Blog

Effective contact centers are the most adaptable of organizations, as they must frequently respond to changes of all kinds quickly and seamlessly. The past year and a half has not been different in that regard, with the massive shift to a more remote workplace. The current situation has, however, changed the way we look at agent coaching, with new challenges surrounding immediacy and visibility.

This blog is the third in a three-part series focused on forecasting in the contact center. The first installment discusses why forecasting is both an art and a science; the second provides a useful acronym to ensure more accurate forecasting.

This blog is the second in a three-part series focused on forecasting in the contact center. The first installment discusses why forecasting is both an art and a science.

Employee engagement is the new buzz-phrase for organizations. Everybody wants the benefits of employee engagement, but many are going about it the wrong way. By its nature, “engagement” connotes a two-way relationship. The question is what comes first? It’s a bit like the old chicken or egg conundrum. Do we expect employees to engage with the organization or do we expect the organization to engage with employees?

Political scientist Phillip Tetlock spent nearly 20 years asking experts about their predictions for political outcomes, and what he found “mildly traumatized” pundits, according to The Economist: The predictions made by the group of mostly political scientists and economists he queried were only marginally more accurate than random guesses.

Executives are still discussing whether or not contact centers agents will be allowed to work at home on a full-time or hybrid basis after the pandemic, but I believe the decision has already been made. Agents and other contact center employees have had a taste of freedom and are not going to give it up easily. Given the significant number of companies that are going to employ work-at-home (WAH) and hybrid agents, most anyone who wants to work this way will be able to find a job. Contact centers that insist on having all agents return to the office are going to see massive departures and ultimately will have no choice but to be more flexible.

This blog is the third in a series on digital channel management. In the previous installment, we talked about how the proliferation of digital channels is calling long-held assumptions about workforce management into question.