Highlights from a thought leader discussion
INTRODUCTION
Natalie Beckerman, Senior Vice President, Global Call Center Operations, Leaf Home, and Alpa Shah, Global Vice President – CX Practice, Frost & Sullivan sat down for a “fireside chat” at the 18th Annual Customer Contact West: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange earlier this year. Read on for a preview of the key takeaways from their discussion, included in the Customer Contact West Chronicles eBook.
ABSTRACT
The pandemic forced us to think and act differently and become more agile with our workforce, our technology and our approach internally and externally with our customers. Future disruptive forces will no doubt require us to call upon the same skill in pivoting to meet unexpected challenges. This session challenged leaders to become more agile and do what is necessary to lead and win from the front.
KEY TAKE-AWAYS
- Lessons learned that forced us to become agile as a leader in the contact center world, leading people and personalizing the approach to our customers
- Best practices for getting ahead of change when leading your sales/service contact center organization
- Insight on what is required to continue to innovate and improve your contact center models, AI, automation, digital footprint and workforce engagement
KEY INSIGHTS
- It’s critical to be agile in the digital world
- To offer an exceptional customer experience, you need to move now, move fast and fix issues in the appropriate channels
- The digital world must converge with the human voice
- Only 15% of interaction channels are fully integrated
- In the new era of customer experience, it’s not acceptable to take two to three days to respond to an email
IMPLEMENTATION GUIDELINES
- Re-think workforce strategies — be flexible and agile
- In the near term, 90% of companies will have someone working from home, this requires companies to think about their employees and the workplace differently
- Retaining talent when working from home is important because turnover rates are high
TAKE AWAYS
- There has been a change in urgency but there hasn’t been a change in productivity – everything is a priority
- Priorities change monthly and compete daily – the case for agility
- Constantly think about what future needs will be
- Determine what will provide the best customer impact most quickly
KEY QUESTIONS
What’s the next technology to implement, critical for success in 2023?
- Basic AI, post call analytics instead of in-call, during call is more integration
How do you build agility into your team?
- Provide transparency on how changes will occur and how it will disrupt and change processes
- Provide training and keep teaching new skills
- Share strategy and show business benefits
- Help others be change agents with you
How do you balance finding what’s best for employees with what’s best for business?
- Bring in employees to help finalize solutions
BEST PRACTICES
- Provide competitive benefits and an attractive work environment, make people want to be there
- Pay weekly and distribute bonuses weekly if possible
- Be agile and flexible with agents and customers
- Determine short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals
- Be transparent with your agents, IT team, and customers
- A quick response is a requirement in the new digital age
FINAL THOUGHTS
- The world of customer experience is changing daily, and needs are changing with them, but quality should always be the priority
- Be open and honest with your agents and customers
- Finding what’s best is a process — create a vision and work toward it
