" PUT A FINGER ON THE SCALE IN FAVOR OF THE PEOPLE BECAUSE IT WILL YIELD CALCULABLE BUSINESS OUTCOMES , FOSTER ENGAGEMENT , AND DRIVE CULTURAL IMPROVEMENTS ."
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c . Leverage inexpensive online training outlets such as Coursera and Udemy ( there are many options ).
d . Participate in webinars and conferences . There are many options including ones that may be free , local , and virtual .
Getting these people in the process early will save a lot of time and trouble later . It ’ s amazing how many potential problems and solutions come out of conversation when all the right groups are represented . Inclusion in the selection process also produces change champions when it is time to implement the new software . Note that great software cannot fix poor policy and communication strategies .
LASTLY , WHAT ARE YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS TO CONTACT CENTER PROFESSIONALS IN MANAGING THEIR WORKFORCES IN TODAY ' S ENVIRONMENT ?
A : My recommendations for leaders would be the following .
1 . Put faces to the numbers to prioritize and integrate humanity with process , technology , and strategic planning . Put a finger on the scale in favor of the people because it will yield calculable business outcomes , foster engagement , and drive cultural improvements .
The job of answering calls in a contact center is much more difficult than just “ talking on the phone .” At Zappos , for example , regardless of what job someone is hired to do , they are ALL trained to work in the contact center and spend time handling calls : it ’ s great !
2 . Commit to continuous learning for yourself and others . There are so many ways to learn and some of them are free !
a . Start with educating people on their job expectations by sharing “ why ” it matters and “ how ” it will be measured .
b . Connect and network with regional organizations and social media groups .
" IT ’ S AMAZING HOW MANY POTENTIAL PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS COME OUT OF CONVERSATION WHEN ALL THE RIGHT GROUPS ARE REPRESENTED ." e . Ask colleagues what they are reading and find a book to satisfy your curiosity . Doing a book of the month / quarter for teams is another option . Review sections together with pre-planned discussion questions to help share ideas , promote using new ideas , and help retain training .
" PUT A FINGER ON THE SCALE IN FAVOR OF THE PEOPLE BECAUSE IT WILL YIELD CALCULABLE BUSINESS OUTCOMES , FOSTER ENGAGEMENT , AND DRIVE CULTURAL IMPROVEMENTS ."
3 . Review the rules for the people you lead .
a . Craft people policies with appropriately soft guard rails to allow a human level of wiggle room .
b . Punish the guilty , leave the rest alone . Resist the temptation to overly burden staff with a book of draconian rules for all your good employees because of one bad actor . This includes abolishing policies that exhaust resources , people , and time , such as :
• Fussy dress code . General Motors CEO Mary Barra introduced the best dress code ever , i . e ., “ dress appropriately .”
• Attendance . It can reflect in the schedule adherence metric without a separate plan .
• “ Whack-a-mole ” type intraday management . Instead , just set the expectations for performance , measure it , review it in monthly 1:1s . If something needs to be addressed in an emergent situation , do it immediately and with urgency .
Brendan Read is Editor of Contact Center Pipeline . He has been covering and working in customer service and sales and for contact center companies for most of his career . Brendan has edited and written for leading industry publications and has been an industry analyst . He also has authored and co-authored books on contact center design , customer support , and working from home . Brendan can be reached at brendan @ contactcenterpipeline . com .
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