Advice from a Call Center Geek!

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Every week we do an Advice from a Call Center Geek "Office Hour" which is a one-hour-long AMA on Linkedin Live.  Any question you have and want to ask I am there to try to help you and see if I can give you some value.

Topics/questions in this week's episode were on the topics of speech analytics, the power of sentiment, creating content for B2b, and our plans for WFH.

Thank you all and I how to see more of you on our next AMA (Every Friday from 1-2pm EST)

Follow Tom: @tlaird_expivia
Join our Facebook Call Center Community: www.facebook.com/callcentergeek
Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tlairdexpivia/
Linkedin Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9041993/
Watch us: Advice from a Call Center Geek Youtube Channel
Text Me: Text "education" to 814-247-0633

 Through Expivia Digital, Tom works with contact center leaders on CCaaS platform selection, AI implementations, and NICE Studio and integration services. 

Same honest, vendor-neutral advice you hear on the Call Center Geek podcast, applied directly to your specific operational challenges. 

Schedule a consultation at ExpiviaDigital.com to discuss your contact center technology strategy. 

Click here:

expiviadigital.com

Follow Tom: @tlaird_expivia
Join our Facebook Call Center Community: www.facebook.com/callcentergeek
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tlairdexpivia/
Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@callcenter_geek
Linkedin Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9041993/
Watch us: Advice from a Call Center Geek Youtube Channel

OttoQA: try.ottoqa.com

Expivia: Expiviausa.com

Send us Fan Mail

Let's take a trip into a time machine and see what the contact center and customer experience look like in the year 2030.

How will the Metaverse, NFTs, VR, and AR have an impact on how business and service are done.

 In this episode, I try to give you what I see CX looking like after talking to many experts in the industry over the past couple of months!

Follow Tom: @tlaird_expivia
Join our Facebook Call Center Community:www.facebook.com/callcentergeek
Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tlairdexpivia/
Linkedin Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9041993/
Watch us: Advice from a Call Center Geek Youtube Channel
Text Me: Text "education" to 814-247-0633

 Through Expivia Digital, Tom works with contact center leaders on CCaaS platform selection, AI implementations, and NICE Studio and integration services. 

Same honest, vendor-neutral advice you hear on the Call Center Geek podcast, applied directly to your specific operational challenges. 

Schedule a consultation at ExpiviaDigital.com to discuss your contact center technology strategy. 

Click here:

expiviadigital.com

Follow Tom: @tlaird_expivia
Join our Facebook Call Center Community: www.facebook.com/callcentergeek
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tlairdexpivia/
Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@callcenter_geek
Linkedin Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9041993/
Watch us: Advice from a Call Center Geek Youtube Channel

OttoQA: try.ottoqa.com

Expivia: Expiviausa.com

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of Advice from a Call Center Geek, Tom Laird sat down with Andrew McNeile, Chief Customer Officer at ThinScale.

ThinScale develops and provides endpoint software solutions that enable IT to deliver the most user-friendly, secure, flexible/versatile, and cost-effective VDI environments for Windows devices.

Tom and Andrew discuss, the new norm of the remote contact center agent, the security protocols that every organization should be looking at when dealing with at-home agents, and how to efficiently, effectively, and securely deploy one of the most talked-about topics in the contact center WFH space, BYOD (Bring your own device).

If you have work-from-home contact center agents, this is a must-listen-to episode to make sure all your security measures with your devices are covered.

 Through Expivia Digital, Tom works with contact center leaders on CCaaS platform selection, AI implementations, and NICE Studio and integration services. 

Same honest, vendor-neutral advice you hear on the Call Center Geek podcast, applied directly to your specific operational challenges. 

Schedule a consultation at ExpiviaDigital.com to discuss your contact center technology strategy. 

Click here:

expiviadigital.com

Follow Tom: @tlaird_expivia
Join our Facebook Call Center Community: www.facebook.com/callcentergeek
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tlairdexpivia/
Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@callcenter_geek
Linkedin Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9041993/
Watch us: Advice from a Call Center Geek Youtube Channel

OttoQA: try.ottoqa.com

Expivia: Expiviausa.com

Send us Fan Mail

Let's pretend that I was hired out by a new million-dollar startup that asked me to set up their customer service contact center that they want to run in-house. 

How would I go about doing it, what would I  prioritize, and what are the most important pieces to look at.

This is a great episode for all call center managers that maybe want to change something or improve an aspect of the center.

We discuss:

1) Choosing customer channels
2) What technology is a must, what is a want.
3) Education
4) KPI/Reporting
5) QA Setup for large and small centers.

Follow Tom: @tlaird_expivia
Join our Facebook Call Center Community: www.facebook.com/callcentergeek
Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tlairdexpivia/
Linkedin Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9041993/
Watch us: Advice from a Call Center Geek Youtube Channel
Text Me: Text "security" to 814-247-0633

 Through Expivia Digital, Tom works with contact center leaders on CCaaS platform selection, AI implementations, and NICE Studio and integration services. 

Same honest, vendor-neutral advice you hear on the Call Center Geek podcast, applied directly to your specific operational challenges. 

Schedule a consultation at ExpiviaDigital.com to discuss your contact center technology strategy. 

Click here:

expiviadigital.com

Follow Tom: @tlaird_expivia
Join our Facebook Call Center Community: www.facebook.com/callcentergeek
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tlairdexpivia/
Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@callcenter_geek
Linkedin Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9041993/
Watch us: Advice from a Call Center Geek Youtube Channel

OttoQA: try.ottoqa.com

Expivia: Expiviausa.com

Send us Fan Mail

That one call contact center agent that is consistently late by 1, 3, or 6 minutes every day to shift or coming back from break/lunch.  This can be a tricky situation to handle and one that we all deal with in the contact center environment. 

You get frustrated, WFM is on you, other agents are irritated because they can go on break until that agent comes back...it can be a mess if left unchecked.

In this episode, we discuss that it's ok to hold agents to certain standards as long as it's part of the core competency that you need from them and that's been explained.  We also talk about certain ways to avoid this and when to move it to progressive discipline.

This should be a pretty valuable episode to any call center manager or supervisor.

Follow Tom: @tlaird_expivia
Join our Facebook Call Center Community: www.facebook.com/callcentergeek
Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tlairdexpivia/
Linkedin Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9041993/
Watch us: Advice from a Call Center Geek Youtube Channel
Text Me: Text "security" to 814-247-0633

 Through Expivia Digital, Tom works with contact center leaders on CCaaS platform selection, AI implementations, and NICE Studio and integration services. 

Same honest, vendor-neutral advice you hear on the Call Center Geek podcast, applied directly to your specific operational challenges. 

Schedule a consultation at ExpiviaDigital.com to discuss your contact center technology strategy. 

Click here:

expiviadigital.com

Follow Tom: @tlaird_expivia
Join our Facebook Call Center Community: www.facebook.com/callcentergeek
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tlairdexpivia/
Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@callcenter_geek
Linkedin Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9041993/
Watch us: Advice from a Call Center Geek Youtube Channel

OttoQA: try.ottoqa.com

Expivia: Expiviausa.com

Send us Fan Mail

Middle management is the absolute lifeline of your contact center.  Have you educated and given them the tools they need to be successful.

We are in the process of overhauling our management training program and want to give all of you an inside look at what you should be converting and how to do this.

This includes chapters on
:
TECHNOLOGY/OPERATIONS

• Telephony understanding
• KPIS (Already created a dictionary for this)
• Reports- What to look for
• Supervisor Checklist
• Starting the Day the Right Way
• Motivations
• Analytics understanding
• Daily Synopsis format

HR

• Dealing with agent issues (top 10 issues and how to handle)- Script and Video
• Attitude Effort importance
• Policies and Procedures
• Legal issues 
• What we can say, can't say to reps and peers
• When to Escalate to HR
• Chain of Command
• Slack 

MONITORING/COACHING/CLIENTS

• How to Coach
• Monitoring/Scoring
• Dealing with Clients

Follow Tom: @tlaird_expivia
Join our Facebook Call Center Community: www.facebook.com/callcentergeek
Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tlairdexpivia/
Schedule time with me to talk about anything call center related:
https://calendly.com/call_center_advice/15min
Linkedin Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9041993/
Watch us: Advice from a Call Center Geek Youtube Channel
Text Me: Text "education" to 814-247-0633

 Through Expivia Digital, Tom works with contact center leaders on CCaaS platform selection, AI implementations, and NICE Studio and integration services. 

Same honest, vendor-neutral advice you hear on the Call Center Geek podcast, applied directly to your specific operational challenges. 

Schedule a consultation at ExpiviaDigital.com to discuss your contact center technology strategy. 

Click here:

expiviadigital.com

Follow Tom: @tlaird_expivia
Join our Facebook Call Center Community: www.facebook.com/callcentergeek
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tlairdexpivia/
Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@callcenter_geek
Linkedin Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9041993/
Watch us: Advice from a Call Center Geek Youtube Channel

OttoQA: try.ottoqa.com

Expivia: Expiviausa.com

Send us Fan Mail

In this totally unscripted episode, I sit down with 5 of our contact middle management to discuss how they manage their teams. 

We talk about coaching tips, QA, dealing with motivation issues, and how to handle confrontation that sometimes arises in any work environment from their perspective. 

Really unique episode and one that we want to do more of!

Follow Tom: @tlaird_expivia
Join our Facebook Call Center Community:www.facebook.com/callcentergeek
Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tlairdexpivia/
Schedule time with me to talk about anything call center related:
https://calendly.com/call_center_advice/15min
Linkedin Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9041993/
Watch us: Advice from a Call Center Geek Youtube Channel
Text Me: Text "education" to 814-247-0633

 Through Expivia Digital, Tom works with contact center leaders on CCaaS platform selection, AI implementations, and NICE Studio and integration services. 

Same honest, vendor-neutral advice you hear on the Call Center Geek podcast, applied directly to your specific operational challenges. 

Schedule a consultation at ExpiviaDigital.com to discuss your contact center technology strategy. 

Click here:

expiviadigital.com

Follow Tom: @tlaird_expivia
Join our Facebook Call Center Community: www.facebook.com/callcentergeek
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tlairdexpivia/
Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@callcenter_geek
Linkedin Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9041993/
Watch us: Advice from a Call Center Geek Youtube Channel

OttoQA: try.ottoqa.com

Expivia: Expiviausa.com

Send us Fan Mail

Educating associates is a core competency of any solid contact center operation.  In episode 141 of Advice from a Call Center Geek, we look at 7 Effective Call Center Training Tips You Can Implement Easily.

Topics in this episode include:
Focusing On the Major Call Center Skills
Equipping Your Agents with Sufficient Product Knowledge
Creating KPIs for Every Training Session
Making Training Sessions Practical and Easy to Implement
Fostering Continuous Improvement
Provide Constructive Feedback
Map Out a Clear Growth Pathway for Your Agents

Follow Tom: @tlaird_expivia
Join our Facebook Call Center Community: www.facebook.com/callcentergeek
Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tlairdexpivia/
Schedule time with me to talk about anything call center related:
https://calendly.com/call_center_advice/15min
Linkedin Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9041993/
Watch us: Advice from a Call Center Geek Youtube Channel
Text Me: Text "education" to 814-247-0633

 Through Expivia Digital, Tom works with contact center leaders on CCaaS platform selection, AI implementations, and NICE Studio and integration services. 

Same honest, vendor-neutral advice you hear on the Call Center Geek podcast, applied directly to your specific operational challenges. 

Schedule a consultation at ExpiviaDigital.com to discuss your contact center technology strategy. 

Click here:

expiviadigital.com

Follow Tom: @tlaird_expivia
Join our Facebook Call Center Community: www.facebook.com/callcentergeek
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tlairdexpivia/
Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@callcenter_geek
Linkedin Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9041993/
Watch us: Advice from a Call Center Geek Youtube Channel

OttoQA: try.ottoqa.com

Expivia: Expiviausa.com

Send us Fan Mail

This episode is definitely in my top 3 favorite episodes and a MUST listen for any Call Center Geek out there.  I re-recorded this episode 4 times to make sure I got across what I needed!

In this episode, we take a deep dive into the Metaverse and How it will fundamentally change CX, service, rewards programs, and customer retention.

Follow Tom: @tlaird_expivia
Join our Facebook Call Center Community: www.facebook.com/callcentergeek
Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tlairdexpivia/
Schedule time with me to talk about anything call center related:
https://calendly.com/call_center_advice/15min
Linkedin Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9041993/
Watch us: Advice from a Call Center Geek Youtube Channel
Text Me: Text "meta" to 814-247-0633

 Through Expivia Digital, Tom works with contact center leaders on CCaaS platform selection, AI implementations, and NICE Studio and integration services. 

Same honest, vendor-neutral advice you hear on the Call Center Geek podcast, applied directly to your specific operational challenges. 

Schedule a consultation at ExpiviaDigital.com to discuss your contact center technology strategy. 

Click here:

expiviadigital.com

Follow Tom: @tlaird_expivia
Join our Facebook Call Center Community: www.facebook.com/callcentergeek
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tlairdexpivia/
Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@callcenter_geek
Linkedin Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9041993/
Watch us: Advice from a Call Center Geek Youtube Channel

OttoQA: try.ottoqa.com

Expivia: Expiviausa.com

Send us Fan Mail

Turnover...the arch-nemesis of every contact center. 

While it's never going to be perfect, there are some tactics that we can take to improve the culture and the turnover of the contact center environment. 

In this episode, we look at 5 ways that we battle turnover here in my contact center, Expivia. 

These include a dive into:

Culture
Associate Pay
Agent Engagement
Growth and Progression
Having a Say
Difficult Processes and Procedures

Follow Tom: @tlaird_expivia
Join our Facebook Call Center Community: www.facebook.com/callcentergeek
Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tlairdexpivia/
Schedule time with me to talk about anything call center related:
https://calendly.com/call_center_advice/15min
Linkedin Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9041993/
Watch us: Advice from a Call Center Geek Youtube Channel
Text Me: Text "NFT" to 814-247-0633

 Through Expivia Digital, Tom works with contact center leaders on CCaaS platform selection, AI implementations, and NICE Studio and integration services. 

Same honest, vendor-neutral advice you hear on the Call Center Geek podcast, applied directly to your specific operational challenges. 

Schedule a consultation at ExpiviaDigital.com to discuss your contact center technology strategy. 

Click here:

expiviadigital.com

Follow Tom: @tlaird_expivia
Join our Facebook Call Center Community: www.facebook.com/callcentergeek
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tlairdexpivia/
Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@callcenter_geek
Linkedin Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9041993/
Watch us: Advice from a Call Center Geek Youtube Channel

OttoQA: try.ottoqa.com

Expivia: Expiviausa.com