Black Box

Crawford client Convergys Corp. has earned honors as a leader in Gartner Group’s Magic Quadrant analysis of the CRM contact center BPO market. Permit us to blow their horn: In the IT sector, winning the top spot in a Gartner MQ is like notching the Golden Globes and Oscar combined.

With rising demand for executive content of all kinds, we’re often asked to identify the industry leaders we write for.  We’re a little reluctant.  Remember the seamy 2008 squabble among White House speechwriters over which of them deserved credit for their Chief’s wit & wisdom?  A bit insensitive to the Prez, we thought.

But as long as sufficient time has passed or the client has moved on to new responsibilities, we’re okay with naming a few of the folk we’ve helped turn into stellar speakers and authors over the years.  Note: All of these individuals are former clients — not people for whom we currently write.

The List:

• Carl Grivner, CEO, XO Communications
• Jon Craton, Co-Founder, Cramer
• Dave Dorman, CEO, Concert (AT&T International)
• Didier Delapine, CEO, Equant
• Bert Roberts, Chairman, MCI
• Dan Akerson, President, MCI
• Larry Schwartz, General Manager, Compaq Telecom
• Roscoe Young, President, KMC Telecom
• Heather B. Gold, President, Association for Local Telecommunications Services
• John D. Windhausen, President, Association for Local Telecommunications Services
• Richard Kozak, Managing Director, 1eEurope
• Dan Rosenzweig, CEO, ZDNet
• Paulo Guidi, President, Sprint International
• John Kluge, Chairman, Metromedia
• Howard Finkelstein, President, Metromedia Long Distance

Business leaders aside, we’ve worked for the “other side of the aisle,” as well:

• Lane Kirkland, President, AFL-CIO
• Doug Fraser, President, United Auto Workers
• Leonard Woodcock, President, United Auto Workers
• Olga Madar, President, Coalition of Labor Union Women

Our point: It takes all kinds to make this world click.  Crawford has had the opportunity and good fortune to work for some of the most fascinating people or our time, across a spectrum of interests.  Whatever the assignment, we’ve demonstrated the flexibility to master any topic and the creativity to make it memorable for the client — and their audience.

“I used to shoot people for a living.” So began the article in, of all places, a software testing magazine. The author turned out to be harmless, just a software geek for the U.S Army. His great opening line hooked me: It seems the best work, even by those who automate for hire, can’t be automated.

An executive asked if I liked his draft blog and could think of any media that might run it. “No and No,” I replied. Like much blogging for business, his piece turned out to be just a re-hashed marketing brochure. As a blatant sales job, it was the antithesis of social media — no editor would touch it. How do you avoid this common mistake and hit the right note?

As the latest jobless recovery takes shape, media departments are hearing the familiar “do more with less” mantra from on high. With fewer bodies to produce the content that execs demand, the temptation to “re-purpose” old material is strong. The trouble is, you can’t steal — not even from yourself.

When you’re hot, you’re hot — unless, as in the case of leading relationship management company Convergys, you’re red hot.

In 2009, Crawford boosted Convergys’  byline and blog placements to 25 major thought leadership pieces in U.S. trade media.  With Crawford’s direct involvement in creating and placing exciting new content, Convergys continued a three-year trend of increasing its U.S. trade press placements by 40% annually.

It’s not the numbers alone that impress, but also the breadth of reach.  Crawford helped Convergys make its message accessible across an array of disciplines and vertical industries.  The full tally for 2009:

1. Contact Professional CP Wire – “Top 10 Things Your Customers Want You to Know” (Jan. 21 ‘09)
2. Training Magazine – “Home Schooling for Home Agents” (Jan. 22 ‘09)
3. Customer Management Insight — “Get Closer to Your Customers and Employees in 2009″ (February ‘09)
4. CRM Magazine – “Outsourcing Tech Support — The New Customer Loyalty Engine” (March ‘09)
5. Customer Management Insight – “Service Levels — One Size Does Not Fit All” (March ‘09)
6. Contact Professional — “Are You Ready for the Great Millennial Migration?” (March/April ‘09)
7. B/OSS Magazine — “An Incremental Approach to BSS/OSS Improvement” (May/June ‘09)
8. Speech Technology — “The Best Response to a Tough Economy” (May ‘09)
9. Speech Technology — “Creating Dynamic Multimodal Interactions” (May ‘09)
10. InsideARM.com — “Loan Modification and Delinquency Management Approaches That Build Loyalty” (June ‘09)
11. CRMXchange — “How to Thrive in an Economic Recession” (June ‘09)
12. Talent Management — “Follow a Performance Map to Superior Service” (July ‘09)
13. Contact Professional’s CP Wire — “Succeeding with Customer Care in Challenging Times” (July 8  ‘09)
14. Speech Technology — “Voice Authentication – It’s Not Just for IVR Anymore” (July 20 ‘09)
15. BAI Banking Strategies — “Collections Poker – How to Achieve a Win-Win” (Aug 3  ‘09)
16. Speech Technology — “Creating the ‘Wow’ Factor for Customer Retention” (Sept.  ‘09)
17. Speech Strategy News — “Multimodal Customer Service Transactions” (Sept. ‘09)
18. 1to1 Media Guest Blog — “Analytics Bring Customer Perspectives into Focus and Make the Save” (Sept. 10  ‘09)
19. CRM Magazine — “Turn Your Satisfied Customers Into Loyal Ones” (Sept. 21  ‘09)
20. CRM Magazine Guest Blog — “Using Intelligent Self-Service to Compete in a ‘Free’ — or Any – Marketplace” (Oct. 22  ‘09)
21. 1to1 Media Guest Blog — “Millennials and Today’s Experience Economy” (Oct. 27  ‘09)
22. Contact Professional’s CP Wire Guest Blog — “Five Reasons to Use Home Agents” (Oct. 28  ‘09)
23. International Customer Management Institute — “The Intelligent Self-Service Imperative for Call Centers” (Nov ‘09)
24. Customer Management IQ Guest Blog — “Service Level Targets” (Nov. 9  ‘09)
25. CRM Magazine — “Strategic Partnerships May Be Your Most Important” (Dec. 17  ‘09)

In addition, Convergys racked up 74 feature articles and nearly 800 trade press hits from press releases.

Already, Convergys is off to a strong start for the New Year with two new byline placements in January 2010 — and many more in the pipeline.