Leadership

Take Charge is an idiom meaning “to assume control or responsibility and dates back to the 1300’s.” (Christine Ammer, Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, Houghton Mifflin, p. 144.) Now more than ever, Contact Center leaders...

“The best offense is a good defense, but a bad defense is offensive.” —Gene Wolfe, American Science Fiction Writer "The best defense is a good offense" is an idiom that has been applied to many...

“Adaptability is an essential quality for successful leaders. Without it, you could remain too rigid and not allow yourself to get ahead of the curve or shift when you notice...

Throughout October, our readers explored a variety of the most pressing topics facing our centers. Our authors discussed whether our agents should continue to WFH, how to best lead our agents with compassion, and...

Shaping the Future of Work and Human Potential When thinking of the new competitive advantage, the Harvard Business Review (HBR) has been stating that Adaptability is the new competitive advantage! We read and...

The expression “go ahead” is often stated as “go ahead with,” as in “Are you going ahead with the recommendations?” The term dates from the mid-1600s and gave rise to “give the go ahead”,...

The New Year always brings hope for new beginnings. And there were the signs of that in 2021. What with the rollout of vaccines to end the COVID-19 pandemic, and with it hopefully the...

The five factors of Caller Tolerance. (Part 2 of 2) In my January Contact Center Pipeline article, my topic was on the Art and Science of contact center management and its three driving forces: Random...

First in a three-part series on adaptability and adaptive leadership. (Part 1 of 3) The world is changing at a very rapid pace. Societal demands, and workplace and family demands are also evolving. With all...

Our top blog posts in April share a common theme with those from March. Our readers continue to focus on how to move forward in the new normal. Specifically this month, our authors talk...

Often it can be quite challenging getting buy-in from your team when you need to introduce new coaching methods, processes, and call guides. Or just about anything else that’s New. Why? Because most people don’t...

The earliest definition of contact center management that I know of came from Gordon MacPherson, founder of the Incoming Calls Management Institute (ICMI) in 1985. Gordon authored the Essentials Skills and Knowledge course, which...

During my time within the call/contact center industry I’ve had the opportunity to work on quite a few call center projects. I’ve noticed that some call centers were welcoming of my ideas. And some others...

As any American (or newcomer or visitor to the United States) can attest, contacting the U.S. government can be a daunting, almost intimidating, and too often a frustrating experience. Inadequate online self-help, limited interaction...

In this month's most-read posts, our authors offer insights on how the contact center agent's role has evolved and become more complex, how best to engage with your WFH agents, how to improve your...

As 2021 draws to a close, our readers are looking to improve their enterprise operations by promoting their value and visibility, harnessing the power of IVAs, and utilizing all the data the contact center...

Recently retired (OK, mostly retired), I felt the desire to reflect on a wonderful and challenging 40-plus-year contact center career. Numerous technological changes have taken place in the industry during that time. We have...

In today’s call centers, employers aren’t just looking for professional expertise or experience in team leaders. They’re also looking for other qualities like the ability to build rapport with customers, team members and other...

I have grown up (personally and professionally) over the past 30-plus years working in the call/contact center business. I began in the early ’80s when my husband David and I owned an “interconnect” telephone...

The world is changing at a very rapid pace. Societal demands, workplace and family demands are also evolving. With all these changes, we also must evolve and adapt to thrive! With a focus on...