected industry players, Contact Babel and The Outsource Junction.

Unless you don’t have any form of communication with the outside world, you would’ve heard the news of Michael Jackson’s untimely death.

To many MJ will always be known as the ‘King of Pop’ and as man who revolutionised the video music industry, as he was at the forefront of the MTV era. However, people should also remember him as a man who marketed himself as a global music icon.

At the peak of his powers Michael Jackson was seen as a multidimensional entertainer, who broadcasted himself extremely well through the new medium of music videos. This helped MJ and MTV rise in tandem and made him a global icon for the visual images he created, as well as the singing.

Marketing magazine compares being a good marketer to Brian Clough’s management style following the release of The Damned United, a film charting the tumultuous 44-day reign of Brian Clough at Leeds United.

Last month what is being hailed as the “best job in the world” by the Australian Tourist board was  advertised all over the world. The successful candidate will write a weekly blog post, maintain a video blog and upload photos while exploring Australia’s islands of the Great Barrier Reef.

The six month Island Reef Job pays approximately $100,000 US dollars working a measly 12 hours per month and the site reported that 15,000 applications had been received.

Interesting to see that Facebook has backtracked on recent amendments to its term of service, which claimed ownership of uploaded content even after user profiles have been deleted, following a Facebook user revolt.

The measure had all the hallmarks of a database or direct marketing agency looking to keep customer details for campaigns that would entice people to a brand they’re working for, and not a social networking site used by millions who just want to keep in touch!