Top-5-Contact-Center-Blog-Posts
Illustration by Eric Jackson

The top blog posts in February ran the gamut from a look at the “plan it, prove it” concept to explain WFM to execs, insights about the value of NPS and the ways it is used in the contact center, non-financial motivators that can influence agent behaviors, a discussion about the potential that WFM teams provide the enterprise, and customer “save” techniques to boost loyalty and revenue.

Plan It, Prove It—A Vision for WFM
“Plan it, prove it.” I say those words to every client. To me, they define the role of WFM in the contact center. It is my vision of how WFM should work and what WFMers (that’s my term for Workforce management professionals) should focus on every day.

To NPS or Not NPS
If, by chance, you are unfamiliar with the phrase Net Promoter Score (NPS), it is a way of scoring customer loyalty based on the customer’s zero-to-10 rating on the question: “How likely is it that you would recommend our company/product/service to a friend or colleague?” The concept was presented in a “Harvard Business Review” article in 2003, and continues to spark debate across the business world. In many organizations, it has worked its way deep into the contact center scoreboard.

3 Nonfinancial Motivators That Influence Behaviors
Pay is a critical consideration for most contact center employees in whether they stay or leave, and how they view their role—and many managers have witnessed what a strong demotivator low pay can be. But once employees feel that they’re being fairly compensated for their contributions, daily motivation can be further encouraged by positive feedback and genuine appreciation, and recognition of the value that the individual brings to the team, contact center and organization.

The (Near) Death of WFM
If your livelihood depends on the sales or service of WFM technology, calm down. Despite the title of this article, your occupation is safe. WFM systems are valuable tools and will continue to play an important role in contact centers well into the future. In fact, given the strategy to branch out and serve related operations, it would not be at all surprising to see revenue from this technology grow significantly in the coming years.

10 Common Retention Mistakes
Some of the best lessons about customer service happen when you are the customer. In my case, I spent 20 years as a loyal client of a certain roadside assistance program. However, my new car purchase came with a subscription to a rival roadside assistance program.