Companies have been rushing to add channel choices for customers, but more is not always better.

Emphasis on production metrics is reflective of an old-school model that does not apply to today’s complex contact centers.

Repeating a hold message every 20 seconds will almost certainly increase abandons. People don’t need to be reminded constantly that they are on hold.

Too often, businesses begin and end their strategies from their own perspective.

The additional volume that comes as a result of a wildly successful holiday season can easily overwhelm a company that isn’t prepared, swamping customer service and negatively impacting...

The rule of 150 can improve quality and employee engagement in the large contact center environment. How do we know? Let’s look at ants.

In this era of instant gratification and increasing customer impatience, contact centers are on the front line when it comes to dealing with customers in a hurry.

QA programs need to live in the gray area, allowing agents to navigate complex issues, make tailored decisions and empower them to make things right.

Digital-first customer service doesn’t mean ‘digital only,’ or that the first channel the customer uses will be the most effective at solving his or her issue.

We will do whatever it takes to get people the information, audits and training to make them successful.

Measuring FCR is not always black and white. Add an FCR scoring matrix to cover those calls that fall into the gray area.

What we really need is a way to measure customer happiness while our customers are interacting with our brand at every stage of the customer journey.

Healthcare systems must take a long and hard look at these protocol/preferences that force calls to be transferred back to the practice; this scenario is the ultimate digital obstacle.

SBR comes in many forms, is exceedingly powerful, and may be the least understood and most error-prone piece of technology you can find in a contact center.

If you want to differentiate based on service, you have to adopt the approach that everyone counts, and your people, processes and technology have to be built to support that approach.

While service level has long been seen as a measurement tool, its primary strategic mission is to serve as a strong and stalwart planning tool. It is the foundation without which realistic...

Every 1% gain in FCR directly translates into a 1% gain in customer satisfaction.

In many organizations, dysfunction is sitting below the surface like a dormant virus. Yes, it is quiet most of the time. But if a certain grouping of circumstances comes together, it awakens in a...

The metric mirage is just that—a thin veil disguising a difficult truth—temporarily. Advocatus diaboli urges you to use only the metrics that support the conditions you know to be true.

Visually, a transactional call looks like a straight line, while a conversational call has a number of curves and off-shoots.

Your center only has a few precious seconds to make a positive first impression.