Seventh Edition

Welcome to Open Minds, which provides you with fresh and useful insights into the key communications challenges facing organisations today. It’s hard to believe that this is edition seven, as editor I would like to thank all of our readers for their continued support and excellent feedback.

In this edition we ask:  

Are women in IT an endangered species?  

Experts predict a worsening of the IT skills shortage so why is it that women are not attracted to the profession? We listen to the views of women IT executives in the US and Germany and explore initiatives intended to reverse the trend. What unique skills can women offer? Does the traditional image of the technology sector as male-dominated still hold true and is it time for a fundamental make-over?

What makes a compelling business case for managed services?

What opportunities and risks do enterprises face when they outsource their operations? How do you decide which tasks to outsource? How can you ensure you select the best service provider and what level of partnership will ensure quality and efficiency over the course of the service contract? We look at the latest Forrester Research and discuss the issues with industry experts.

Can time-poor customers expect better call centre services?

How can technology be harnessed more intelligently to improve call centre management and response times? Is first-call resolution a distant dream? How do call centres respect the need of agents to work flexibly? We look at new research and explore the options for improvement.

 If you have any feedback on the articles in this edition of Open Minds, please contact us at editor-open.minds.sen.uk@siemens.com.

To download the full edition as a pdf, click here.