Advice from a Call Center Geek!

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Ever wondered how your contact center could save significant costs while keeping up with the QA process? Brace yourself for an enlightening discussion and AMA where we unravel the potential of AI in transforming Quality Assurance in your contact center. 

We'll take you through our early journey of automating QA processes, sharing our experiments with chat GPT and how its possible for any contact center to start to think through the process of using AI for QA.

 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

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You are just a click away from transforming your contact center from a drab workspace to a vibrant one; come join me, Tom Laird, as we revolutionize your call center experience. I promise to share the secrets to creating a positive and effort-driven culture, where attitude and effort outweigh resumes. I'm excited to share insights from my own journey of managing a contact center, making it a more desirable place to work, and how we can adopt these practices to revamp any workplace culture. 

This episode is a treasure-chest of practical tips. Learn about changing your hiring process that prioritizes culture, and the innovative ways to motivate and promote your agents. I'll share the importance of rewarding the best agents, not just the longest tenured, and creating an environment that values the agents who align with it. We'll also explore the critical role of culture in organizations, with a focus on building a strong team of agents who truly embody that culture.

 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

Imagine having the power to reshape customer experience in your call center with artificial intelligence. What if you could emulate the behaviour of your most effective agents, optimize IVR, manage workforces, and even facilitate self-service with AI? Get ready to explore how AI is transforming the world of customer service, as we delve into these possibilities and much more. From digital twins to generative chatbots, we bring you the inside scoop on how AI models are revolutionizing customer interactions.

Moving on from AI's current impact, we'll also step into the future trends that are shaping the contact center universe. Ever thought about AI translating customer conversations in real time or using augmented and virtual reality applications in your call center? Perhaps you've considered the potential of blockchain technology to bolster your customer data security? We'll dissect these trends, discussing their potential and how they can be harnessed for your business. Whether you're interested in improving agent feedback, optimizing call routing or exploring the advantages of a cloud-based system, this episode is packed with insights. So buckle up and get ready for a deep-dive into the world of AI in call centers.

 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

Ever wondered how the hustle and bustle of your favorite restaurant correlates with the operations of a call center? Picture yourself at a bustling eatery as we break down the ins and outs of call center metrics in relatable terms. We’ll be interpreting essential terms like incoming calls, cue calls, and abandoned calls in an easy-to-digest format, perfect for those just venturing into the industry.

Now, imagine the chefs at a restaurant, working tirelessly to keep up with the flurry of orders. This is akin to the pressures of metric conversion in service industries, and we'll carefully explore strategies to prevent burnout. We'll discuss key metrics and KPIs like occupancy, average handle time, average talk time, and average queue time. We'll also analyze the longest delay, a crucial element in customer satisfaction, akin to the longest time a patron had to wait for their food!

As we bring it all together, we'll elaborate on how requests from clients can impact metrics such as handle time, and guide you on making decisions that uphold the interests of both your customer and client. Refused calls, working time, occupancy, average handle time, and average profit margin - all these elements will be addressed. Regardless of your background in the call center industry, this episode promises to enhance your understanding of call center metrics and KPIs. Tune in to gain pivotal insights that will elevate your call center's operational efficiency and customer service quality.

 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

Are you struggling with coaching your call center agents effectively? Join us as we explore five popular coaching methods and share personal experiences on how to structure agent coaching sessions for maximum results. With insights on the GROW method, the Oscar method, and more, you'll learn how to help your agents take control of their calls and elevate their performance.

This episode is packed with valuable discussions on various coaching models, including the GROW, OSKAR, COACH, CLEAR, and STEPPPA models. We delve into the importance of setting achievable goals, examining the reality of the situation, and creating a plan of action. Alongside this, we emphasize the significance of role playing and having a non-confrontational back and forth with the agent to enhance their training.

1. GROW Model: The GROW Model stands for Goal, Reality, Options, and Will. It's a simple yet powerful framework for structuring coaching conversations. The coach helps the agent to define a clear Goal, understand the current Reality, explore various Options, and finally commit to a course of action (Will).
2. OSKAR Model: OSKAR stands for Outcome, Scaling, Know-How, Affirm and Action, and Review. It's a solution-focused model of coaching. The emphasis is on what is working well and how to do more of it, rather than focusing on problems.
3. COACH Model: This model stands for Connect, Outcome, Awareness, Course, and Highlight. It emphasizes building a connection, setting clear outcomes, creating awareness, choosing a course of action, and highlighting what was learned.
4. CLEAR Model: The CLEAR Model stands for Contracting, Listening, Exploring, Action, and Review. It starts with contracting or setting the terms of engagement, followed by listening and exploring to understand the current situation, and then moves to action and review.
5. STEPPPA Model: STEPPPA stands for Subject, Target, Emotion, Perception, Plan, Pace, and Action. This model is particularly useful in helping individuals with goal setting and taking action to achieve their objectives.

 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 of ACG was taken from the Linkedin Live Audio Even that we did with followers on June 13, 2023.

Some of the topics brought up were:

What is the internal lift to implement tools like speech analytics?
Plusses and minuses of moving to the cloud?
What ratios should contact center management be?
What are some of the best practices for routing in the IVR?
What are some of the overall best practices for CX in the IVR?

A lot of value here as these are all done in a conversational AMA format  

 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

Ready for a game-changing episode that will skyrocket your contact center's customer experience? Join us as we unveil 10 tips on maximizing your platform, from leveraging  analytics to engaging your employees in creative ways.

Discover the power of using an effort multiplier to incentivize attendance and workforce intelligence to keep your service levels top-notch. We'll share practical examples from our own BPO, Expedia Interaction Marketing Group, and offer insights on enhancing both security and analytics in your call center. Plus, learn how AI customer call sentiment analysis can give you an edge in understanding and improving customer interactions.

In addition to those cutting-edge tactics, we'll discuss employee engagement strategies like digital suggestion boards, leadership groups, and offsite knowledge sharing. Your call center's success is our priority, so don't miss out on this treasure trove of actionable tips and unique insights to elevate your game. Tune in now and start transforming your customer experience today!

 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

Hubie Brown is a renowned basketball coach known for his impactful strategies and insight. When I attended one of his clinics, the title was "Cool Things I Want to Talk About to Help You With Your Teams." It featured 10 random, yet valuable, pieces of advice to improve a team's performance.

As I prepare my live talks for this spring and summer, I've decided to create a podcast inspired by Hubie Brown's approach.

In this episode, I'll share 10 useful tips to enhance your contact center without a specific theme. These tips will help you optimize your contact center operations and provide a better experience for both your agents and customers.

Value everywhere here.

 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

Join us in this episode as we reflect on our learnings from the Call and Contact Center Expo. 

We delve into the realities of AI in the contact center industry, discussing key trends, innovations, and insights from my conversations with industry leaders and companies.

 We explore what's genuinely feasible with AI, the challenges in adoption, and why we may still have a ways to go before realizing its full potential.

 Tune in for a balanced perspective on the state of AI in contact centers and its implications for the future of customer engagement.

 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, we dive deep into the world of contact center quality assurance with QA expert, Chris Mounce from EvaluAgent.

Together, we explore the crucial do's and don'ts of designing effective contact center scorecards, offering valuable insights on the development of comprehensive and meaningful metrics that accurately gauge agent performance. 

We delve into the importance of understanding the intricacies of your specific contact center and the necessity of tailoring your scorecards to reflect those unique needs.

Additionally, Chris shares a wealth of invaluable tips on enhancing coaching techniques, focusing on methods that foster empowerment and motivation within your team. 

By concentrating on these vital aspects of management, you can ensure that your team is set up for continued success and growth within your contact center operation.

Tune in to this information-packed episode and take away actionable advice that will help elevate your contact center quality assurance efforts to new heights.

Click here for more information on EvaluAgent:
evaluagent.com

 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