Strategic planning

The expression “taking care of business” is defined by Merriam-Webster as “to do what needs to be done.” This is a more elegant definition...

In today’s business environment people matter. Customers rightly want the option of speaking to live agents. Automated self-service alone, even with sophisticated tools like...

Customer care is vital to any brand’s continued success—and its ability to provide this support service directly impacts both customer satisfaction and loyalty. That...

How to make self-service live up to its promise. Self-service has emerged as a key contact center strategy, both in terms of improving the customer...

I had the pleasure to interview Alex Martinez from OpenText this month. He oversees marketing for Contact Center and Voice of the Customer Analytics...

Contact center leaders must take charge of the inevitable transition to positioning the center as an enterprise strategic asset rather than a factory-like, back-room...

5th Talent International has completed three contact center work-at-home studies since the beginning of the 2020 pandemic. We learned that most employees prefer the...

As COVID-19 restrictions ease, contact center leaders are planning what their future work environment will look like. The hybrid work model, in which agents...

I’m going to start this month’s column with one of my life’s greatest mysteries, which I have yet to figure out. How can there be...

The closure of non-essential shops, remote working and online social gatherings has been the norm for over a year. However, while it might have...

The idiom strike while the iron is hot may be traced back at least to the 1500s and is a reference to the art...

The expression keep the ball rolling is an American variation of an older British expression keep the ball up, which people used idiomatically early...

For those of you expecting an introductory dissertation on Elton John’s song “Rocket Man” from the 1972 album Honky Chateau, or even a review...

Welcome, 2021! The new year always brings hope for new beginnings. Although COVID-19 is still the central focus of our everyday lives, the contact...

Get the ball rolling” is an idiom that means to start the action, to make the opening move.” Its origin gives America credit for...

I’ve been on my soapbox for years touting the importance of aligning the business strategy, the contact center operations strategy, and the contact center...

As contact center leaders plan for the post-pandemic recovery—both short- and long-term—where can they turn for reliable insights for informed decision-making? Contact centers that...

We are now into the final quarter of a year that will surely be remembered as one of the most chaotic in history. Many...

In this final installment of our three-part series on COVID-19’s impact on contact centers, our panel discusses how the rapid move to adopt or...

Our three-part series on COVID-19’s impact on contact centers and the shift to more flexible human and automated models continues with a look at...