We work in the most valuable industry in business. Not only do we hold the keys to business success through data and all the conversations had with customers, but we work in the most friendly, warm and welcoming sector in the form of the contact /customer service industry.
Celebrating all this is something I love doing each year at the UK National Contact Centre Awards. The big question is what does it take to be the best in our industry?
Through my role at the Call Centre Management Association (CCMA), I host countless discussions with contact centre leaders about how they tackle adversity and how they succeed. These stories need to be shared so that the whole industry can continue to evolve. That’s why we invite winners from the awards to tell their stories at the UK National Contact Centre Conference; to share what they are doing that is innovative and successful, and frankly, allows others to learn.
And that’s why, when I was approached by Sabio to host one of their sessions at their annual UK Disrupt event in London, I jumped at the chance.
My session, titled ‘CX: Who’s Winning & What’s Broken?’brought together a powerhouse panel of award winners, judges and experts. Helen Wilson, Chief Operations Officer at Atom Bank; Heather Drinkwater, Head of Operations at Benenden Health; and Joe Quinliven, Head of Customer Care at Gousto, all shared their wisdom as contact centre and customer service leaders. They were joined by seasoned industry consultants in the shape of Don Haddaway, Founder and Director of Artisiam; Nerys Corfield, Director of Injection Consulting; and Jason Roberts, Founder and Director of Appropriate Consulting to round off the panel.
So what were the key takeaways? Here are some of the secrets to customer service success that the panelists revealed:
While technology, data and AI play a huge role, the human element is alive and well in customer service. It all comes down to empowering people, both customers and employees.
I loved the way that Jason summed it up on the day: “It isn’t about volume metrics anymore. It’s about customer outcomes.”
Want to dive deeper into these insights and more? My full session from Sabio’s Disrupt event is available to watch here.
About the Author
Leigh Hopwood is CEO of the Call Centre Management Association (CCMA).
About Sabio
Sabio Groupis a global digital customer experience (CX) transformation specialist with major operations in the UK (England and Scotland), Spain, France, Netherlands, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa and India.
The Group, which includes ‘makepositive’, delivers solutions and services that seamlessly combine digital and human interactions to support exceptional customer experiences.
Through its own technology, and that of world-class technology leaders such as Avaya, Genesys, Verint, Twilio, Google, Amazon and Salesforce, Sabio helps organisations optimise their customer journeys by making better decisions across their multiple contact channels.
The Group works with major brands worldwide, including Aegon, AXA Assistance, Bankia, BBVA, BGL, Caixabank, DHL, loveholidays, Marks & Spencer, Rentokil, Essent, GovTech, HomeServe, Sainsbury’s Argos, Telefónica, Think Money and Transcom Worldwide.
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