In our 3-part series:  People, Process, & Technology — and the Intersection of AI, we have asked industry leaders in technology, people and process management to explain what AI is, what it isn’t, and how it can be a benefit (and a curse) in each area. In Part 3 of our series, we hear from Leslie O’Flahaven, professional writer, coach, and speaker. She works with customer service organizations to help improve the quality of emails, chat, and social media messages that frontline staff write to customers. She believes positive communication that relays important information clearl ..read more

In our 3-part series:  People, Process, & Technology — and the Intersection of AI, we have asked industry leaders in technology, people and process management to explain what AI is, what it isn’t, and how it can be a benefit (and a curse) in each area. In Part 2 of our series, we hear thoughts from industry experts Petra Seals, The Northridge Group’s Managing Principal and Patrick O’Hara, NRG Managing Director of Service Delivery, regarding the risks an organization takes when adopting new technology like AI before it’s ready.   Part 2: AI and Business Processes: How can it hel ..read more

Aside from elections, the British royal’s health, Beyonce going country, and the solar eclipse, everyone is talking about Artificial Intelligence these days.  The question and answer of what AI is and what it can do largely depends upon where you work, how you live, how you want to communicate –  and your control in all of it.    For a business consulting firm like The Northridge Group, we see AI as an opportunity for our clients to improve processes, elevate employee careers, and increase customer satisfaction that leads to long-term loyalty and higher ROI. But that’s onl ..read more

Every woman has a story to tell. Some read like a Shakespearian tragedy, some a Nora Jones romcom, while others mirror something more like a Harvard Business Review whitepaper. Whatever the story, there’s lessons to be taken and to be learned. As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we shine a light on four women of The Northridge Group, along with our fearless founder, Therese Fauerbach. These women come from different areas of their lives – from age, stage, geography, and career – but all have one thing in common: grit. It’s the same cellular grit that carried families across oceans, tr ..read more

Patient acquisition has long been one of the greatest challenges facing hospitals and healthcare organizations. The rise of the internet has exacerbated patient acquisition challenges by giving prospective patients easy access to provider reviews and other information. When patients have seemingly limitless options, it is difficult for healthcare organizations to differentiate themselves from the competition. Fortunately, organizations can use the digital ecosystem to their advantage and enhance patient acquisition capabilities with data analytics.  The healthcare data analytics mark ..read more

By rethinking how your organization approaches customer support, you can transform your call center into a loyalty center that reduces churn and boosts Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV).  Here are four tips for turning your call center into a loyalty center: 1. Prioritize the Experience Customer support agents are trained to solve problems as efficiently as possible so they can handle the next call in the queue. However, an efficiency-first mindset can create two problems. First, the agent might only partially resolve the issue, and second, they will rush through the call at the expense ..read more

By rethinking how your organization approaches customer support, you can transform your call center into a loyalty center that reduces churn and boosts Average Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV).  Here are four tips for turning your call center into a loyalty center: 1. Prioritize the Experience First Customer support agents are trained to solve problems as efficiently as possible so they can handle the next call in the queue. However, an efficiency-first mindset can create two problems. First, the agent might only partially resolve the issue, and second, they will rush through the call a ..read more

Quality Monitoring is an essential tool used by many businesses to improve customer experience in their contact centers. Quality Monitoring programs leverage call listening, screen monitoring, and advanced data analytics to identify issues faced by individual associates as well as overall operational issues. When Quality Monitoring processes identify specific behavioral issues in individual associates, the behaviors can usually be quickly corrected with monitoring, agent and call level reporting, insights, recommendations, training programs, and/or customized coaching.  The need for ..read more

Customer Experience (CX) technology is evolving rapidly, leaving many businesses struggling to keep pace. We’ve seen companies that return to the core focus of people, process, and technology have not only adapted but thrived—realizing tangible improvements in customer service, reduced costs, and increased efficiencies within their contact center operation, as well as a bump in the overall experience. The most crucial interdependencies within the core elements lay with technology and training and the investment in processes to support the adoption and integration of both. People Power CX e ..read more

Operational excellence and personal excellence share many similar characteristics and principles. Both fundamentally revolve around continuous improvement, focused goals, and discipline. And neither can be truly achieved—in business or life—without a steadfast effort, the desire to learn, and willingness to adapt. In fact, the principles that guide the pathways to excellence for both are intrinsically linked: Each person’s journey toward excellence will always be both ongoing and dynamic. In the course of my professional life—which includes 22 years at The Northridge Group in XXXXXX roles ..read more