Unlocking Customer Service

Sharpen’s very own CTO, Kevin Schatz, joins us for the season one finale of Unlocking Customer Service. He shares how to build a project team, an implementation timeline, and get the functionality you need when investing in technology for your contact center. And, he’s talking about why employee and customer satisfaction metrics should be part of your project’s success criteria.

Contact centers are central to giving customers the best possible experience. Today, Meagan Thai, Director of Contact Center & UC Solutions for Telarus sits down to talk about the impact contact centers have on your business and where the industry’s heading. She's sharing what customers want from their contact center technology and dishing out top advice to help you plan your own customer service investments.

Justin Robbins, Chief Evangelist of the CX Effect joins us to talk about the costs of complacency in customer experience. When it comes to choosing a contact center and improving your customers’ satisfaction, there’s more to consider than just price. He’s sharing data from a new CX Effect report and giving company leaders the nudge they need to make customer experience investments a priority.

In this episode, Brennan McEachran, CEO and Co-Founder of Soapbox (now rebranded & called Hypercontext) sits down to give you a “state of” look at manager training. Most managers were promoted from their roles as excellent individual contributors, then never trained on how to be a good manager. Brennan is sharing how execs and company leaders can change that, and how managers themselves can take ownership over their on-the-job training and experience.

Cheryl Helm of Helm Communications explains what’s at the core of a good customer service strategy. Customer service leaders pour tons of time and energy into finding the right product mix and seeking out the right features for their customers. But shiny, new features can’t fix a bad strategy. Tune in as Cheryl shares actionable advice to fix your contact center strategy for a better customer (and agent) experience.

Sharpen’s very own Chief Data Scientist, Ric Kosiba, joins us to talk about how to get more from your contact center’s data. In this episode, Ric explains how your contact center leaders can validate and report on key pieces of your customer experience for a more predictable future. Share the episode with your CC managers and directors to help them simplify your data and show execs the dollar amount behind every decision.

​​We sat down with Matt Benidt, Branch Banking Operations Group Director at Western Alliance Bank, to find out what it takes to deliver outstanding customer service. Leaders have to strike a balance between efficiency and quality, and today, technology exists to tip the scales in your favor. Learn how Matt’s created member loyalty at the banks he’s worked for and what he sees as the formula for success.

In today’s episode of Unlocking Customer Service, we’re answering the question: what do executives really need to know about their contact centers? Contact center industry veteran Joe Staples joins us to talk about the impact of a contact center on a company’s success, and he explains why every exec needs more than a 100-foot view of what’s happening in their customer service department.

Kate Brouse, Head of Strategic Partnerships for the National Telecommuting Institute (NTI), explains the benefits of remote work for your employees, your customers, and your revenue. Learn why so many companies plan to make remote work a permanent fixture and how you can successfully do the same.

Tune in to hear Chip Neidigh, CEO and Founder of Kairos, an executive coaching firm, explain how to address and change employee behaviors at their root. Instead of coercing behaviors that will eventually fade, Chip explains what steps you can take to drive lasting transformation in your customer service organization.