BY BRENDAN READ, CONTACT CENTER PIPELINE; Q & A WITH WITH DAN SMITLEY

ILLUSTRATION PROVIDED BY ADOBE IMAGES

once had a colleague, who when walking into and through the office, would often say“ Never enough time …” He was right, and on so many levels. Particularly so in the contact center, where agents are under constant and too often growing pressure to provide even better service to increasingly demanding customers. While at the same time having to meet- or if possible, preferably exceed- exacting performance and productivity metrics.

A critical component of ensuring high – and higher – standards of performance and productivity is having agents well-trained. Also, to have coaching available to help them immediately and successfully address any issues that crop up in customer interactions.

But here’ s the rub: coaching and training consumes time. Time that would need to be found in the agents’ schedules.

DAN SMITLEY

Time that would have to be spent off-hook and offline and away from engaging with customers. Time that costs money.

So, how can contact centers balance these issues: finding the time and justifying its allocation while ensuring excellent, timely customer experiences( CXs)? Can the ever-developing AI-based solutions help manage this issue?

To find out, we had a conversation with Dan Smitley, a leading workforce management( WFM) authority and founder of 2: Three Consulting, whose mission is“ to optimize workforce management while prioritizing the value of every individual.”

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