-- AFSHAN KINDER
FEATURE
" CANADA’ S SMALLER POPULATION MEANS A SMALLER TALENT POOL... THE COST OF REPLACING AN AGENT, AND THE LOST PRODUCTIVITY FROM THE RAMP-UP CURVE OF A NEW AGENT, ARE HIGH."
-- MIKE AOKI
WHAT ARE YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS TO CANADIAN CONTACT CENTER LEADERS, AND TO CANADIAN CUSTOMER-SERVING COMPANIES BASED OUTSIDE OF CANADA IN MEETING THE OPPORTUNITIES AND ALSO THE CHALLENGES OF SERVING CANADIANS?
MA: Canada’ s smaller population means a smaller talent pool. That scarcity, plus a higher pay scale for unionized agents in the financial services and telecom industries, means the cost of replacing an agent, and the lost productivity from the ramp-up curve of a new agent, are high.
So, focus on employee engagement. Reduce agents’ stress levels by training them on how to handle upset customers. Support them with helpful coaching. Use AI agent assist tools to help streamline their jobs and remove tedious work. This way they can focus on the customers.
Finally, treat the people in your contact center well because they are the ones interacting with your customers and hopefully, making a great impression.
And when serving Canadians, be attuned to the fact that we tend to be indirect when we are annoyed or disagree.
Phrases such as“ You may be right about that” or“ We have to agree to disagree on that one” may sound friendly, but they can also be passive-aggressive ways for Canadians to express strong disagreement.
That can also show on customer satisfaction scores( CSAT) or NPS scores where Canadians chose the“ mushy middle” of giving a 6 or 7 score where an American would give a 0 or 1.
So, take any negative feedback and double the intensity to get a true read on how upset a Canadian is when they contact customer service!
AK: My first recommendation is to treat Quebec as its own market. The cultural identity, the language laws, the regulatory environment are all different, and they require a tailored approach. Trying to treat Quebec like every other region simply doesn’ t work.
Beyond that, understand the regional differences across the country. Toronto is not Saskatchewan, and Alberta is not Atlantic Canada. Each region has different nuances and expects different things from service interactions.
It’ s also essential to recognize Canada’ s multicultural reality. We’ re a mosaic. That means hiring teams that reflect the customers you serve.
This is not just in English and French, but in other languages that matter to your market. And it means training agents on cultural communication styles, because not everyone expresses dissatisfaction or urgency the same way.
"... YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND HOW CANADIANS COMMUNICATE. WE TEND TO BE POLITE, INDIRECT, AND LESS CONFRONTATIONAL."
-- AFSHAN KINDER
And lastly, you have to understand how Canadians communicate. We tend to be polite, indirect, and less confrontational. When Canadians are upset, we often sound neutral. Agents need to listen for the subtle cues to ensure that excellent service is delivered.
Whether you ' re operating inside Canada or serving Canadians from somewhere else, your strategy should reflect that Canadians are diverse, regionally unique, culturally layered, and communication sensitive. When you build around that, you deliver an experience that feels genuinely Canadian.
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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