Although the initial concept was to have each agent capable of working the entire stack of communications modes – voice, chat, and other channels – a degree of specialization has emerged in which some agents focus on voice and others specialize in asynchronous channels such as chat. “When you’re hiring people, you’ve got to consider the personality types that match, said Nice inContact’s Rusty Jensen. “It’s not just about emulating the one agent who’s really good. You need to reflect the personalities of the customer base. In terms of scheduling, you need to have the right combinations of people on the floor.” Workforce optimization and workforce engagement management constitute the underpinning of strategies around using the contact center as a way to drive maximum customer satisfaction while minimizing operational expenses through effective agent performance. Facets include flexible scheduling, plus personalized training and coaching. Gamification, which uses leader boards to measure success, can also help agents to stay motivated, assuming it’s not used in demeaning ways. “When you’re hiring people, you’ve got to consider the personality types that match” - Rusty Jensen (Nice inContact) “Frequently, organizations rely too heavily on performance metrics to drive agent efficiency,” said Geoff Chretien of Genesys. “That can result in employee disengagement and even unhappiness. When you are bombarding agents with a constant stream of numbers and targets, agents begin to become disenfranchised and eventually quit. It’s not unlikely to see contact center turnover of 70-100 percent on an annual basis. Employers need to keep in mind that good customer experiences start with the agent. “You need performance management to measure KPIs, but you also need accurate forecasting, the ability to trade shifts, and other things that accommodate work-life balance,” Chretien continued. “It’s important to reward agents for meeting and exceeding goals. Use agent surveys to gather their opinions. And, of course, automation overarches all of this.” Review the tools used in your contact center. Are they achieving desired outcomes? The contact center has largely become the new storefront. It has gained a crucial role in company success and needs to be viewed as such. Include operations teams in the development and use of these tools and practices. Copyright © 2021 AVANT Communications, Inc. AVANT | CCaaS 6-12 Report | 18