Welcome to the next big word in Contact Centers … the “journey.” If you haven’t heard it yet, you will – the customer journey, the technology journey, the change journey. Just fill in whatever business issue you are facing and add the word “journey.” You get the idea.
I have no problem with the word “journey.” It is a visually appealing word that may be used as a noun (the act of traveling) or as a verb (to travel somewhere). So when the executives speak of the “journey,” it is most likely the noun. But when management responds to the executives, it had best be as a verb!
So let’s look at the Contact Center journey. My personal Contact Center journey actually began nearly 30 years ago when the moniker was the Call Center. At that time these operations handled only calls, unless you count the large amounts of U.S. mail that was also handled.
The journey to Contact Center was driven initially by technology advances. Digital telephony started it, making Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) widely available. (Remember when ACD functionality was present only in operator/directory assistance type services? These were mechanical, very expensive, and complicated to deploy outside the confines of the “phone company.”) Once companies were able to ditch the old “hunt groups” and install intelligent call distribution, the “digital” journey truly took hold of the global Customer Service industry. At the same time toll free service (800 numbers) prices were coming down, making them more widely available. The journey was well underway!
At first, users were thrilled to be able to get all those calls directed to the right place. Then they realized that the need for service by customers had been so bottled up that all hell broke loose! The reality of having to get the calls out of queue to an agent changed the course of many people’s careers … ah excuse me … many people’s journey! Some ran for the hills. They just couldn’t stand the intensity of such a high demand environment, especially considering that there was very little education around how to run these operations. This is where the journey took a wrong turn. Many companies took to hiring the former phone company operator service managers; after all, they were among the few whose professional journey had exposed them to anything remotely similar.
The problem was that those folks had managed environments in which contacts rarely exceeded 30 seconds. They had operated comfortably – expecting 100% agent/operator utilization. Now they were being asked to run a Call Center in which contacts were not so consistent, simple, or short. Linear math and militaristic leadership (supervisors on roller skates) that was so successfully utilized in operator services was NOT WORKING in the new fangled world of Customer Service. This militaristic management approach resulted in a nasty view of working in Call Centers; the jobs were perceived as factory-like production jobs overseen by evil people whose job it was to make the life of the “operator” miserable!
The Contact Center’s journey of shedding the factory perception has been aided by technology advancements when it comes to automating functions. We no longer have to “call” our favorite catalog to place an order; we may choose to simply order online. We no longer have to “call” our bank as the online portal has taken over. The list goes on. However, there is a trade off … now our Contact Center calls (and other channels) are most likely related to problems linked to that automated engine and/or backend processes. This potentially creates a longer and more complex contact type.
The profile of the Contact Center agent has had its own journey. The front line now requires critical thinking skills to resolve customer issues, rapport skills to nurture relationships, technical skills to navigate systems, and writing skills to handle email, chat, and responses to social media.
The Contact Center journey has been shedding its factory-like reputation by also becoming a “player” in delivering on the executive promise of “The Experience.” According to Forester Research,”92% of companies view Customer Experience as a “top priority.” This integrates the Contact Center journey to the strategic Customer Experience journey … and it will change the journey of the Contact Center leader!
It is time to navigate your leadership journey. Step it up and grasp what is necessary to position your Contact Center as a strategic asset. Make it the place where the Customer Experience journey is transformed into a tangible set of activities expertly executed by well-trained and coached professionals that use systems, tools, and techniques appropriate to yielding a customer willing to endorse your efforts!
Make no mistake. For many, tackling this will be a massive transformation. If you have not abandoned the factory-like production approach to managing your Contact Center, it is time to do so. It is time to collect, analyze, and report on information relevant to Customer Experience obstacles and opportunities. It is time to corral all the members of the team and focus on what it takes to deliver on the strategic promise. And use “journey” as a verb to get what you need to successfully travel this road.
The Contact Center journey is hitting a new high. The time is now to “step it up” and continue to demonstrate that the Contact Center is a significant player in today’s business journey!
My Best,
Kathleen