Leadership

Credit unions are known for their commitment to serving their members. At a time when a growing number of businesses seem narrowly focused on using automation to deflect customer calls, many credit unions still...

Did you feel it? In the business world, the earth just moved below us all. Luckily, it was not an actual earthquake, but instead was the leaders of some of America’s 200 largest businesses...

This simple phrase was on a plaque in my home when I was growing up. For the longest time, I just couldn’t make sense of it. Decades later, the phrase has become abundantly clear,...

When it happens, you know it. We’re not talking about the garden variety slump, or the occasional, inexplicably poor decision. Even the greatest organizations deal with these hiccups from time to time. We’re talking...

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...

We are now well into 2021, and I hope this year will be a much better year for all. It is interesting that, although 2020 was such a tough year with so many challenges, for...

What defines best-in-class performance? ICMI recently announced the finalists for its Global Contact Center Awards Program. The winners in each of the 12 categories will be announced on May 5th at ICMI’s Contact Center...

COVID-19 has impacted everyone’s lives in so many ways. As we all learn to navigate our way through this global crisis, there are increasing demands on our contact center agents as well as the...

Launching a contact center is like a juggling act. You may want to start simply by throwing and catching one ball correctly, but soon there are three or four balls that you’re trying to...

In May 2017, the International Customer Management Institute (ICMI) recognized Bob Furniss, VP, Global Service Cloud Practice, Bluewolf, an IBM Company, with its Lifetime Achievement Award. According to ICMI, the recipient is “a person...

A stitch in time saves nine” is an idiom that first appeared in print in 1732… a long time ago. Its meaning is timeless and simple: DON’T DELAY! Take on tasks as they arrive...

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...

Since the publication of my first article in Pipeline (“Don’t Ignore the Economics of Your Contact Center,” October 2018), I have tried to bring a new voice focused on those that we govern, and...

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...

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...

Everyone could use a little more empathy these days. The desire to feel heard and understood is a basic human need, and one that has a proven impact for companies. Numerous studies have linked...

Great leadership is not always about being “right.” In fact, it rarely is. The leader’s job is to bring out the best in employees and to engage them in working together to do what’s...

I am not the biggest fan of Disney, but I have always had a warm spot for Fantasyland. A young friend of mine recently visited Disney World and among his tales of the trip...

Congratulations! Your contact center made it through 2020. Last year compressed five years’ worth of digital transformation, work-from-home initiatives, and massive customer contact volumes into just nine months. However, the New Year brings new...

I had the privilege to attend the 14th Annual NECCF (NorthEast Contact Center Forum) Vendor Expo at Gillette Stadium—Home of the World Champion New England Patriots—in Foxborough, MA, last week. I held Executive Talk Interviews...