My last post took an analytical perspective on the state of credit union contact centers based on our proprietary Efficiency and Effectiveness Evolution (E3) Spectrums® tool. We also keep our fingers on the CU pulse through interactions with leaders and assessment project work that delivers direct input from frontline staff through surveys. In CU contact... Read More ..read more

In recent years, we have had the pleasure of being immersed in the credit union industry. We’ve fielded comprehensive benchmarking surveys that cover contact center operations, metrics, technology, and resiliency. We’ve facilitated advisory group meetings and roundtables in which CU contact center leaders discuss significant accomplishments, challenges, and plans. And we’ve worked with many CUs... Read More ..read more

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Bots are no longer just market hype. They are real, and clients are planning for, and implementing, them. They hold the promise of “deflecting” volume through self-service as well as improving user interfaces that boost authentication and optimize routing. If you take off your contact center hat and wear your “customer... Read More ..read more

Strategic Contact conducts many assessment and roadmap projects each year. Support functions represent one element that we evaluate according to the following model: We assess whether the center addresses each function and, if so, by whom and how well. Almost without exception, we uncover gaps that lead to recommendations to fulfill these essential roles. In... Read More ..read more

We’ve just published results from our Seventh Annual Contact Center Challenges and Priorities Survey. As with prior years, it was a short survey that asked two simple questions of contact center professionals: What are your biggest challenges today? What are your top priorities for the new year? We’ve been throwing in a bonus question the... Read More ..read more

Work From Home (WFH) programs have moved from the sidelines to center stage in most contact centers, courtesy of COVID-19. Thousands of agents worldwide scrambled to set up home offices all the while addressing higher call volumes, longer handle times, and a myriad of changes related to their physical separation from teammates, coaches, and leaders.... Read More ..read more

As noted in my article How to Respond to Visionary Ideas, today’s “hot technologies” target business challenges that grab senior leadership attention – e.g., staffing demands, performance improvement, cost containment, revenue drivers, customer satisfaction. For example: Bots purport to deflect loads of calls, chats, and text messages AI improves routing, workforce management, desktop tools, and... Read More ..read more

Our assessment and planning projects often carry the recommendation to build out the team of support resources – e.g., business analysts to address forecasting and scheduling, perform analysis to drives actions, and manage knowledge and process automation. Committed resources for quality assurance and training can be a common gap that grows more evident as the... Read More ..read more

Executives regularly ask contact center and IT leaders to explore (or pursue) technologies that could benefit their organizations. Here are the ideas that we hear on countless projects. Bots Everybody thinks if only they had a bot, it would deflect loads of calls, chats, or text messages and solve many of the center’s problems. Numerous... Read More ..read more

In our sixth year of asking contact center professionals about their biggest challenges and priorities, we found out that their vision for the coming year was overshadowed by the global pandemic that has disrupted everyone and everything. As such the theme I’d pick for the year is agility. Not enough centers had it, and going... Read More ..read more