Agent Development

“Thank you for contacting us.” There’s nothing wrong with that little email starter sentence, but it’s not great, either. Think about it. In most cases, you’re thanking customers for doing something they wish they...

We considered starting this article like this: “Two grizzled training veterans walk into a bar…” but that’s not exactly how it happened. We are experienced (not grizzled) training consultants. We’ve never met in a...

My 10-year-old son thinks I am so old, I roamed the earth alongside the dinosaurs! He is right in one way: I started in the contact center industry when things were very primitive. In...

Even as local economies begin phases of reopening, COVID-19 is keeping most of us in our homes for the foreseeable future, and as a result, online shopping has become the go-to way Americans are...

Assessment tools have been an industry standard in human resources management for a while. At times, this may feel cold and very corporate, as one of the beauties of Homo sapiens is that we’re...

The impact of the coronavirus pandemic continues to unfold, shifting last quarter’s priorities to the back-burner. As more communities around the world go on lockdown, company leaders are focusing their resources on stabilizing the...

As the next decade is upon us, we should all take a minute to understand the big trends that are going to impact our contact centers. Do you have anxiety about the bots? More broadly,...

The universal agent is certainly not a new concept for contact centers. Next-available agent routing models have long relied on the use of experienced agents who have been cross-trained to handle a wide variety...

It seems like every day we learn about a new brick-and-mortar retail giant that is closing stores across the country. Sam’s Club, Toys R Us, Sears and Macy’s are just a few retailers saying...

Cautious optimism is defined as “a feeling of general confidence regarding a situation and/or its outcome coupled with a readiness for possible difficulties or failure” (TheFreeDictionary.com). I had an interesting experience when I called my...

Of all the things employees despise, end-of-year performance appraisals (PAs) are at the top of the list. The Washington Post has research to support that “basically every single person hates performance reviews.” Regardless of...

It has often been said that motor oil is the lifeblood of an automobile engine. While professional drivers and automobile enthusiasts know that using the right lubricant is essential for a well-performing engine, most...

In the B2B world, where businesses tend to compete on price, DAT Solutions stands out as a shining example of a service-oriented company that prides itself on delivering value to customers. “Customers for Life”...

Jim White is Senior Vice President and Director of Card Services at Santander Bank. Jim talks about the agent skill requirements they have in their financial contact center. Their agents are a source of...

Since there are a finite number of management positions available within the contact center, some centers help their career-minded agents to gain skills and experience that will allow them to pursue a desirable career...

Climbing a traditional career ladder is not for everyone. Some agents may be perfectly content to spend their entire careers in the contact center while steadily gaining skills and expertise. It is critical to...

Service is delivered through people. Despite all the advanced technology and Six Sigma processes that we institute in our contact centers, the frontline agent holds the key to high-quality (and low-cost) service. Many of...