The Contact Center is among the most information-rich environments in any business. This is only true when information is gathered properly and utilized for Call Center process improvements and overall performance. Business analytics may suffer in environments driven by good intentions. Read on to learn how good intentions make poor defenses when resolving Customer Service complaints.
Beware the Customer Experience Coma
Summer is a time when we are blessed with the opportunity to “unplug” and take a break – aka a vacation! (Please be sure to use this renewal tool.) Americans have less vacation time than many other countries and we still don’t even use the time we have! Our professional intellects will improve by taking that vacation time; we will …
Operational Efficiency Done Right
According to Webopedia.com, Operational Efficiency is described as the “capability of an enterprise to deliver products or services to its customers in the most cost-effective manner possible while still ensuring the high quality of its products, service, and support.” Notice that it does not say Operational Efficiency is “doing more with less.” Yet so often when the discussion of gaining …
Advocatus Diaboli and the Metric Mirage
Call Center leaders must challenge themselves continually to validate that the direction they are taking aligns with the strategic objectives, vision, and values of their organization and brand. They must remain fluent in describing Contact Center performance in such a way as to make sure that they never fall victim to the “metrics mirage.” Do your metrics misrepresent the reality …
“Contribution to Capacity” … A Transformational Term
“Contribution to Capacity“… I coined this term on adherence in the late 90s, almost fifteen years ago. Where does the time go? Recently I was having a conversation with a Contact Center Director regarding the importance of adherence, the measurement of it, etc. The conversation prompted me to think again about the meaning of “contribution to capacity” and its conceptual shift from adherence – …
Is Your Operation Brand Driven?
Consider popular book titles such as “Execution” and “Confronting Reality.” These focus on the importance of making things happen, getting things done, and the significant (in fact, crucial) impact this has on overall company performance. What books like these really deal with are Operations. Operations are present throughout the enterprise and represent all manner of activity. In many companies they …
The Problem with “Temp to Perm”
“Temp to Perm” is typically associated with hiring staff on a temporary basis with the possibility of them being considered for a permanent position. That is not what this article is about. I have come upon a much more sinister Temp to Perm plot! That plot is to be found in the organizational models, process disciplines, and technology use and …
Moment of Truth
According to Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence, the array of skills and characteristics that drive leadership performance is the core competency required to be successful in Call Center Customer Service delivery. Customer Experience has become a strategic initiative and the focus of many boardrooms and executive suites. Is your Contact Center prepared to handle “experience opportunities?”
Arson Investigation in the Contact Center?
Contact Centers have long been plagued by the practice of fire fighting. This is the reason given for not attending to planning, analysis, or other quality initiatives. “We don’t have time for that – we are too busy putting out fires.” If you are fighting fires all day, every day, they will never go out. Embers of the flames remain …
Help Me, Please!
A Personal Perspective on the Customer Experience It had been quite a while since I personally had to contact anyone in Customer Service … that is, until this week when I had the opportunity to interact with six Contact Centers. I now have a fresh perspective. Bottom line: experiences vary widely from business to business. However, the elements of good …