FEATURE
BY BRENDAN READ, CONTACT CENTER PIPELINE; Q & A WITH MIKE AOKI AND AFSHAN KINDER
VIVE LA CONTACT CENTRE DIFFERENCE, EH?
HOW BEST TO SERVE THE UNIQUE CANADIAN CUSTOMERS.
Canada has long had a strong and dynamic customer contact industry, employing nearly 182,000 people, and for many good reasons. The country has an advanced and prosperous economy( CAD $ 3.1 trillion) a generally affluent, well-educated, technology-savvy population, and a relatively stable political system.
But Canada and its peoples( I am also a Canadian) are arguably not well understood by those in other countries. That is largely because the nation is overshadowed by the U. S., particularly in entertainment and media, and, to an extent, by its lingering ties to the U. K.
Even so, Canadians have particular characteristics, shaped by Canada ' s climate, geography, history, and immigration, that pose both opportunities and challenges that need to be considered when seeking to deliver excellent customer experiences( CXs).
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ILLUSTRATION PROVIDED BY ADOBE IMAGES
As examples, Canada has distinct holidays and telemarketing legislation( see BOXES on these two topics). It also has unique privacy and other laws( federal and provincial) that impact contact centers( see the article“ The U. S. – Canada Compliance Gap” in this issue).
To learn more about Canada and contact centers, I had a great conversation recently with two leading Canadian industry experts and practitioners, Mike Aoki, President, Reflective Keynotes Inc. and Afshan Kinder, CEO, elevate2Great.
I hope you find it enlightening. I certainly did.