Top 5 Posts in January

Contact Center Pipeline Top 5 Blog Posts

Our top 5 posts for January are set to start us off on the right foot for 2023. Our Advisory Board offers their insights on trends we should expect to see for our centers throughout this new year. Meanwhile, Vasili guides us through finding the right balance of AI and human capabilities for the best CX. Trudy, Daryl, Dave, and Dana discuss the current WFM challenges and offer solutions.

Jon discusses how to close the customer service gap by moving beyond legacy cc solutions to a more digital experience. Over in the newest commentary section of the blog, where we feature expert insights on hot-button issues, Michele weighs in on Starbucks’ CEO’s decision to mandate a 3 days/week return to the office.

Moving Forward: What Will 2023 Bring for Contact Centers?
The New Year’s message has as its core, promises of better things ahead. And yes, that did happen to some extent in 2022. The worst of the COVID-19 pandemic appears hopefully behind us. The economy—and spending and consequent demand for service for items and services that need contact centers for—has bounced back. And customers have made it known loud and clear that they expect an excellent customer experience (CX).

Evolving the Contact Center
The disruption never stops. Between supply chain issues, workforce shortages, natural disasters, and whatever is about to hit us next, disruption is everywhere – and it’s causing an abundance of unhappy customers.

Managing the New Normal Workforces
Providing excellent customer service, support, sales, and billing relies on having the right numbers of the skilled contact center agents at the right times. But ensuring that critical task is accomplished successfully appears to be challenging in today’s new normal.

Closing the Customer Service Gap
Technology cycles come and go, but with cloud and digital transformation becoming so pervasive, the contact center space has never been poised for so much fundamental change. Legacy-based contact centers have long operated separately from the rest of the organization, using purpose-built technology, and managing customer-facing staff who had minimal interaction with internal employees.

Work from Home…a Privilege?
I read this article this morning about Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks saying he is annoyed that workers aren’t in the office and is “ordering” employees to return to the office 3 days/week. He says that remote work is a privilege. Their “coffee tastings” and “storytellings” were used to build camaraderie among employees and he fears their company is “losing the art of collaboration” with remote work.