CALL CENTER IT SUPPORT

I START A NEW JOB WITH A COMPANY PROVIDES IT SUPPORT TO CALL CENTERS. WE USE VB6 CONNECTING
VIA ADO TO SQL SERVER 2000 STORED PROCEDURES. OUR ONLINE REPORTING TOOL USES CRYSTAL REPORTS &
ASP (LITTLE VB6). CAN ANYONE RECOMMEND GOOD BOOKS AND WEBSITES TO PREPARE ME FOR MY NEW POSITION
WITH THIS COMPANY?

ALSO, HOW DOES ONE GO ABOUT BUYING RELEVANT CODE IN VB6, TRANSACT SQL, ASP?

WITH CALL CENTERS (OUR CLIENTS) MOVING OVERSEAS-OUTSOURCING, WHAT ABOUT ENRICHING OUR
POTENTIAL CLIENT BASE...FOR EXAMPLE, RECOMMENDING MARKETING EFFORTS TO 'NAILED DOWN' CLIENTS
LIKE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES WHERE THE GOVERNMENT DEMANDS SUCH WORK BE DONE IN AMERICA. OR
EXPANDING OUR ROLE TO ALSO DO...?

ANY IDEAS TO ABOVE THREE ISSUES PLEASE-PLEASE EMAIL mikelynn@comcast.net

I suggest you'd get a better response if you don't cross post and type all in caps.

I'll put the bulk of my reply in the Chit-chat forum, so that anyone that wants to read it can just follow that link. Cross posting to VB, Crystal Reports, Chit-chat, and Microsoft SQL Server probably isn't a good way to start. Some of the folks here read more than one forum, and get rather annoyed when we find the same message posted repeatedly!

The only way that I've found to deal with outsourcing is to consistently provide more value (not lower price) than any outsourcer can. If you try to compete on their terms, you'll loose because they are fighting where they are the strongest (lowest cost) because of a much lower cost of doing business overseas. If you work hard to understand the needs of the group(s) that you serve, and consistently make efforts to find win-win solutions, at least in my experience those groups will value you highly... Much more so than anybody that's cheaper but on another continent.

If you are just starting at the job, I'd strongly suggest that you not try to change the way the firm does business. Strategic marketing and management decisions are rarely welcomed from the new guy that was hired to generate reports!

-PatP