Although the WFH hybrid model looks different for every organization, the success of the hybrid workplace hinges on organizations’ ability to balance the experience of in-office and remote workers with business goals and objectives. It requires a transformation in the way leaders plan, direct, and engage employees in their organization.

Two key areas are central to a successful WFH Hybrid program: the employee experience and the technology that powers the work. This blog post shares some key actions in each of these areas to help your organization improve the WFH Hybrid experience.

Employee Experience Checklist

Let’s start with the employee experience checklist. We all know that engaged employees are higher performers and deliver far better outcomes than disengaged workers. In the WFH hybrid environment, organizations successfully expand the corporate culture beyond the office walls to include and engage remote employees focus on several leading practices. Here is a list of key activities for consideration:

• Invest in programs that actively collect and listen to the voice of the employee. Closed-loop systems that collect data and share decisions and actions spurred by this data help organizations understand and act on the employee perspective.
• Map and design employee journeys that ensure satisfaction and happiness. What’s working and not working when employees are remote? What’s the experience when they are in the office? Using journey mapping to identify expectations, activities, and emotions can help answer these questions and ensure a well-rounded experience.
• Increase your skills and prowess at remote management. Leaders on all levels should consider improving the way they manage remotely. Most employees want to perform well, and everyone needs training and coaching to help them succeed. Has your team analyzed the agent training and coaching programs considering the current environment?
• If you don’t already have one, consider launching an emotional intelligence (EI) program. Employees displaying high EI report a more positive work experience, higher levels of engagement, and enhanced interpersonal chemistry and performance.
• Examine offerings and extend in-office resources to remote employees to redesign the employee experience and emphasize wellbeing. Consider family-friendly activities to help employees make the most of time spent at home and focus on being mentally and physically healthy. Investigate wellness and learning challenges and webinars to help workers cope with new realities.
• Redesign the way you hold meetings. Planning meetings and events with remote workers in mind is a must. For example, rather than gathering in-office workers in a conference room and having remote workers join onscreen, have everyone join the meeting remotely using their own laptops to offer the same experience to all. Ensuring remote workers feel included, comfortable speaking up, and able to contribute is important to their engagement level.
• Find ways to prioritize online communication. Online communication will help avoid issues that may arise from remote workers being unaware of conversations or decisions that were made in-person.

Technology Checklist

In addition to the employee experience, technology is the second critical area for a successful WFH hybrid program. The backbone of a hybrid workforce is a technology stack that supports workflows, processes, and systems efficiently and effectively.

At the beginning of the pandemic, companies hustled to get remote employees access to “must have” technology to allow work to continue. Two plus years into today’s WFH hybrid environment, the checklist for technology investment and use has shifted. Which of the following items does your organization need to consider?

• Double down on security to keep systems and data safe. Security programs should include all employee devices and include forced password changes, encrypted password software, use of and enforcement of multi-factor authentication (MFA), and mandatory connection via virtual private network (VPN).
• Strengthen partnerships with internet service providers (ISP) and VPN vendors. Use these relationships to better understand the demand generated from remote employees and identify secure and reliable solutions to support those needs.
• Update and deliver security training regularly. Great training can help avoid security mishaps and increase awareness of critical issues. Training can also reduce unnecessary frustration and issues, improving the employee experience.
• Stay on top of maintenance. Create and adhere to a proactive maintenance plan and keep enterprise software updated and secure.
• Involve your employees. Make it easy for employees to ask questions and report connectivity issues and security concerns.
• Provide tools that allow employees to collaborate to the max! Collaboration tools can improve efficiency and productivity, and video conferencing tools are the tip of the iceberg. Consider platforms for storing, sharing, and editing documents as well as project and task management software. Online whiteboard tools can be fun and increase employee interaction and collaboration.
• Investigate expanded offerings from technology providers. Many organizations have base versions of tools but examining new features and expanding functionality is trending among top-performing companies.

Conclusion

As the pandemic eases and operations stabilize, the WFH hybrid model will be a mainstay for the foreseeable future. To deliver the best results and meet business objectives, organizations must focus on the employee experience and technology.

Great companies strive to create employee experiences that drive happiness and peak performance while considering those that are remote. Similarly, focusing on technology enhancements that reduce security risks, stabilize connectivity, and increase collaboration is critical to an effective program.

The era of the WFH hybrid model is here, and employees deserve a great experience with access to the tools needed to power excellent interactions. How is your organization responding to these needs?

The post Checklists for a Successful WFH Hybrid Model appeared first on Execs In The Know.

These updated contracts reflect the insights and best practices that emerged since the start of the pandemic. As part of the workshop, we had an in-depth discussion about three common emerging outsourcing priorities COPC Inc. has seen our client’s experience. These are:

1. Formalizing work-from-home (WFH) requirements and management.
2. Introducing and optimizing digital transactions.
3. Leveraging competitive sourcing to revise footprint and address poor performing partners.

Earlier this year we saw almost two-thirds of the brands stating that they don’t intend to return to pre-pandemic site-based operations.  With more and more global organizations continuing a hybrid WFH model, it’s essential to support remote work environments when optimizing outsourcing contracts.

Along with the increase in remote work, we continue to see an uptick in organizations transitioning their digital transactions to outsource partners. This channel has become one of the fastest-growing customer service channel offerings. This significant shift to non-voice interactions presents an excellent opportunity to improve agent training and update chat-specific KPIs. If agents undergo the proper training, they will help resolve customers’ inquiries more efficiently and effectively. Plus, they can potentially convert and retain their organization’s customers if they have a positive experience. When organizations understand which metrics should be measured, they can maximize ROI on this digital touchpoint and use KPIs to adjust staffing models to optimize chat performance.

Finally, brand leaders have increased the rate of competitive sourcing activities in the market to create a high-performing outsourced operation and develop healthier partnerships with outsourcing partners, essential for 2022 and beyond. Best practices of a competitive sourcing process include:

• Learning the advantages of selecting the right pricing models.
• Designing the appropriate business requirements.
• Running a robust supplier evaluation and selection process.

As your organization reimagines its outsourcing contracts, it’s crucial to support remote WFH models, chat transactions and leverage competitive sourcing processes. Incorporating these three emerging outsourcing priorities will allow your organization to achieve new program performance and ROI levels while building stronger relationships with supplier partners.

Read about these three emerging outsourcing priorities in the blog post written in conjunction with our Optimizing Pandemic Contact Center Outsourcing Relationships workshop.

WFH Insights

In this workshop, we learned that almost 2/3rds of attendees have over 25 percent of their contact center seats outsourced, while over 80 percent outsource to more than one provider.

All participants’ outsourced call centers shifted to an immediate WFH model once the pandemic shutdown began in March 2020. COPC Inc.’s clients encountered similar difficulties, including:

• Internet connectivity issues.
• Necessary data security updates in technology and WFH office requirements.
• Unique, regional-based government and environmental challenges specific to the outsourced contact center’s location.
• Virtual hiring, training, onboarding and employee experience obstacles.

Like other organizations, they acted quickly to combat these challenges head-on and provide solutions to ensure outsourced staff could do their jobs safely, effectively and efficiently while maintaining the same level of service and security as they would in an office environment.

Digital Transaction Insights

With chat being one of the fast-growing customer service channels, more than half of workshop attendees’ organizations have more than 10 agents working on digital/chat transactions.

Despite the low number of chat-dedicated agents, many organizations use a blended model. This model consists of agents handling both chat and email customer interactions but not phone calls. When hiring chat agents, different criteria take priority, such as language proficiency and multitasking abilities, as these agents work multiple chats and customer emails simultaneously.

Organizations are also prioritizing journey mapping when evaluating their customer touchpoints. By assessing their customers’ service journeys, customer care teams consider which matters should be addressed via chat versus which ones should go through other customer care channels. Again, it’s crucial to consider why the customer is reaching out and the best channel to communicate with them.

Competitive Sourcing Insights

The outsourcing contact center market is becoming more competitive. The WFH shift has presented a change in delivery requirements and a reduction in cost components, leading to significant cost savings for vendor managers. To win new contracts and maintain current clients, outsourced service providers must offer strategic pricing and comparable services to contend with the competition.

Sixty-three percent of workshop attendees have recently, or are planning an RFP in the near future while

75 percent of the companies are doing RFPs because of poor performing suppliers or need to revise the footprint.

COPC Inc.’s top sourcing priorities are:

1. Revising outsourcing requirements and contracts at lightning speed while reevaluating supplier capabilities and footprint that best serves this new normal. ​
2. Realizing the new cost structure and the impact on previous pricing components. ​​
3. Optimizing virtual evaluations, management and supplier business planning.

We discuss these topics more in-depth in the white paper, The 2021 State of Contact Center Vendor Management. You can also read this blog post, which provides a concise yet thorough explanation of these three priorities.

Did you know COPC Inc. offers strategic sourcing for CX operations? Achieve the best performance from your vendors at the best price through our strategic sourcing program.  COPC Inc. has been helping clients navigate this transition successfully since the onset of the pandemic to drive consistency across the organization, improve customer service and quality, and decrease business costs. Learn more about COPC Inc.’s vendor management services for CX operations here.

To learn more or how COPC Inc. can assist your organization or share further resources to assist you in your outsourcing endeavors, reach out to info@copc.com.

COPC Inc. is an innovative global leader that empowers organizations to optimize operations to deliver a superior customer experience across all channels. Contact us at: info@copc.com |1-407-304-9032 www.copc.com

Guest post written by: Jay Wolcott, COPC, and originally written on November 5, 2021. To learn more about this and other critical CX topics, register for Execs In The Know’s recent Customer Response Summit and access all the content on-demand by registering.

The post Optimizing Pandemic Contact Center Outsourcing Relationships appeared first on Execs In The Know.

If you have yet to tune in to the Fall 2021 CRS virtual event, you can watch many sessions on-demand. Registration is simple, free, and it takes only a minute to get immediate online access to this insightful content.

Earlier this month, we shared some powerful insights from the event’s five keynote presentations as a part of a five-part blog series. Now we add to those valuable insights with the following highlights from the event’s six inspiring panel discussions and one intriguing case study.

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The Rise of the CCO

Moderator:
Mike McCarron, Gladly

Panelists:
Radha Penekelapati, YouTube
Dan Allen, Union Bank
Deana Perrin, Blue Shield of California

It’s great for a CX program to have the support of the C-suite, but it’s even better when CX has its very own seat at the table. The Chief Customer Officer (CCO) role isn’t exactly new, but it has never been more essential in cultivating CX excellence. CCOs can help champion plans and initiatives that are designed to do one thing — improve the customer experience.

During this panel discussion, Radha, Dann, Deana, and Mike share their thoughts about how the CCO role has evolved, and why is has never been more critical than today, especially as consumers have more options than ever, and brand loyalty is on the wane.

Here are five key highlights from the conversation:

1) As a company’s CX journey matures, the structure of its C-suite must also evolve.

2) A Chief Customer Officer (CCO) is responsible for raising the voice of the customer, but also establishing internal partnerships to make sure the organization is unified behind the mission of improving CX.

3) An ongoing challenge with the CCO role is they often have the insights and knowledge to know what needs fixing, but they often don’t have the budget authority to execute. To make a real difference, a CCO must be empowered.

4) Shared goals, especially tangible goals, are critical in unifying an organization behind customer-centric efforts; put the customer at the center, but don’t neglect the overarching goals of stakeholders.

5) Doing many small- or medium-sized projects sometimes creates a bigger impact than doing one or a very few large projects. It is important to understand the outcome and impact of every effort, big or small.

View this session now (quick and free registration required).

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Getting Ready for What Comes Next: Key Trends Driving Your Data Strategy

Moderator:
Sav Khetan, Tealium

Panelists:
Melody Blumenschein, General Motors
Rick Clark, Balsam Brands
Matt Beckwith, Clark Pest Control

A lot has changed in the last 18 months. From how consumers behave to the way businesses conduct their service and delivery operations, the COVID-19 pandemic has sent out many ripples. How companies have and will continue to respond to the ongoing crisis (both proactively and reactively) will chart their future course, and effective use of data is a key part of the equation for many organizations.

During this panel, Melody, Rick, Matt, and Sav engage in a wide-ranging discussion about the overall state of the industry, highlighting current challenges, while also sharing how they are addressing some of these challenges with innovative CX data solutions and strategies.

Here are five key highlights from the conversation:

1) In the last 18 months, over 80% of consumers have tried out a new brand or mode of delivery, and many prefer these new experiences; loyalty is on the wane.

2) The high cost of acquiring new customers has only increased during the pandemic.

3) Consumers are far more tolerant of service lapses and wait time than they were before the pandemic, but they are also checking out the competition more than ever before.

4) Frontline staff have valuable knowledge about the business and the customer, so be sure to tap their expertise by opening lines of communication and taking the time to ask.

5) There is power in understanding this one simple but age-old essential insight — happy agents make for happy customers. It is a good reminder to tap into the data that lets you know if your organization is succeeding in this area.

View this session now (quick and free registration required).

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Data Protection: Creating Secure and Successful At-Home Workspaces

Moderator:
Leslie Loofbourow, 24-7 Intouch

Panelists:
Jim Gallagher, Nordstrom
Jeff Lilleskare, Microsoft
Thom McDaniel, Marriott

Work-from-home is here to stay. That means maintaining employee engagement and protecting customer data is going to remain top-of-mind for CX leaders. Luckily, there is no shortage of new and innovative tools and technology design to accomplish exactly this.

During this insightful and timely panel, Jim, Jeff, Thom, and Leslie share how they have helped devise secure remote work environments, leading to more protection for both customers and agents, while also making sure their teams stay connected and engaged.

Here are five key highlights from the conversation:

1) Data protection and secure workspaces start with empowering employees. That said, trust but always verify.

2) Hiring and recruiting best practices are critical for adoption and compliance starting with a workforce well aligned to the values of the organization; shared values equate to high levels of compliance.

3) Have a solid plan for work-from-home departures. Close the loop on getting back equipment, shutting down system access, etc.

4) It’s important to find the balance between getting the information agents need to service customers, while also maintaining tight control of the data available to agents.

5) Many companies have gone through many hiring cycles to the point where a lot of employees are unfamiliar with the in-office workspace … but agents need to be connected and included. Consider creating a virtual watercooler space for agents to drive engagement and connectedness.

View this session now (quick and free registration required).

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If you haven’t already done so, be sure to check out Part 1 of this two-part series.

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Do you enjoy this type of CX-related content? If so, consider joining us for our return to a live and in-person event during Customer Response Summit in sunny Clearwater, Florida — March 28-30, 2022. Registration is open now! Learn More

The post CRS Virtual October 2021: Key Case Study and Panel Highlights — Part 2 appeared first on Execs In The Know.

While the labor shortage has affected every industry, one role that has fared relatively well during the labor shortage is that of the work-from-home (WFH) customer service agent. WFH contact center roles are nothing new, but the pandemic contributed to many organizations shifting more of their workers to this construct by necessity. Many Execs In The Know community members were early leaders in identifying barriers to successfully hiring for these roles. Within that framework, the most successful organizations were those that started thinking differently about the ways they recruit and retain top talent.

Perfecting the work-at-home contact center model

According to Gartner research, 70% of customer service and support agents prefer to work at home. That same research shows that these employees wish to continue working from home in some capacity once the pandemic is long over. This is in line with surveyed service leaders who believe that WFH is decidedly here to stay. In fact, 81% of service leaders believe that 30-50% of their workforce will primarily be WFH in 2023.

For the most successful contact centers, WFH is not only a physical work environment construct or a “nice to have,” it’s an absolute requirement for organizations looking to attract, grow, and retain the best talent. In fact, this type of work gives organizations real power to make an impact on employee satisfaction, attrition levels, and career advancement for associates, while also achieving the contact center’s other ultimate goal of providing superior customer service.

As we think about the future of WFH and how organizations can be most effective, there is no better place to insert the decades-old wisdom of focusing on people, process, and technology — all of which will be pivotal for any organization that wants to survive in this experience-dependent world.

What that means in practice is not only taking care of your people with proper onboarding, training, and ongoing support, but also enabling them with the most effective processes and technology to succeed. Let’s briefly break down each of the three core elements: 

1. Engaging employees

A blended model of telework and in-office work expands an organization’s labor pool globally. But to engage the best talent, organizations also must reimagine their workforce and workplace models. This requires digitization of core functions and processes, as well as a focus on employee care throughout the talent lifecycle, including:

• Sourcing and recruiting: Savvy organizations are using technology to target both passive and active candidates — such as implementing RPA and AI-enabled administrative processes to increase the hiring speed of quality candidates and create more personalized interactions. They’re embracing social media and a variety of recruitment channels to uncover and engage with a diverse pool of candidates and promote their employer’s value propositions.
• Onboarding: Particularly during an employee’s first 90 days, focused training is crucial to ensuring a smooth and productive experience. In a WFH model, tools such as workflow checklists, interactive online experiences, and video content are particularly important to increasing employee engagement.
• Ongoing training: It’s important for contact center agents to have access to training and helpful information embedded in the work they do. Leveraging tools such as Walk Me, and augmented and virtual reality helps bring these interactive experiences to life. At Conduent, our Learning Services team is an exclusive partner of Apply Synergies, the founder of the 5 moments of need It’s an approach that ensures the right tools are available at every stage of the employee journey and that the various stages of learning and performance most effectively support employees’ needs.
• Supporting health and wellness: Organizations can support the wellbeing of their WFH associates through live and AI-enabled health navigation and advocacy. This includes things like Employee Assistance Plans, 1-to-1 health advocates, online wellness tools, educational webinars, and AI-based symptom tracking and triage tools. 

2. Building the right processes

For today’s call centers, another key to success for both WFH and brick-and-mortar roles is making the connection between employee experience and customer experience, and then employing the tools, methodologies, and cultural elements that will ultimately drive success. In our experience, that equates to taking a “human-centered” approach to contact center design and operation.

Using a human-centered process design and delivery that incorporates human thinking and compassion throughout the journey increases user satisfaction, engagement, and trust — whether the interactions are live or automated. Human-centered design enables organizations to clarify or reframe the real issues at hand, and it puts the human — who traditionally has been at the endpoint of a transaction — first. Organizations that pay attention to design and the way consumers interact with their products and services earn loyalty and see their respect for human needs reflected in the bottom line.

All this may sound academic, but practically speaking — there are lots of ways to measure the impact of human-centricity, both internally and externally. At Conduent, we use analytics and data insights as part of the equation, including leveraging sensitivity analysis to boost learning among our own customer service agents.  

3. Adopting the right technologies
   

Having the right technology infrastructure in place is fundamental to the successful contact center. But in a WFH model, in particular, technology requirements are often different and require a more strategic approach to implementation. Organizations with a mindset of continuous innovation and improvement are in the best possible position to build the most effective WAH infrastructure for both customer service delivery and employee satisfaction and success.

During the pandemic, Conduent increased its use of analytics (including sentiment analysis) to evaluate customer satisfaction (CSAT) drivers and opportunities to reduce customer complaints. Through that process, we were able to identify 35% more agents in need of additional on-the-job training. Ninety-four percent of those identified were recommended to receive soft skills coaching, which allowed us to upskill our staff and ensure they were applying the right levels of empathy and compassion to live interactions during this critical time. This strategic use of analytics has helped to elevate our contact center operations in two important ways:

1. Optimized agent performance: AI-based call analytics paired with natural language processing provides valuable insights on agent and call-level metrics, helping to evaluate markers such as over talk, silence, call length, and caller sentiment.
2. Increased ability to anticipate and resolve customer issues: Using analytics to categorize critical situations, we’re now better able to proactively plan automated workflows that route inquiries to the appropriate person or specialized team.

For WAH operations to be successful, organizations must also keep a keen eye on mitigating risks such as fraud risk, security risk, and risks to employee safety. Employing a balance of cloud vs. enterprise infrastructure is one of the best steps you can take to minimize security risks. At Conduent, we’re also using sophisticated speech and language detection tools that diagnose sentiment analysis and help reduce the risk of fraud.

Successful organizations have also built or implemented various custom smartphone applications to help ensure that employees stay healthy — whether they’re WFH, in the office, or in a hybrid model. At Conduent, we used our proprietary virtual assistant technology to develop a custom return to workplace app that associates used each day to assess and self-report their own fitness to work. Data from our custom application helped us keep track of thousands of employees daily from our various locations, with data readily accessible to managers via our integrated HR system. The data could also be used for contact tracing.

Keeping the momentum going
Work at home is a powerful concept that experts predict will continue in much greater frequency than before the pandemic. More of our own clients have embraced this model and the opportunities it provides for enhanced employee satisfaction, flexible and efficient service constructs, and reduced costs.

Though WFH is not a new concept in the contact center space, the sudden shift to WFH during the pandemic gave many in the industry the opportunity to evaluate the people, processes, and technologies they have in place, and make strategic changes that will carry them forward. To keep the momentum going, organizations must retain that same agile mindset that was invigorated during the pandemic, and build partnerships that allow them to grow and flex as the WFH landscape continues to evolve.

Statistics used in charts are from:
Global Workplace Analytics. Global Work-from-Home Experience Survey. April 2020.
Airtasker. Survey on Benefits of Working from Home. March 2020.

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Furthermore, if you are a CX practitioner at a corporate brand, consider joining the conversation on Know It All (KIA) online community. Crowdsource and connect with your CX peers in a collaborative, non-competitive environment — a totally free service from Execs In The Know.

The post How Contact Centers Can Thrive by Doing Work From Home Right appeared first on Execs In The Know.

The event, which was co-hosted by Ebrahim Hyder, Vice President, Customer Service at Michael Kors, and Chad McDaniel, president of Execs In The Know, featured a host of industry experts representing top CX providers, including Conduent, Liveops, Sykes, Concentrix, and NICE, as well as dozens of practitioners from some of the world’s top brands.

Although the conversation ranged across a variety of topics (all related to WFH), the overarching theme was pointed toward identifying the most critical pieces for achieving long-term WFH success. This blog post is dedicated to surfacing four of the most notable ideas from the conversation — call it the four “must-haves” for creating successful WFH programs and partnerships.

#1 — Invest in Essential Technologies

Technology is what makes the modern contact center go vroom, but what about when the contact center is no longer centralized nor office-based? What happens when each workspace is as varied and diverse as each agent’s unique home and specific living situation? This is where technology can level-set conditions and build parity into every customer experience.

Two of the most important types of technology for creating a secure, effective WFH program include Security and Communication Technologies.

Security Technologies  

When we talk security, what we’re really referring to is customer data and information security. Tools for protecting customer data are an important aspect of the contract center, especially when that contact center is dispersed throughout the homes of hundreds or even thousands of individual agents. Here are some of the most widely used security technologies, and what they do:

• Multifactor Authentication — Secures online tools and logins using multiple passwords and/or devices to confirm the identification of a user.
• Biometrics Identifiers — Uses biological identifiers (such as fingerprints, facial, or voice biometrics) to limit access to approved users.
• Masking and Redacting Technologies — Shields sensitive information (such as financial or health information) from frontline workers.
• Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) — VPNs are useful for protecting the flow of data across a network using special encryption, providing security and privacy on both public and private connections.
• Hardware Security — Adds an additional layer of security to prevent unauthorized access to laptop and desktop computers, mobile and other devices; can even include tracking software to protect against theft.

Communication Technologies

Throughout the conversation, communication was mentioned time and again as a critical enabler in a variety of core areas, from program performance to team engagement. Many brands have reinvented not only how they connect, but also how often, in what ways, and with what purpose. Today, great communication starts with great communication tools. Here are the basics:

• Video and Chat Platforms — Platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Skype, and others are essential for staying connected, remaining engaged, and managing effectively.
• Content Sharing Tools — Office-based servers have been replaced by cloud services like Dropbox and SharePoint, and these tools are especially useful for dispersed workforces.
• Knowledge Databases — In addition to content sharing tools, agents rely on databases for accurate, up-to-the-minute information; given the remote nature of the workforce, these resources are more important than ever.
• Quality/Coaching Software — Relying on existing programs has been a challenge for some organizations, while others have been able to adapt. Whether your Quality Assurance and coaching tools are purpose-built or not, continuous improvement is crucial to program success.
• Socialization Platforms — Employee engagement is vital for many reasons, including wellness, cultural emersion, and engagement. It’s tough to feel part of a team when working remote but socializing platforms and programs can help build team unity and cohesion.

#2 — Set Expectations, Then Inspect for What’s Expected

With a little over a year’s worth of experience under our belts, we’re all familiar with working from home at this point, including those agents who have been around since the start of the pandemic. Still, setting clear expectations is paramount to creating and sustaining a productive, high-performing WFH program. Things like work schedules, productivity levels, key measurements — even rules for the agent’s workspace — are all important guideposts for maximizing agent value, especially for new hires.

But it’s not enough to set stakes in the ground. If certain goals are in place, if certain rules are to be followed, verification is an important piece of the puzzle. In other words, meeting objectives requires both clear communication of expectation, as well as dedication to putting forth the effort needed to inspect for what’s expected.

#3 — Understand Workforce Transformation

During the discussion, several leaders pointed to disruptions in the labor market as a significant challenge heading into the summer months. Labor shortages are being observed across industries, driven by several factors including worker hesitation due to the pandemic, generous unemployment and stimulus payments, and ongoing childcare challenges.

Adding to this mix, several industries are all trying to staff up at exactly the same time. Industries like travel and hospitality, dining, and entertainment are all reopening and re-ramping concurrently. Even within the CX sector, competition is fierce, pay scales are rapidly rising, and companies are introducing all sort so new incentives and sign-on bonuses to attract the very best workers. Brands should seek to understand what’s being offered by the competition, as well as what’s occurring generally, both within and outside of the CX industry.

On the flip side, the nature of WFH has liberated many programs from the confines of any specific geolocation. This means programs are free to scout in and hire from areas far beyond the traditional boundaries of existing brick-and-mortar locations. The brands and partners that can best capitalize on this fundamental change in recruiting and hiring stand to grab the best and brightest.

#4 — Build Partnerships

If the pandemic showed the CX industry one thing, it was the importance of relationships, specifically the one between BPOs and their clients. It’s no longer enough to find a good vendor. Buyers of BPO services should have the loftier goal of finding a great partner.

What’s the difference between a vendor and a partner? A partner is looking to build and grow something. Often this means establishing practices that benefit not only the BPO, but their client and, most importantly, the customers of their clients. Business partners are also willing to go above and beyond for the good of the program. Innovation, ingenuity, and deployment of a “whatever it takes” approach were some of the hallmarks of success in looking back at the initial pivot to WFH. Such stories were most common among those clients and their BPOs that viewed their working relationship as a partnership.

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Are you a CX leader looking to learn from your peers, as well as top industry experts? We invite you to visit our Events Page to learn more and consider joining us for our next event. Be sure to check back often as new information is constantly being added, including details on our upcoming Outsourcing Briefing, scheduled for December 10, 2021.

Interested in sponsoring an upcoming Briefing? Visit our Supplier Engagement portal to learn how you can participate in our next event.

The post Four Must-Haves for Building Long-Term Work-From-Home Success appeared first on Execs In The Know.

The past year has proven optimized work-from-home (WFH) strategies, along with engaged and enabled remote teams, are critical for delivering exceptional CX. Expectations have changed, as have industry solutions. During this special WFH-themed virtual briefing, those in attendance will have the opportunity to tap into the knowledge and expertise of an all-star lineup of solutionists and forward-thinking innovators. The day’s discussion may include such topics as:

• Employee wellness and cultural transference
• Remote recruiting, hiring, training, and coaching best practices
• Striking the right balance between data security, performance monitoring, and maintaining individual privacy

The event will be co-hosted by Ebrahim Hyder, Vice President Customer Service at Michael Kors along with Chad McDaniel, President of Execs In The Know. Process-driven in his delivery of an integrated, multi-channel experience, Ebrahim has been delivering award-winning customer service with Michael Kors since 2013.

“Over the years, I’ve gained a fair amount of insight into how to elevate the customer service experience,” said Ebrahim. “When we improve processes and leverage technology, we’re able to create memorable interactions and deliver on the brand promise. I look forward to this discussion, and I can’t wait to exchange ideas with the CX community.”

“We are excited to cover the hottest challenges of our community and explore related solutions in this special format,” said Chad McDaniel, president of Execs In The Know and co-host of the June 10 Briefing. “A process-focused leader like Ebrahim makes for a perfect co-host, and the challenges of managing an effective work-from-home operation are still very real for our community. Solving for these will unlock a great deal of value for leaders that run and maintain programs utilizing remote teams.”

At this event exclusive to Corporate Brand CX Leaders, Ebrahim and Chad will be joined by a panel of five inspired leaders from the industry’s top partners and solution providers. This panel includes:

Daralee Easter — Global Work At Home Leader, Concentrix

Daralee specializes in solving customer journey challenges, bringing unique insight into optimizing work-at-home and virtual call center environments.

Michaud Ray — Vice President, Business Development and Strategic Accounts, Sykes

Michaud is a goal-oriented veteran of the industry with a deep understanding of operations, operational management, and the value of a win/win relationship.

Hugo Felipe Godoy — Vice President, LACAR Region, Conduent

Hugo has more than 20 years of experience utilizing technology to enable the delivery of better interactions between brands and their customers.

Cheryl Gunn — Senior Vice President of Operations, Liveops

Cheryl brings a wealth of operational insight, paired with a steadfast focus on outcomes and results, and how those match against business needs and customer expectations.

Daniel Borrelli — RPA Solution Engineer, NICE

Daniel thrives on creating innovative IT solutions that enhance customer satisfaction, drive business growth, and creating greater process efficiencies at scale.

Join us on Thursday, June 10, 2021 (11:30 AM – 2:00 PM EDT), and take a look over the horizon at what’s most important for ensuring the long-term viability and the successful management of a remote workforce. Learn about WFH 2.0 best practices and find out what practitioners and industry insiders have to say about today’s most critical initiatives.

Are you a CX leader at an end-user corporate brand, and you’d like to attend this special event? Email Execs In The Know at info@execsintheknow.com to request your private invitation.

About Execs In The Know

Execs In The Know brings together customer experience (CX) leaders from across industries in an effort to advance the conversation and set a new agenda for delivering amazing experiences for consumers. As a global community of the brightest minds in CX, Execs In The Know provides opportunities to learn, share, network, and engage to innovate. Operating under the motto of “Leaders Learning From Leaders,” Execs In The Know facilitates many opportunities for community engagement, such as their bi-annual national event, Customer Response Summit, virtual CX series, CustomerCONNECT, and private, online community, Know It All. There are also exclusive, laser-focused engagements like industry briefings, virtual luncheons, and executive roundtables. Execs In The Know also guides and informs the industry with a rich tapestry of CX-related content that includes CX Insight magazine, CXMB Series research, webinars, podcasts, blogs, and much more.

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In this article, you will find five common feelings leading to stress for many agents, and suggestions for addressing these for your staff.

I feel isolated, disconnected, and unheard.

Working from home has been positive for some agents and difficult for others. Coupled with a pandemic that forced people to self-isolate, it is no surprise that this has become a common stressor. This can also lead to an even greater disconnect between agents, their peers, their managers, and senior leadership. Customer experience (CX) leaders also need to remember that agents have a unique perspective because they talk to customers every day. This gives them valuable insights and ideas that do not always see the light of day. Regardless of whether employees are in a contact center or are working from home, it is important to create a cadence of scheduled activities and agent feedback mechanisms to reduce the feeling of isolation and drive more engagement. These can include:

• Consistent and frequent one-on-one check-ins: This is different from formal performance discussions, but is instead a time to talk with agents, assess how they are doing, listen to any challenges they are having, and/or hear their ideas. This should be an informal setting that is non-threatening to the agents so they feel comfortable opening up to their supervisors.
• “Fun” activities, wellness opportunities, and interest groups: Fun activities could be with their own teams, or cross-functional teams, but the goal is to bring people together in a way that has nothing to do with work. Examples might include online gaming sessions, virtual games, monthly online lunches, and book/music/movie clubs. Additionally, many companies are now providing ongoing and structured opportunities for employees to participate in virtual (or in-person) exercise and wellness activities such as yoga, meditation, or group walk/runs.
• Employee satisfaction surveys, focus groups, and anonymous feedback: Most companies now have employee satisfaction surveys. Those who excel post the results, analyze the data, implement action plans, and communicate progress to those plans. Focus groups are another means to gather agent feedback. Surveys will give you valuable data, but nothing can replace a good conversation. These should be structured, ongoing, and paired with a communication plan. Providing the ability for agents to submit anonymous suggestions and questions also goes a long way in removing any fear agents may have about voicing concerns. However, leadership must ensure they have processes in place to respond to all submissions, track them, and do something with them.

I fear my job is at risk.

It has been an unsettling year for everyone, creating uncertainty about job security. It is not possible to guarantee staff that their job is safe, especially given the events over the last year, but leaders are able to minimize the angst through:

• Transparent and consistent communication: You may not be able to disclose everything, but the more transparent you can be as a leader, the less stress your staff will feel. It is always important for agents to hear from their leaders because in the absence of communication, people will create worst case scenarios in their own minds, which is often worse than reality. Both monthly (or quarterly) “town halls” with senior leaders and weekly meetings with direct managers are key.
• Genuine open-door policies: Create a culture and environment that encourages staff to ask questions and voice their concerns. This requires all levels of management to adopt genuine open-door policies, even if you need to set aside certain hours that are available for just that. This can even be done remotely by way of opening a web meeting during certain hours or allowing staff to schedule on your calendar during established hours.
• Training and development: One of the best ways to alleviate concerns about job security is ongoing training and development. Again, there are no guarantees of job security, but by creating career paths, development plans, and working with staff to further their skills, agents will gain confidence that they are valued and the company is still invested in them, regardless of what the future may hold.

I get “yelled at” all day from unhappy customers.

There is no question that agents have a difficult job. Yes, it can be satisfying to solve customers’ issues, but let’s face it – most of the time customers are not contacting an agent because things have gone well. This can be very taxing to agents and the best ways to help them navigate through this is:

• Training and coaching: Help agents learn the skills and utilize their resources to de-escalate difficult customer situations and resolve issues effectively. Agents will of course receive training on tools and processes as part of new hire training, but there is always something to learn to make the job a little easier. Ongoing monitoring and coaching are of course important, but there are other creative ways to help them develop these skills such as peer coaching, brainstorming sessions, and case studies of similar situations and how they were resolved.
• Escalation support: There are of course times that agents will not be able to handle a challenging customer. They need to know that they have support, either from their direct manager or an escalation team. In a physical center, this is easier since they can put the customer on hold and ask a peer or leader, but remote workers may face more challenges. So, ensure you have instant messaging queues or some ability to reach someone should escalation be necessary. In short, ensure they do not feel alone should they need support.
• Rewards and recognition: Responding to unhappy customers all day every day is taxing and can often feel like a thankless job. Whether agents are in center or working from home, it is more important than ever to implement structured programs to consistently shine a light on high performance. Most companies have performance-based approaches which are, of course, effective. But it is important to go beyond this as well, such as having peer-based nominations and spontaneous recognition when a “great customer experience” is observed. Company-wide awards programs in which leaders from departments nominate employees based on actions aligned with company values also provide exposure for staff and helps recognized individuals feel more connected to the organization as a whole.

I do not always receive updated information, or I get so much information I cannot keep up.

The amount of information agents receive on any given day can be daunting. And they are expected to receive, absorb, remember, and apply it — all while caring for customers. Sometimes they do not even receive needed information for various reasons. Leaders can and should look closely at their communication process and consider:

• A central repository of changes/updates: This could require a technology and infrastructure investment, but the best-case scenario is a central repository of updates and communication for agents. This puts the responsibility on them to check it, but also ensures everyone has access to the same information at the same time.
• Electronic receipt/tracking: Additionally, it is becoming more important to have the ability to track information flow, ensuring each agent has received, accessed, and confirmed their understanding of important updates. A central repository would certainly make this easier but there are less sophisticated ways to do this as well. The updates could be categorized and triaged based on level of importance/complexity and that would trigger the type of receipt or confirmation required.
• Structured cadence and daily huddles: Regardless of where or how the information is provided, the more structure the better. In other words, critical updates are sent on Mondays only from specific people (with exceptions). The results are agents know when to look for key updates and from whom. Other types of updates could be shared in daily huddles with direct managers, versus sending emails. There are several ways to do this, but the key is to simplify and put a structure around it that is easier for agents to digest.

I work from home, but I am finding it difficult to balance work with my personal situation.

Employees who will continue to work from home also have children and personal situations they are balancing. While leaders have businesses to run, scheduling has been a source of stress for many agents. Leading companies have implemented more flexible and creative scheduling practices such as:

• Split shifts: For example, you might allow agents to work for four hours early in the day and four hours later in the day. This can be a benefit to agents but also to the organization depending on customer transaction arrival patterns and volume.
• Longer shifts over fewer days: Some companies are taking volunteers who would like to work a shorter week but longer hours. For example, 10-hour shifts over a four-day period might be an option. Again, depending on personal situations this allows agents some flexibility while providing the coverage needed by the organization.
• More (but shorter) breaks: Let’s face it. Many of us have worked from home all or most of the last year. It is challenging to only have two 15-minute breaks during an eight-hour shift, especially given the distractions common at home. Offering more breaks throughout the day that are shorter in duration provides some relief to agents. If workforce management plans for this, it should not impact service levels.

In summary, a lot of anxiety and stress has built up over the last year and it should not go unnoticed. Leaders can alleviate these stressors in many ways, including the ideas presented in this blog post. Additionally, many organizations have expanded the resources available to their employees such as mental health resources, financial services assistance, and legal representation. Most importantly, all leaders need to be aware of any challenges facing agents and take action to help minimize them. Doing so is not only the right thing to do for employees, but will also lead to better customer experiences and greater company success.

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Among the many CX trending topics we will be talking about and creating awareness for Mental Health at Customer Response Summit – September 15-17, 2021.

The post Making Agent Mental Health a Priority: Five Agent Stressors and How to Address Them appeared first on Execs In The Know.

The pandemic crisis forever changed the way we live and work. Our own personal and professional experiences leave no doubt that the societal impact of Covid-19 heightened anxieties. Our early research showed consumer concerns more than doubled within weeks, from 16% feeling highly anxious at the onset, to 39% just a month later.

Companies who provided customers with peace of mind alongside their products and services are now emerging well-positioned to retain and grow their customer bases. There is a clear relationship between compassion and customer experience: companies who were bold in their strategies to help customers saw a 4- to 6-point lift in Net Promoter® scores.

Adjusting to Our New Reality

Now, on the cusp of our new reality, we are faced with another set of unique challenges. How can companies appeal to customers’ altered attitudes, behaviors, and expectations as they enter the next phase of change while simultaneously helping employees re-enter their work environment differently? Employees are key to delivering compassion in customer experiences. How can we support employees who are also trying to adapt to post-pandemic life?

Accomplishing this demands fresh ideas, new support models, and different ways to embody empathy. The key to successfully emerging from this pandemic lies in the hands of employees, so turning inward and focusing on them will result in better customer experiences in the long run.  With the world slowly opening back up, employees and their children are going back to offices and schools (or adapting to working and learning remotely for the long term). People will begin gathering in groups and traveling again. What new challenges will your employees face as a result? Where are their attitudes, behaviors and expectations continuing to evolve? How can we acknowledge employees’ work and personal challenges, and create an environment where they can feel and perform their best?

Employee Response to Change

The Kϋbler-Ross Change Curve is a model that illustrates how employees typically process big changes in their work environment. In the first half of the curve, employees are struggling to understand and come to terms with these changes – represented by the Kubler-Ross stage of Depression.

Right now, most employees are likely between Depression and Acceptance. They move into the Acceptance phase when they start learning to adapt to those challenges, finding ways to work within their “new normal.” Over the past year, employees adjusted to challenges like quarantine, illness, lack of interpersonal interaction, changes in family finances and so on. Acceptance is a pivotal milestone for employees, their experience at work, and their ability to help you innovate.

Work environments continue to evolve, bringing new challenges to which employees must adapt. While some people are looking forward to going back to the office, others might be afraid to return to a workplace where people are physically closer together. Those who were isolated may crave in-person interaction. Parents will need to support children returning to school or childcare. It might be difficult for some employees to get back to a set routine and the structure of office work. Alternatively, some who are eager to work in an office again might find they’ll be working from home permanently. All these concerns provide executives with opportunities for innovation.

How do you tap into this opportunity? Try this short and achievable four-point plan.

1. Understand employee emotions.

Understanding and looking after your employees’ needs and concerns will ultimately lead to better customer experiences. Employee research, such as the Discrete Emotions Questionnaire (DEQ), quantifies your teams’ emotions and challenges, and will help you determine when the time is right to leverage your employees for CX innovation. The DEQ emotions can be aligned to the Kϋbler-Ross Change Curve, giving leadership insight into how employees are moving through the stages of change and when they are on the verge of Acceptance—the optimal stage for sourcing ideas.

2. Remove barriers to basic tasks.

Beyond quantifying emotions, research will help you uncover the challenges they are facing when doing their work. Asking employees to support both your customers and contribute to CX innovation before you’ve cared for their basic work challenges will result in increased frustration and a longer period of time until the Acceptance stage is reached.

Research estimates that 50% of the workforce will be remote by 2024, and that 74% of CFOs plan to shift at least 5% of their on-site employees to working from home permanently. Having the proper technology is especially important for employees who are returning to the workforce, but not to the office. For example, VPN connectivity, communication channels, and changes to physical workspaces are the most common roadblocks to effective remote work.

These roadblocks vary dramatically from one company to the next, based on industry and infrastructure. Identifying the immediate barriers, then removing them, is an important step towards better serving your employees and preparing them to support CX innovation. Once these hurdles are eliminated, teammates are well-equipped to contribute to the CX improvement mission.

3. Give employees a new sense of purpose.

Movement along the Kϋbler-Ross Change Curve is impossible without energy. To accelerate the shift through the emotions towards Acceptance, employees must be motivated. But motivation in constantly changing times can be easy to lose—especially as it pertains to work. During the past year, as employees managed work and home tasks simultaneously, their priorities may have shifted.

How do you keep motivation high? As the pandemic crisis heightened, we talked to team members who found it easy to stay motivated, and learned their biggest motivator was having a renewed sense of purpose and understanding the critical impact of their work. They’ve witnessed successes amidst the trials and found them to be inspiring. When leaders share the highlights and wins, it strengthens motivation among all employees. Rekindling fires in the hearts of a team drives engagement in return.

4. Embrace ideas and creativity systematically.

Once your employees’ emotions are aligned to the Acceptance phase, you’ve removed roadblocks they commonly encounter, and communicated a new sense of purpose throughout the team, it’s time to harness all of the newfound energy to fuel positive change and innovation. Interacting with customers – who are also adjusting to their own “new reality” – should lead to learnings and lessons. Thoughts on how to improve their situations will surface. Employees, with their refreshed outlook, will feel inspired to share ideas.

It’s important, though, to capture these creative suggestions in a systematic way for swift action to be taken. Without some parameters in place, leadership will end up spending more time sorting through and making sense of ideas instead of enabling process improvements.

In addition to employee surveys, companies should establish an employee elevations program. This allows employees to submit innovative ideas on an ongoing basis, whenever they come to mind. An elevations case management system will bring concepts to fruition, and further motivate teammates to contribute ideas.

Albert Einstein famously said, “In the midst of every great crisis lies great opportunity.” We’ve taken this opportunity to learn a great deal about understanding and meeting employee needs. We’ve tested and proven the best ways to ensure they deliver great customer experiences, even under extraordinary circumstances.

Although the pandemic crisis is, we hope, nearing its long-awaited end, new challenges lie ahead and the time for innovation continues. Remember that your employees hold the keys to a successful transition – and you can count on them to help.

Guest post, written by: Ellie Dubbs, Product Strategist VOC Solutions, Concentrix VOC

To learn more about ways to build a high-performing customer-centric culture, register for Execs In The Know’s Customer Response Summit, and watch the Concentrix-led executive panel session, Customer Feedback: 4 Fresh Practices for Unlocking Employee Potential, on Tuesday, April 27 at 9:15-AM – 10:00 AM PDT or 12:15 PM – 1:00 PM EDT. To attend live or watch on-demand, please register. 

Concentrix VOC is an industry-leading provider of customer and employee feedback software and solutions. Contact us at: voc@concentrix.com | 1-800-747-0583

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Agent engagement, onboarding and training, and security are clearly top of mind for CX operations leaders, especially for those overseeing outsourcing relationships. In this post, we’ll focus specifically on how to create greater agent engagement and improve onboarding/training, all of which play a major role in ensuring both agent well-being, and positive outcomes for customers.

Keys to Creating Engaged, Enabled Agents

Across all the conversations had about outsourcing and improving agent engagement, many great points have been made about how to best enable WFH agents. Above all, things needed to be fun, simple, and rewarding to the agent experience. But of course, getting there is contingent upon specific types of enablement. These include:

Technology Enablement

At its most basic definition, technology enablement is access to reliable tools and services designed to improve agent performance and productivity. Of course, this includes power and internet services, but also things like access to an appropriate workspace and devices, as well as being equipped with powerful, easy-to-use software tools designed for agent and customer success. Technology enablement can be a simple as having an office setup with multiple computer monitors, or as complex as having access to an AI-powered assistant and meaningful, team-based communications tools. And in no way does technology enablement end with the agent … it also extends up the chain of supervision and back into the organization, including things like monitoring and performance management tools.

To ensure your team is properly outfitted, consider building a Technology Enablement Checklist. Start with your agents’ workspaces and work tools, then move to technologies that help agents interact with the organization … things like communication, monitoring, knowledge management, and training/coaching tools. Check-in with agents and team leaders to make sure your list is all-inclusive and get their thoughts on what else they might need (or want) to be more effective and efficient at helping the customer.

Health Enablement

Health and wellbeing are more important than ever before. Health enablement is about ensuring the wellness of the workforce, not just physically, but mentally too. Is the work/life balance of an agent in a healthy place? What are the pain points of the job, especially those leading to unnecessary stress or undue difficulty completing specific tasks? Everyone is going through this experience with a differing set of circumstances and emotions, and employers need to look after the health and wellbeing of their most important asset, their people. This extra care and attention will not only reduce attrition and boost employee satisfaction, but it will also have a direct and positive impact on customer satisfaction. Find ways to measure and understand the health and wellbeing of your workforce, such as employee surveys. Create mechanisms for gathering this information on a formal basis, perhaps quarterly. But also be sure to put in place open door policies and other ways for agents to raise concerns and seek help before small issues become big problems.

Knowledge Enablement

The agent has all the right tools and is ready to do a great job. But do they know how to do the job? This is where Knowledge Enablement, aka training and coaching, comes in. During a recent Outsourcing Briefing discussion, several brands acknowledged the challenges of hiring and training online, but there were plenty of stories of success too. Here are a few pieces of advice from those who have achieved success in this area:

• • Adjust hiring requirements based on the attributes of agents who have performed best in a WFH environment,
  • Expect training to take a little longer within the virtual environment, and make sure trainers are highly accessible
  • Try to create opportunities for live, real-time coaching and side-by-sides, as well as engaging microlearning experiences for agents

Cultural Enablement

Perhaps the most important enablement is cultural enablement. In every sense of the word, frontline workers are an extension of the brand. To be effective ambassadors, agents need to be connected to the brand, not just in terms of knowing about products and services, but also in understanding and being a part of the brand’s culture. Cultural enablement is what determines whether a customer has a good experience or a great experience. To be done well, cultural enablement requires great communication, a bit of creativity, and ample opportunity for great interactions from the top down. In many ways, cultural enablement is an opportunity to energize the workforce and created a shared purpose. Consider setting up special experiences like virtual Lunch & Learns with leadership, exclusive product previews, or send out care packages. And be sure to ask your agents what they think … chances are they will have some great ideas about what the organization can do to create a greater connection between them, the brand, and its culture.

What the Future Holds

In many ways and at many organizations, the future of the contact center is still in flux. That said, each and every day all the options are being considered, decisions are being made, and some of the most critical pieces of the puzzle are starting to fall into place. Many organizations see a hybrid approach in their future, one that provides both WFM and office-based options for agents, often based on performance. Furthermore, the events of the past year have prompted many organizations to rethink what matters most, placing more emphasis on outcomes, and less emphasis on things like absenteeism and key performance indicators. At the same time, many organizations have discovered the importance of taking a collaborative approach with their outsourcing partners which, more often than not, has proved invaluable in achieving shared success and overcoming the many tough challenges of 2020.

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If you are a senior leader running CX operations on the corporate side and would like to engage with your peers about outsourcing and other CX topics in a private, online community, we invite you to join our KIA online community. You can also find out about everything happening within the Execs In The Know community by joining our mailing list.

Likewise, if you are a solution or service provider and would like to lead a future discussion about this or other critical topic, or get involved with the Execs In The Know community in other ways, you can reach out to us at info@execsintheknow.com.

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How did our organizations and our people perform in 2020?

In 2020, the CX industry (let alone the world as a whole) faced societal and economic changes unlike anything seen before. From where we work to where we go, from how we shop to how we school our children, the global pandemic has meant dynamic and seismic change in the daily lives of everyone. But, as one participant (inspired by the words of his leadership) put it, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” For the most part, brands didn’t. In fact, several of the brands on the call made mention of how, in many instances, the pandemic acted as an accelerant in igniting many transformative initiatives. Necessity, ever the mother of all invention, was often the primary driver of these changes. Many of them had to do with the shift to WFH, while still others were propelled by changes in consumer behavior.

At the same time, many companies used the crisis as an opportunity to gain buy-in on bulking up and fast-tracking existing transformational initiatives, particularly digital ones. Once again, necessity has been a driving force. Surges in volume, labor market challenges, difficulty in recruiting, onboarding, and training new hires — all of these have played a role in the swift pivot to new and revamped self-service solutions. The end result is an industry-wide surge forward in the digitalization of the CX industry, even to the point of making omnichannel more commonplace.

Most leaders also agreed that their people, up and down the ladder, performed exceptionally well, especially given the difficulty and extent of the challenges faced. In fact, many of the discussion’s participants talked about initiatives and changes that would have taken months or years to complete, if not for being fueled by the demands of the pandemic. These changes were completed not only in record time but also under the unique personal and professional stresses brought on by the global health crisis.

How do we keep the successes going in 2021?

While there’s no simple answer to keeping the hard-fought successes of 2020 rolling in 2021, a few familiar themes emerged. Empathy was a word and concept that came up several times, particularly in the context of comprehending the situation in which many workers find themselves. Many of these frontline workers might not have opted for such work had they known their home would be their office. Many were caught ill-prepared in terms of having adequate space or resources to conduct their role at home. And while most of these initial challenges have been resolved, new challenges continue to emerge. Uncertainty about the future, an endless cycle of shutdowns and changing restrictions, feelings of isolation as the pandemic drags on — these and other concerns call for organizations to be much more tuned into the stressors faced by the industry’s agent population. Bringing empathy to this understanding is seen to be crucial in maintaining trust, momentum, morale within organizations — all critical to ongoing success.

Flexibility is also expected to be a key concept as the year wears on — specifically, flexibility with future workspace arrangements. Coming out of the pandemic, most workers are hopeful to have the option to either WFH or the office, depending on their own specific situation. Of course, certain types of engagement will necessitate some return to the office, but now that many workers have had experience with the advantages of WFH, it’s an arrangement some absolutely prefer, or at least prefer as a part of a flexible, hybrid approach.

Continuing C-suite support is also crucial to maintaining success in 2021. Unsurprisingly, executives provided an abundance of support and resources to help their teams conquer the initial challenges posed by the pandemic. But as we all move deeper into the year, the leaders on the call agreed that ongoing executive support would be essential in seeing through the initiatives launched in 2020, as well as those coming down the pike in 2021.

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Special thanks to Arise’s Robert Padron and Charmaine Stafford for moderating this special Virtual Executive Roundtable, Be Essential: How WFH CX Transforms the Relationship Between the Brand and the Customer.

If you are a senior leader running CX operations on the corporate side and would like to engage your peers in a private, online community, we invite you to join our KIA online community. You can also find out about everything happening within the Execs In The Know community by joining our mailing list.

Likewise, if you are a solution or service provider and would like to lead a future Executive Roundtable or get involved with the Execs In The Know community in other ways, you can reach out to us at info@execsintheknow.com.

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