The Global Association for Contact Center Best Practices & Networking

"The creation and implementation of our 3 Year Vision! With our 3 Year Vision we have very specific goals and measures that are tied to our department that keep us roaring along. The most unique part of this process is that we live it daily. It is not something that was created and forgotten about - it’s something that is top of mind with everything we do, and with every client interaction we have. Our Leaders, Support Staff, and Associates believe in it and work hard to ensure we are going to achieve it."

"I ask everyone in my contact center to act as business owners. This is their business. When agents embrace that entrepreneurial spirit, attendance improves, agent retention increases, quality improves, service level and first contact resolution also improves. Most importantly agents who embrace business ownership have some of the best process improvement ideas around."

"Take a holistic view of the business and how the centers can contribute to the revenue and margin of the firms we serve."

"Encourage management to make suggestions, try their ideas out and measure the results...all the time"

"Servant Leadership. As a director, the one thing that gives me joy and motivation are the people who work with me. Starting with the front line specialist! My role - my entire being is totally about serving them and my customer. I believe this approach has assisted with our low attrition, high climate survey results and overall customer loyalty."

"We actually do go the extra mile and our clients sell us to their own contacts"

"My passion. I live for the break through and when an agent shines on the phone. We do not follow the George Orwell's 1984 mentality to where everyone is a number, not a name. In addition to working in long rows of gray cubicles where they are expendable and have the fear of being fired every day. Too many centers operate on fear...not at my center. I can offer them fame and fortune, they must offer self respect."

"Provide learning opportunities and challenges for career growth at all levels, from the representative level up through the Executive team, through collaboration. All employees are invited to participate in teams who take on new business challenges, think outside the box, and bring creative solutions to issues, large and small, to the table. For example, CSRs have come up with suggestions on how a Client can improve communications with customers; supervisors and HR work together on new ideas on employee motivation. Our management team is constantly thinking about how to make our services more affordable for our Clients while maintaining our profitability. For example, CCA charges on a cost per incident basis, not by the minute or by the hour, based on the Client's AHT. If we are able to improve the AHT, maintaining customer satisfaction at same or higher level, the cost per incident is subsequently lowered in consideration of the new AHT."

"As the IT Manager, I am required to know in detail workflows of every single department."

"Train, coach and mentor the agents and share all ideas with them and ask them for their ideas. Let the decisions be made at the very lowest level and guide but don't trample innovation. When you put all your effort into your workforce they respond in kind."

"Magic"

"As a leader, I take pride in allocating more than half of my day to personally assisting with customer satisfaction issues. This sets an example to my team about the importance of one-on-one interaction with our customers, especially in today’s online world. One-on-one interaction provides the highest level possible of personal customer service and support."

"We develop Blue Ocean Solutions that have increased BPO contact centre opportunities. For example, we developed an Emergency Services management contact center solution which is the first of its kind in Nigeria. This service currently runs on the 767 and 112 emergency service numbers for Lagos State, Nigeria's most populous state and commercial nerve center."

"I coordinate IT and telecommunications as well as "soft skills" areas, which is a unique blend of responsibilities. I also serve on our compliance team, which means I am uniquely positioned to ensure that all systems are working as intended by state and federal agencies."

"Review all data and reporting for customers and question my management team daily on results and plans."

"We provide outsourced customer care services, however, we avoid programs that utilize shared agents. We prefer programs that are large enough we can create a contact center environment dedicated to a specific client. We then infuse the agents and the site itself with the client's culture and style - whether it is a healthcare insurance company, a travel provider, a communication company, or a bank. We may utilize the same building and even several floors in the building for more than one client, but separate and distinct areas are developed per client."

"I consider myself part of the team and not just the leader. Though this sounds like a cliché it has worked for me for over 25 years of Contact Center Management. I hold myself accountable everyday for the performance of my centers and accountable to my team to provide support, guidance and direction. Many leaders in our industry review reports, spreadsheets and attend business reviews as a way to stay connected. I know my business, understand the challenges and ensure my team knows that I am there to help."

"While it may not be different or unique, we have empowered our site leaders to run their businesses like they own them - to make the key decisions, develop their plans and execute. My job as a leader is to set direction, equip the team and then let them do their thing. In other words: Get out of their way. It may be a little counterintuitive in today's environment and we're certainly mindful of costs, but our approach is to double down on our investment in our teams and let them do what we hired them to do."

"I look at the total customer experience - not just their experience with the call center. If a customer has an issue with billing, I consider it our responsibility to follow the issue until it is resolved. Our philosophy is to "Play Rugby, not Volleyball" - don't pass the customer off, place him under your arm and don't let go until you reach the goal!"

"There are no unique approaches. What I try is to be near the agents, focus on them and support the rest of the unproductive management team."