As a WFM analyst, you play a crucial role in managing and optimizing the performance of your contact center. You’re responsible for forecasting, scheduling, and real-time monitoring, among dozens of other tasks that fall into your lap. But have you ever stopped to ask yourself whether you’re reaching your full potential in this role? Are you taking advantage of opportunities for growth and development?
It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks of WFM and lose sight of the bigger picture. But investing in your own development is essential for achieving long-term success in your career. Not only will it help you perform better in your current role, but it will also position you for future opportunities within the organization.
So, how can you ensure that you’re reaching your full potential as a WFM analyst? Here are a few tips:
1. Set goals for yourself
It’s important to have clear goals for what you want to achieve in your role as a WFM analyst. This could include improving your forecasting accuracy, mastering new software tools, or taking on additional responsibilities. By setting goals, you’ll have a roadmap for your development and a clear sense of progress.
2. Seek out training and development opportunities
There are many training and development opportunities available for WFM analysts, both within your organization and outside of it. Look for workshops, webinars, and courses that can help you improve your skills and stay up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices in WFM. Don’t be afraid to ask your manager or HR department for support in finding and funding these opportunities.
3. Build relationships with other WFM professionals
Networking with other WFM professionals can be a great way to learn from others and expand your knowledge and skills. Attend industry events and conferences, participate in online forums and groups, and connect with other WFM analysts on LinkedIn. Building these relationships can also help you stay on top of new job opportunities within the industry.
4. Take on new challenges
If you feel like you’ve hit a plateau in your current role, look for opportunities to take on new challenges and responsibilities. This could include volunteering for cross-functional projects, leading a new initiative within your team, or taking on a temporary assignment in another department. By stretching yourself and taking on new challenges, you’ll continue to grow and develop as a WFM analyst.
At Call Design, we believe that employees have the right to be happy, engaged, fulfilled, and aligned at work. Part of achieving this is through professional development. As a WFM analyst, you play a critical role in the success of your contact center, and investing in your own development is essential for achieving long-term success. If you’re interested in learning more about how Call Design can support your development in WFM, please reach out!
Interviewing can be a nerve-wracking experience for candidates, but have you ever considered how you as the interviewer can make the process more comfortable and positive? As a leader, you have the power to demonstrate your values even during the hiring process. By serving and supporting the interviewee, you can communicate your qualities as a servant leader and ensure a more productive, respectful interview. Here are a few strategies for serving potential hires:
1. Help them reset in an interview
Interviews can be incredibly stressful for people and that stress can turn into an anxious spiral of death. Becoming more and more flustered as they can’t think of an answer, they’re confident they’re bombing the interview, and they’re pretty sure you can see they’re sweating through their shirt even through the fuzzy Teams connection. As a servant leader try to help them out by changing course, allowing them to settle in, and know it’s a safe place.
In one interview I was chatting with someone that had been distracted by their roommate coming in unexpectedly. They weren’t sure if they should get up to close the door or stay on camera. Also, their line of thinking was interrupted and they were clearly starting to spiral. Unable to answer my questions and re-center on the topic. To help them out I shifted to questions they knew backward and forwards.
“You mentioned that you had some cats. How many? What kinds? What are their names? How old?”
This allowed the interviewee to get out of their anxiety spiral and into a space that they knew and loved, their cats! After a few minutes of small talk, we jumped back into the questions related to the job and the company. However, this quick detour helped because:
A) it created a safe space for them to reset and refocus on the interview
B) it showed them the type of boss I would be (one that asks hard questions but also cares about your cats)
Note, I didn’t change my questions or make them easier because they had started to spiral. I didn’t lower the bar for the interview to be successful. However, I was able to create an environment that signaled the interviewee was safe here and that I wanted them to be successful. Being able to serve them, even in an interview, helps them understand the type of boss I am and what they are getting themselves into by working with me.
2.Connect them with other opportunities in the organization
I’ve interviewed multiple people that blew me away. They had strong experience, excellent answers, and clearly understood the vision of the organization. The only problem is that they weren’t right for my team. Maybe their experience didn’t match what I needed or their answers indicated they were looking for a more senior role. In these situations you can serve them by connecting them to other leaders and roles in the organization.
Oh, and be honest about where you’re at with them. I’ve said, more than once, “I don’t want to hire you but I do want to work with you!” Let them know why your role isn’t the right fit but how you are going to try and find another way for them to join the organization.
3.Provide genuine and honest feedback after or even during the interview
As someone that has done his fair share of being interviewed, I know how frustrating it can be to feel like you’ve aced the interview only to hear “There were many qualified candidates…” You wish the company well on their search and ask for any feedback they have on how you could have positioned yourself better, and then crickets. Not one ounce of feedback. I’ve even had companies tell me that they aren’t allowed to provide that information.
One more way you can serve people before they join your team is by helping them improve their interviewing skills and answers.
One of my favorite questions to ask is simply “Why should I hire you?” The whole interview can feel a bit like a sales pitch at times but this one makes it super crystal clear “Alright, give me your best pitch.” What I’m looking for is how well do they know themselves and their unique value add. I’m less interested in their specific brand or value add and more interested in their self-awareness. On more than a few occasions I’ve gotten the cliché “because I’m a hard worker… quick learned… self-starter… eager to learn…” and while all of those may be true I tend to think they are giving me the answer that they think I want.
In some situations, I’ve tried to coach them away from those answers. Helping them see that their wide background is a huge asset as it allows them to understand the language of many teams around us and be a critical collaborator for the team. Or that they may be inexperienced but they have intentionally and strategically built a strong network that they can tap into at any time. “I may not always know the answer to your questions, but I’m confident that I have someone in my network that I can tap that would know. By hiring me you are getting someone that is eager to learn, open to coaching, and has years of knowledge at my disposal through my network.”
Lastly and most obviously, if someone reaches out asking for feedback, actually give them some! For people that I thought would handle it well I’ve even given them the notes from the interview. Helping them see what I was thinking during the interview and the answer to ultimately why I didn’t extend them an offer. You have to be careful here because some of the notes can be a bit too honest for people and you may want to edit based on how well you know the person. In the end, though, providing any feedback will go a long way and is a small way for you to serve them.
Being a servant leader during the interview process can go a long way in creating a positive candidate experience and signaling the values of your organization. By helping potential hires reset, connecting them with other opportunities, and providing honest feedback, you can serve them even before they join your team. So, the next time you’re conducting an interview, remember to approach it with a servant leadership mindset and see how it can benefit both the candidate and your organization.
If you’re inspired to become a servant leader and create a work environment that is happy, engaged, fulfilled, and aligned, then Call Design North America is here to help. We believe that every employee deserves to have a meaningful and enjoyable work experience, and we can offer you practical tips and advice on how to achieve that. Contact us today to learn more about how we can partner with you to create a workplace where everyone can thrive.
¿Increíble, aterrador o ambos? ChatGPT ha creado una tormenta de atención desde que se hizo público en noviembre pasado, ganando un millón de usuarios solo en la primera semana después de su lanzamiento. ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) es un chatbot de OpenAI, una empresa de investigación de inteligencia artificial. Su chatbot ChatGPT permite a los usuarios interactuar con la tecnología de inteligencia artificial de OpenAI. Puede escribir poesía (¡increíble!), así como contenido de blog (¡aterrador! hablando como un ser humano que crea contenido), así como textos, canciones, código de software, etc., utilizando el aprendizaje automático para generar texto similar al humano.
Supongo que muchos de nosotros tuvimos el mismo primer pensamiento: “¿Cómo de bueno puede ser realmente? ¿Realmente puede escribir tan bien como un humano? A juzgar por el ejemplo generado por ChatGPT que presento a continuación, mis respuestas son: “Bastante bien” y “Todavía no”. Su experiencia puede ser diferente. Para cualquiera que aún no lo haya probado, le animo a que vaya al sitio web de OpenAI y le haga una pregunta a ChatGPT. Para aquellos de nosotros que hemos sido profesionales de centros de contacto durante años, nuestro segundo pensamiento bien podría ser: “¿Qué impacto podría tener esto en el centro de contacto?”
Los centros de contacto ya están implementando chatbots por muchas razones: desvío de llamadas, el deseo de automatizar contactos que los humanos encuentran abrumadoramente repetitivos, o simplemente para ajustarse a los clientes que desean una experiencia automatizada. Pero todos tenemos evidencia anecdótica de que esas experiencias de chatbot no siempre son exitosas. Uno de mis colegas estaba contando ayer una historia de una experiencia de chatbot CX que la llevó a un callejón sin salida sin respuestas y sin opciones para continuar en otro canal, y mucho menos comunicarse con un agente humano. ¿Podría ChatGPT ser diferente?
Las señales apuntan a que sí: ChatGPT utiliza inteligencia artificial generativa, entrenada con cantidades gigantescas de datos de texto que le enseñaron a reconocer patrones. Su algoritmo utiliza aprendizaje supervisado para proporcionar potencialmente a los clientes respuestas rápidas que sean relevantes para sus consultas. Pero ChatGPT puede superar a los chatbots tradicionales con su capacidad para aprender y adaptarse a las nuevas demandas de los clientes y a una industria de centros de contacto que cambia rápidamente.
Pero no confíe solo en mi palabra, escuchemos lo que ChatGPT tiene que decir por sí mismo. No soy la primera persona en incluir contenido real creado por ChatGPT en un artículo, pero sí le pedí que escribiera un artículo específicamente sobre ChatGPT en el Centro de contacto.
ChatGPT y el Contact Center: revolucionando el servicio al cliente
En los últimos años, el uso de la inteligencia artificial (IA) en la industria del servicio al cliente ha ido en aumento. Uno de los modelos de IA más prometedores para este propósito es ChatGPT, un gran modelo de lenguaje desarrollado por OpenAI. ChatGPT tiene la capacidad de comprender y responder a textos en lenguaje natural, lo que lo convierte en una herramienta valiosa para automatizar el servicio al cliente en el centro de contacto.
Una de las principales ventajas de usar ChatGPT en el centro de contacto es su capacidad para manejar una amplia gama de consultas de los clientes. Con su amplia base de conocimientos y capacidades de comprensión del lenguaje natural, ChatGPT puede comprender y responder a las preguntas e inquietudes de los clientes, independientemente de su complejidad. Esto elimina la necesidad de que los clientes naveguen a través de menús telefónicos automatizados o esperen en la cola un agente humano disponible, ahorrándoles un tiempo valioso y aumentando su satisfacción general.
Cabe señalar que ChatGPT no es un reemplazo completo para los agentes humanos, sino que puede trabajar junto a ellos para mejorar su rendimiento. Los agentes aún pueden estar disponibles para gestionar problemas más complejos, mientras que ChatGPT puede manejar las consultas más rutinarias. Este enfoque permite a las empresas reducir la cantidad de agentes necesarios, sin dejar de brindar un servicio al cliente de alta calidad.
En conclusión, ChatGPT tiene el potencial de revolucionar la industria del servicio al cliente al brindar respuestas eficientes y precisas a las consultas de los clientes. Su capacidad para manejar múltiples conversaciones, comprender texto en lenguaje natural y recopilar datos valiosos de los clientes lo convierten en una herramienta valiosa para el centro de contacto. A medida que la tecnología continúa evolucionando, podemos esperar ver más empresas que adopten ChatGPT y otros modelos de IA para mejorar sus operaciones de servicio al cliente.
No es una mala aproximación al tema. ChatGPT reunió algunos puntos importantes sobre los beneficios potenciales para la Experiencia del Cliente. Incluía un concepto crucial que podría ofrecer cierto consuelo a muchos lectores, que ChatGPT no es un reemplazo “completo” para los agentes humanos. Si yo mismo estuviera escribiendo ese artículo, no haría esa declaración en el mismo párrafo y luego hablaría de reducir el número de empleados. Preferiría centrarme en la idea de que la experiencia del empleado podría mejorarse y todos los beneficios que conlleva un mejor EX: mejor CX, mejor bienestar de los agentes, menor desgaste y una lista de cosas adicionales que podrían llenar un artículo de blog completo por sí mismas.
En esa misma línea de no reemplazar completamente a los agentes humanos, fue el propio CEO de OpenAI quien tuiteó:
Chat GPT es increíblemente limitado, pero lo suficientemente bueno en algunos aspectos para una engañosa impresión de grandeza.
Sería un error confiar en el para algo importante en este momento. Es un adelanto de lo que está por llegar; tenemos mucho trabajo que hacer en los ámbitos de robustez y veracidad.
-Sam Altman
Con algunos penadores eminentes advirtiéndonos que herramientas como ChatGPT eventualmente afectarán la demanda de trabajadores del conocimiento, es posible que el tweet de Altman no alivie nuestra ansiedad. Sin embargo, tiene razón. La versión actual de ChatGPT tiene algunos problemas, uno de los cuales son los errores de hecho en sus respuestas a preguntas directas. También tiene un problema que comparte con otras herramientas de IA, que es que hereda el sesgo de sus datos de entrenamiento. Pero volviendo al problema real de CX de mi compañero de trabajo con el chatbot de una empresa, ¿podría haber estado más insatisfecha con una respuesta plana y sobreescrita de la versión actual de ChatGPT?
Al menos por ahora, ChatGPT no es un reemplazo para la escritura humana que suena a autenticidad, o para un agente humano que está facultado para ser embajador de la marca de su empresa. Herramientas como ChatGPT continuarán evolucionando y mejorando su capacidad para atender algunas necesidades de los clientes, y eso es genial. Es probable que se conviertan en herramientas increíbles para el centro de contacto. Es ese crecimiento de las herramientas de IA lo que hace que sea aún más importante para nosotros tratar a nuestros agentes como seres humanos que necesitan ser reconocidos por sus esfuerzos, recompensados por preocuparse por sus clientes y nutridos con formación, soporte y herramientas de empoderamiento (una que podría ser descendiente de ChatGPT) que necesitan hacer su mejor trabajo.
In a world where remote work is becoming increasingly common and the customer service industry is evolving at an unprecedented pace, it’s more important than ever for businesses to prioritize the employee experience. That’s exactly what we discussed at the recent Southeastern Contact Center (SECC) Regional Meeting in Knoxville, TN, which Call Design was proud to participate in.
The event was held on April 5th, and we were thrilled to be hosted by Ed Financial. The hosts and organizers did an outstanding job from start to finish. The pre-event messaging and communication were excellent, and the breakfast and welcome on the day of the event were lovely. It was clear that the coordinators had put a lot of thought and effort into the event, and we were excited to dive into the discussions.
After introductions, our very own Shawn McCormick spoke to the economic uncertainty we are all facing in the wake of the pandemic, politics, and economic considerations. He addressed the potential hesitation to focus on priorities that may have taken a back seat in recent months. We’re all slowly but surely understanding the significant impact of these factors, and that communication, collaboration, and agreement across leadership teams are more important than ever. This is where employee care and engagement come into play.
The topic of employee engagement is becoming increasingly important, and for good reason. Happy, engaged, fulfilled, and aligned employees are almost certain to set companies up for happy, engaged, fulfilled, and satisfied customers. This was the main point of discussion at the SECC meeting. We spent several hours discussing the importance of proactive investment of time and focus around both the employee/agent experience and the customer experience. The message was clear – companies that are nurturing and creating a culture that embraces these values will thrive, no matter what type of uncertainty comes their way.
Yesterday’s contact center wasn’t built for today’s world. As technology continues to evolve, so must our approach to employee care and engagement. Proactive investment and proactive care are truly the only option. We all left the SECC meeting feeling like technology has a heartbeat and that we will be better prepared having shared ways to manage new processes, new goals, new environments, and more. The messages of what is driving contact center success present day were very clear.
As we reflect on the SECC meeting and the discussions we had, it’s clear that employee experience must be a top priority for businesses in every industry. Here are just a few reasons why:
1. Employee engagement leads to better customer service.
When employees are engaged and motivated, they’re more likely to go above and beyond for customers. They’re invested in the success of the company and want to see it thrive. This, in turn, leads to happier customers who are more likely to remain loyal to the brand.
2. Employee engagement leads to higher retention rates.
When employees feel valued and engaged, they’re more likely to stick around for the long haul. This can save businesses a lot of money in the long run, as the cost of replacing an employee can be significant
3. Employee engagement leads to a better company culture.
When employees are happy, engaged, and fulfilled, the entire company culture benefits. This can lead to a more positive work environment, better communication, and more effective collaboration across teams.
As businesses continue to navigate the challenges of a post-pandemic world, employee engagement will only become more important. It’s not just a nice-to-have – it’s essential for success. At Call Design, we’re committed to helping businesses prioritize the employee experience and create a culture that supports employee well-being and engagement. We believe that by investing in your employees and empowering them to be their best selves, you can create a workplace that not only attracts top talent but retains it as well. By prioritizing the employee experience, companies can cultivate a sense of loyalty and dedication among their staff, leading to increased productivity, improved customer satisfaction, and ultimately, a stronger bottom line.
If you’d like to learn more about why you should prioritize employee engagement in your organization, we invite you to submit the form at this link:
By submitting this form, you’ll receive a copy of Shawn’s white paper The CX/EX Connection: Investing in Your Employees which was the research foundation for his presentation at SECC. We’re confident that this resource will provide you with valuable insights and actionable strategies to help you create a workplace where employees feel valued, supported, and engaged. So let’s work together to make sure that every employee feels happy, engaged, fulfilled, and aligned at work – because that’s the key to success in today’s ever-evolving business landscape.
As the world becomes more connected, remote work is becoming increasingly popular, especially in our post-pandemic environments. And in the world of contact centers, workforce management teams should be the biggest champions of remote agents!
Why? Well, here are five quick reasons:
Split-shifts
VOT and VTO
Micro-shifts
No longer worrying about seat allocation
Increased schedule adherence
One – Split-Shifts
When agents work remotely your scheduling team suddenly has a lot more options. When people aren’t having to commute to the office, schedules that didn’t make sense before now have great value. Working from 6am-8am and then again from 12pm-6pm might be horrible for people coming and going into the office. However, for someone working from home this now gives them the chance to work some, then get the kids off to school, head to the grocery store when it’s fairly empty, grab some lunch, and then head back to work. It’s likely not for all of your agents, but for some people, this is a huge win.
Two – VOT and VTO
Then there’s voluntary overtime and voluntary time off. How many real-time teams are constantly chasing people to either add a few hours to their shift or drop hours off to help service levels and budget constraints? When agents work from home you can increase your chances of someone willing to work an extra 1 or 2 after their shift if they know they don’t have to commute home. Or agents might be willing to leave after only working 2 hours if they didn’t just waste 45 minutes driving to work. You give your RTA team a fighting chance with VOT and VTO when your agents work from home.
Three – Micro-Shifts
Micro-shifts can be a game changer for many organizations. Working remotely now opens up the possibility of having someone work just 1-3 hours at a time. When you can create work segments that small you can start having agents self-select their schedule and use micro-shifts as building blocks. Now if you create those segments just when you have staffing shortages you suddenly have a way of giving your agents autonomy and control over their schedules while also flatting out your staffing variations and meeting a more consistent service level. Win-win!
Four – Seat Allocation
The fourth benefit may be easy for non-contact center folk to overlook, but WFM and operation teams that work in overstaffed centers know the pain of seat management. When scheduling and managing remote agents you no longer have to worry about so-and-so sitting next to each other and talking the whole time, throwing off your shrinkage. Or so-and-so both loving sitting next to the window, but only having one seat available. As a WFM team, you can simply avoid the relational and logistical issues that come with physical contact center seats and simply focus on meeting the demands of the business and customers.
Five – Schedule Adherence
Our final benefit is close and dear to many WFM hearts, schedule adherence. When agents aren’t getting stuck in traffic their schedule adherence will increase. Now add in schedules with varying start times and lengths, like we already discussed, and pair that with a shift-bid, where agents select their schedules, *chefs kiss*. It may not be magical but it’s as close as we get in the WFM world!
For many WFM teams working from home may seem like a non-issue. Whether the agents work in locations A, B, or at home it’s still just numbers and schedules. Forecasts will be what they are and service level goals will remain the same. However, I believe that perspective is short-sighted and hopefully you now see the benefits to the WFM team when their agents work from home. So let’s get off the sidelines, WFM teams, and start championing remote work efforts. Your agents and their schedule adherence will thank you!
At Call Design we believe employees have the right to be happy, engaged, fulfilled, and aligned at work. Remote agents are a way start to make that happen, but managing, scheduling, and engaging remote workers can be challenging. If you agree that remote agents can benefit your organization, but aren’t sure how to make that happen then reach out! We’d love to help you strategize and implement a great remote program for your contact center.
Let me start by saying I’m no diversity expert, neurodivergent or otherwise. I own the fact that most of my experience comes from a position of the majority in America. White, male, heterosexual, cisgender, Christian, middle class, etc, etc. But I try to keep an open mind, eye, and ear to those different around me. I understand that they view problems differently than I do and can help me create a more holistic solution to issues (check out a recent Call Design blog about the importance of difference). I also realize that I can grow by trying to understand the perspectives of those different from me, which is exactly what happened when I recently hired a forecasting analyst with autism. Through my relationship with her, she has opened my eyes to the incredible value of AI and especially generative AI (ChatGPT, Google’s Bard, Bing Chat) for those that are neurodivergent and how it can help them function with more comfort, safety, and confidence in the workplace.
1 – One of the biggest impacts is communication. Platforms like ChatGPT can provide amazing translation services between people that think and function differently.
1a. Conversations, whether verbal or written, can be challenging for people that think differently than you do. The way that people off the spectrum connect dots is different than those on the spectrum. Generative AI allows people the opportunity to take emails or requests and translate them in a way that can make sense. “What is this person asking me to do” *paste copied email*. This option can empower them to not only execute their work quicker but reduces the anxiety that comes with asking someone to clarify for the second, fourth, or eighth time.
1b. Sometimes communication is easier with math. It’s straightforward and logical, and it avoids all of the nuances of communication. “This number has gone up because it’s bigger than what it was last month.” Even for people without communication challenges, such as myself, explaining how a calculation works can be confusing, even for the person that wrote it. “I know it works but give me a few minutes to try and explain it.” Generative AI can take a calculation and explain it in a common language for other people to understand. It can also expand upon data analysis and provide a storytelling approach to better relay and explain the importance of the data.
1c. We all know that generative AI can write emails and blogs (maybe it even helped with this blog!?!), but did you know that it can also remember your tone of voice? Often people with autism might miss or forget small nuances that soften requests in emails. So their emails may come across as blunt, harsh, or at worst, confrontational. Using AI to create their emails is an easy win, but it can feel inauthentic to use language and a tone of voice so different from their own. This is where teaching AI how to write for them comes in handy. It allows them a way to communicate with facts, statements, and logic that is comfortable for them but softened in a way that makes it easier for the end user to consume and interact with.
2 – AI is already impacting daily life for neurodivergent people in amazing ways.
2a. Neurodivergent doesn’t just mean autistic people, it also includes people with ADHD. ADHD makes it difficult for many people to remember tasks or stay on schedule. My wife (who has ADHD) is notorious for running late, hyper-focusing on something and then not finishing it, and getting lost in the story she’s telling someone. AI is already helping these individuals by allowing them to simply say “remember X appointment” or “remind me of so-and-so’s birthday”. The ability to simply say it out loud is huge. Because the calendar app might just be a few clicks away, but there are dozens of distractions on their phones waiting to trip them up from putting their next appointment into their schedule.
2b. AI can provide some basic companionship without the fear of judgment. Social interactions can be exceptionally triggering for some and the ability to have a conversation with a bot can allow them an element of companionship with minimal anxiety. This isn’t to say that I believe bots can replace humans but they can remove a small element of loneliness in a way that minimizes fear and stress. AI can also help them improve their communication skills by allowing them to practice interpreting someone’s communication and responding with an appropriate and logical next statement. That back and forth can be taxing but like with building muscle, with repeated practice it can get easier.
3 – AI will continue to evolve and provide additional help that may not be here yet.
3a. Learning and remembering information is often a challenge for neurodivergent people. When you think differently, you’re likely going to learn differently as well. AI can help with this by providing personalized learning to both their learning style and ability. Personalized learning increases the chance for retention and use of information, regardless of personal limitations or challenges. However, for people with autism, this type of learning could greatly increase their ability to contribute to a professional environment and grow their career.
3b. I can also see where AI will eventually provide an on-screen explanation of when someone is getting frustrated, using sarcasm, or other communication cues that can be difficult for people with autism to pick up on. This real-time translation will empower people to pivot their conversation for greater effectiveness with their audience. AI will also be able to read the body language of people on video and help someone know when the audience is actively engaged or losing interest because they are fidgeting a lot or looking away from their monitor. These efforts will benefit everyone but will have a particularly positive impact on those that naturally are challenged with social cues and reading body language.
We still have a lot to learn about generative AI and we are only starting to see the beginnings of how it’s going to change our world. However, I am incredibly excited about how it’s already making a positive impact, especially for those that are neurodivergent. I know we may take a few steps back as we walk down the AI road, but I’m hopeful that platforms like Bard and chatGPT will only increase our ability to include people of differing backgrounds and perspectives and make them feel like they belong.
At Call Design we believe employees have the right to be Happy, Engaged, Fulfilled, and Aligned at work and that has to include intentional use of technology to bring in diverse voices. Reach out to us today if you’re interested in learning how you can build a similar culture for your contact center!
As someone who has spent a considerable amount of time in the contact center space, I’ve learned a lot about the importance of having people around you who will disagree with you. Sure, it may feel easier or more about “culture fit” to have a bunch of people agreeing with you, but the benefits of having people around you who will challenge your ideas, push back on your assumptions, and help you see things from a different perspective are numerous!
First and foremost, having people who disagree with you helps refine your ideas and produce a better product. In contact centers this is especially important because customer experience is king here. If you have a team of people who all think the same way, you run the risk of missing important details that could make or break the customer experience. Having people who are willing to speak up and challenge your assumptions can help you see things from a different perspective and ultimately improve the product or service you’re offering.
Secondly, people come from different backgrounds and will provide different perspectives on the same problem. This is incredibly valuable in contact centers because your customers are not the same as you. They have different backgrounds, experiences, and desires. Having a team full of people from different backgrounds and skill sets can help you approach these challenges in a more holistic way. For example, someone with a background in psychology might approach a problem related to agent burnout in a different way than someone with a background in engineering. Having both perspectives can help you find a more comprehensive solutions to both your customer and employee experiences.
Thirdly, you should always be learning. In fact, if you stop learning, you stop leading your organization. Having people around you who disagree gives you an amazing learing opportunity every day! By listening to their perspectives and ideas, you can broaden your own understanding of a particular issue or challenge.
Fourthly, disagreements protect you from falling into groupthink, where conformity is more important than critical thinking. If everyone on your team agrees on a particular approach or strategy, there’s a risk that you’ll overlook potential problems or issues. Having people who are willing to challenge you and the status quo can help continue to prioritize critical thinking and avoid groupthink.
Finally, having people who disagree with you can help you grow emotionally and intellectually. It’s not always easy to hear that your ideas are flawed or that there’s a better way to approach a particular challenge. But learning to accept and embrace those perspectives can be incredibly beneficial in the long run. It can help you develop a growth mindset, where you’re constantly looking for ways to improve and evolve.
Having people who disagree with you helps you refine your ideas, approach challenges from different perspectives, stay on top of the latest trends and best practices, avoid groupthink, and grow emotionally and intellectually. So if you’re a contact center manager or leader, make sure you’re surrounding yourself with people who will challenge you, push you, and help you be the best you can be. Your customers (and your team) will thank you for it.
For new hires, inhouse or work at home, gamification can help improve readiness and reduce attrition.
Call Design recently made some changes to our onboarding process. Like you, we’ve got a more than full plate of tactical work to do on any given day, so making time for improving infrastructure processes like onboarding is a real challenge. But we felt that having the best possible onboarding process was critical to keep employee experience (EX) at a continued high level. Making new hires feel welcomed, valued, and equipped for success on day one is key to that high level EX.
Lots of companies are looking for ways to improve onboarding, it’s just that many of them are failing. A recent Gallup study shows that only 12% of surveyed employees “strongly agreed” that their organizations did a great job of onboarding new workers.
Plus, as many of you do, we’ve got many of work-at-home employees, so we’re very familiar with the challenges of communicating culture and making remote team members feel supported. This experience drives us to search for the very best solutions to help our contact center and back office customers find new ways to solve new problems with onboarding, for inhouse as well as work-at-home agents.
While there are different methods available to train new workers and prepare them for the job, one effective solution we offer for promoting fast employee growth and success is the gamification of the training process. Here’s how it can help onboarding in a contact center.
How Does Gamification Work
Gamification is a motivational tool that uses game mechanics like leaderboards, challenges, dashboards, points, rewards, and recognition. It has been gaining traction across many industries with proven results at providing a fun and effective way of training new workers. While traditional training methods may involve one-on-one’s with busy team leads, or passively watching study modules, gamification can add to these methods by providing interactive gaming elements to motivate agents and boost training efficiency and engagement.
Gamification can significantly enhance the training experience while giving supervisors and training managers more opportunities to provide meaningful feedback and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of their trainees. An Aberdeen study cited by ERG shows that a gamified onboarding process boosted engagement by 48% for new hires and decreased attrition by 36%.
Gamifying the Onboarding Process
There are different ways to watch an introductory video or a module on HR standards—it can play in the background while an employee multitasks, or the new hire can actively listen, knowing they will be tested and rewarded based on the score. With a colorful scoreboard that’s accessible anytime, there’s no mystery to the new hire’s progress. When it comes to developing new training modules and processes, there are different ways to gamify the process. Some ideas include implementing leaderboards and experience points as workers progress through their training. It not only allows trainees to have a firmer grasp of their training development, but it also provides a means to measure their progress while adding a competitive element to their training. Healthy competition, when carefully managed, can boost engagement and promote new staff to quickly hone their abilities and learn new skills to keep up with their peers and stay ahead of the game.
In addition to leaderboards and experience points, other means of boosting trainee development and motivation are adding achievements and shareable badges. We’ve all seen social media posts in which our contacts share their accomplishments by posting earned badges. For some, the thumbs-ups we get from our network are a more powerful motivator than a gift card. These game mechanics provide a measurable means for trainees and trainers to analyze personal development and growth while giving staff goals to work towards actively.
By having benchmarks and achievements to strive for and actively seek, employees will be more motivated to actively engage with modules on company culture, new hire instructional videos, or tutorials on the tools the employee will use. The key is to find ways that workers and trainees can measure their progress and have goals to work towards actively.
Benefits of Gamification for New Hires
Getting to know you
Gamification is a proven way to improve objective performance, but even more importantly for new hires, it is an active path to becoming part of the team. It gives new employees a way to introduce themselves to their new teammates by encouraging social interaction. Trainees can appear on leaderboards, post their achievement badges, and receive likes and positive comments from established employees.
Team Building
Not only does competition between trainees and staff promote the development of the skills necessary to succeed, but it also encourages new teammates to work together towards shared goals. Some goals are for individuals, other goals can be set on a team level, and teams can compete against each other. For some trainees, individual competition with another individual agent may not be a strong motivator. But these same employees may feel highly motivated to help their teammates reach a collective goal.
Good First Impression
You never get a second chance to make a first impression. We want our new hires to get started on the right foot, with the right mindset, and at the right pace for learning. You believe that great Employee Experience is important, and you want your new hires to believe that you believe it. They must feel in their hearts that your commitment to your employees is as real as your commitment to your customers. That way, your new hires will immediately align with that commitment.
Training
From the jump, it’s absolutely vital that our employees have the training they need to deliver the extraordinary experiences that our customers expect. Gamification encourages new hires’ development throughout the training process and helps to lock in the knowledge they need to master a challenging job. Having a tool that actively pushes employees to grow and learn will ultimately lead to better-equipped staff that not only make customers happy, but also stay with the company longer.
Feedback
While providing goals and achievements that employees can seek is the first step towards encouraging development and growth, providing better and more meaningful feedback is also crucial for success. New hires can be anxious about hitting the floor to take real customer interactions—having measured feedback can help them confidently feel ready.
Progress bars and milestones give trainees a measure of their progress and provide supervisors with data they can use. Depending on the growth rate or the achievements that staff attain, team leads can look at their progress bars to provide accurate feedback and encouragement to help teams develop even further.
The Future of Onboarding
A robust onboarding and training regimen that promotes employee growth and development is a crucial foundation for every contact center, and with gamification you can take your onboarding process to the next level. If you are interested in learning more about gamification and how it can supercharge your workspace, Call Design is here to help. Contact us today to get started!
Let me share a little secret with you… there are plenty of keyboard shortcuts in Alvaria Workforce that would make you look like a wizard in front of your co-workers as you blast through your day-to-day tasks in the system with grace. The more shortcuts you use the more efficient you become in completing those tasks, and the more time you save at work. There could even be health benefits in terms of minimizing repetitive strain injury (RSI). Let me promise you, this blog is not just about Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V.
Tip 1:
How many times have you wondered where a particular module is hiding exactly in the system (especially if you are a new user)? Is Official Schedule Editor in Scheduling or Tracking? Or is it in Advanced Tracking? One of the most underrated shortcuts in my opinion is Ctrl+O (the letter O, not the number zero) to launch the Open dialog. This shortcut allows you to navigate to any specific module immediately. For example, you need to navigate to Official Schedule Editor to do a quick schedule update for an employee. One of the quickest ways to get there is hold down the Ctrl key then hit the O key -> type in the word “editor” without quotes -> hit the Enter key and you are there. No mouse required!
Tip 1.5:
Here is a bonus tip for the above example – if you would like to open Official Schedule Editor in a new window (yes, it is possible to open multiple modules at the same time within the one Alvaria Workforce session just like Tom Cruise did in Minority Report), after you have typed out the word “editor” you can hit the Tab key twice to jump to the “Open in New Window” check box -> hit the Spacebar to place a check in the check box -> hit the Enter key. Magically, a new Official Schedule Editor window pops up! I will let you play around with the tab key more in your own time, it is quite handy to tab your way through the system. Tab away!
Tip 2:Now that I have your attention about tabbing. The moment you land on a field where you need to launch the lookup dialog to select something, your instincts may be to grab your mouse and find that tiny little look up “…” button to launch it. For example, you are in Official Schedule Editor, and you would like to look up an employee. RSI can be a serious issue and relying on your mouse arm heavily to perform this look up function all the time is not ideal. Hold down the Ctrl key then hit the Enter key is the shortcut to launch the look up dialog, and you are on your way to selecting the employee you are looking for.
Tip 3:
How many times have you right clicked and add… in Alvaria Workforce? For example, add an employee record, add a segment, add an Intra Day Performance, the list goes on! If I would get a dollar every time I did that mouse click combo, I would be a millionaire by now (but I think I would still not retire since I love being in Workforce too much). Drum roll… the shortcut is that you could hold down the Ctrl key then hit the Insert key to open that add dialog window. Happy adding!
Tip 4:
Speaking of adding, this shortcut is not just a mouse click saver but something functional. For example, you need to add in notes for an employee and you also would like to track when exactly you wrote those notes down for record keeping purposes, just like a diary entry. Once you are in the memo field, you can hold the Ctrl key then hit the M key, after which you would see a timestamp appear in the format of <MM-dd-yyyy HH:mm:ss> for the current date and time.
Tip 5:
Last but not least, this shortcut is a great friend to have, especially when you need help. Pun not intended; it is to launch the Alvaria Workforce Help! In most modules you are working in, if you are not sure about a field within the window, you can simply hit the F1 key, and a help window would pop up that is contextually based on the window you were in. For example, if you are in Forecast Group -> General tab and you are not sure what “Allow long service delays:” is, you can hit the F1 key -> click into the General tab hyperlink and read about Allow Long Service Delays.
At Call Design we are more than happy to help you with any questions you have about Alvaria Workforce, but this help menu shortcut is a great initial step to see if it can get the help immediately at the tip of your fingers. Of course, if you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us!
I hope you are able to start practicing these shortcuts next time you are in Alvaria Workforce. It is no secret that shortcuts can help you be more efficient in your day job, save you time, and can even save you from developing RSI. I have only shared what I believe to be the lesser-known shortcuts and there are a plenty more shortcuts built-in to the Alvaria Workforce system. I would be more than happy to share some more shortcuts with you another time…
Accountability is the backbone of quality customer service. When your contact center agents take ownership for their work, they provide higher quality interactions with their customer base. But how can leaders promote accountability within their organization. This article will give you some actionable tips.
