I instilled fear in my team when I scheduled an “Improv” session at our recent annual meeting. I’m sure they had visions of being “onstage” and having to come up with something incredibly clever and funny. In reality, everyone left feeling like it was one of the best “team-building” exercises they’d ever experienced. Let me… Read More »
I was in a taxi on my way to LaGuardia on a snowy Friday afternoon. A proactive text message informed me that my flight was cancelled (drat!), launching my desperate effort to find a route home. Of course everyone was calling the airline, so the queues were backing up. They offered a callback, so I… Read More »
While I try not to be sensitive, I cringe whenever folks regale me with their latest miserable customer service experiences. Studies show that customer satisfaction measurements lag far behind internal view measured through quality monitoring scores. Where are the “Wow!” experiences we all seek? A good mobile app, integrated with the contact center, can achieve… Read More »
There are a lot of reasons why executives are drawn to outsourcing like moths to a flame. Financial pressure. Growth/acquisition management. Dated technology (and no heart for investing). Tight time lines for action. Need for flexible staffing model. Belief that contact center specialists are simply better at it. But there’s more to outsourcing than meets… Read More »
Many of our clients want to know how they compare with centers of like size, maturity, and industry. They’re often drawn to benchmarking resources and other studies and surveys. While interesting, the data that drives these reports do not necessarily reflect what the best centers do, nor do they focus on what’s possible. And even… Read More »
Technology is so easy to blame. For what? For not meeting metrics, keeping costs under control, delivering great service, driving enough revenue? The list goes on. Center leadership, staff, and support team members often exclaim, “If we only had …!” as they point at technology as the culprit. They don’t have what they need, don’t… Read More »
We recently got rid of our landline, and I bet many of you have already done the same, or will soon. We live by the smartphone. It’s our “go to” directory, information, web, and application source. We use it to self serve or seek assisted service with companies big and small. Whether we make contact… Read More »
We all use tools to monitor important elements of our personal world in ways that we never did before: GPS and text messaging on the kids’ phones, home security systems with remote notification and control, apps to follow activity with your favorite sports teams or stocks, and updates about your flights or financial accounts. Now… Read More »
In 20 years of consulting and hundreds of projects, I have seen some typical scenarios play out in client environments, often based on the communication and collaboration – or lack thereof – between IT and the contact center. Stalemates ripe with finger pointing are common situations. IT stands in one corner declaring “tell me what… Read More »
Contact centers can’t function without technology. They rely on a sophisticated collection of tools to enable the operational strategy that achieves business goals and meets customer needs. And given the wide spectrum of tools and sourcing options, it’s no surprise that lots of folks write about it. There’s a lot to say! But there’s a… Read More »