Companies of all sizes are redefining how they engage with their employees and customers in this new era. Customer contact executives, in particular, are managing significant changes in contact volume and pivoting in real-time from operating brick-and-mortar facilities, to leading agents in a home-based environment. The following checklists reflect the latest operational readiness and remote workforce management priorities of individual members of the Customer Contact Week Advisory Board. 

Without a doubt, COVID-19 has drastically affected workforce management, digital transformation, consumer behavior, and financial forecasting. For most, the disease has put capital growth in organizations of all sizes, as well as their customers, on standby. But if you’re looking for a positive amid the disheartening pandemonium, look no further.

Three months ago it was very easy to ignore a business continuity plan (BCP), since many of us took for granted our business’ profitability, steady markets, engaging office cultures, and to put it bluntly, success. Thanks to that complacency, many are quickly forgetting what success tastes like.

We were already adapting to a new normal - one in which digital engagement, automation, cloud technology and new expectations changed the way we thought about customer contact. Then came COVID-19, which added immense urgency to these initiatives. Robust work-from-home and AI strategies became essential rather than admirable. CX objectives also changed, with companies, agents and customers reconsidering what they wanted to get out of interactions.

“How are you?”--three words that up until now have been an opening question or greeting now have a lot more weight when said to colleagues or customers. The answer is likely changing daily, if not throughout the day, depending on the physical and mental health of your teams. Take the time to ask and actively listen to the response to this question at different points throughout the week.

In an era of competing on the customer experience, we can never settle when it comes to the way we empower agents to engage with customers. The 2020 CXNext virtual conference’s theme of “reimagine customer engagement from start to finish” perfectly encapsulated this reality. It spoke to a professional community that is constantly looking for new ways to add value to its customer journeys and contact center operations.

The pandemic introduced many businesses to work-from-home, and the most employee-centric companies are thinking critically about the optimal role of remote work. Many studies have found that remote work makes people more engaged, satisfied and less likely to quit.

Technology should be easy. That premise holds true when we look at smartphone applications and all they’re capable of doing: photo editing, banking, stock transactions, weather forecasts in 30-minute increments, plus browsing and purchasing anything from anywhere across the globe. Often, however, “easy” is not the way we would describe the systems and applications we depend on for work -- especially in a call center.

The only constant is change. As a contact center VP, you know this has never been more true. You lead your teams through what feels like a supercharged wave pool of dynamic business demands, technology challenges, and evolving customer expectations. And, success depends on your ability to adapt to those pressures to deliver world-class experiences for your customers. You can’t press the pause button on your contact centers to redesign processes or improve the tech stack. You have to fix the car while you’re driving it. This report includes checklists, developed by the CCW Digital analyst team, that will guide you toward opportunities for improving the operational and service issues in your contact center.

The only constant is change. As a contact center manager or director, you know this has never been more true. You lead your teams through what feels like a supercharged wave pool of dynamic business demands, technology challenges, and evolving customer expectations. And, success depends on your ability to adapt to those pressures to deliver world-class experiences for your customers.

You can’t press the pause button on your contact centers to redesign processes or improve the tech stack. You have to fix the car while you’re driving it. This report includes checklists, developed by the CCW Digital analyst team, that will guide you toward opportunities for improving the operational and service issues in your contact center.

As they adjust to unfortunate economic circumstances, remote work, and digital transformation, brands are scrambling to keep their customer experience intact. For many, this has been a significant challenge. The Q1 climate took a toll on many businesses, demonstrated by market fluctuation and economic circumstances customer experience and financial analysts haven’t seen since the crisis of 07-08. To mitigate these challenging economic times and achieve some semblance of business continuity, contact center solutions have never been more important.

What does it take to deliver a customer-centric experience amid the coronavirus pandemic? The same qualities it took to deliver a customer-centric experience prior to the outbreak. Make no mistake: the current climate will require tactical changes. Brands may have to focus on different product lines. They may have to implement new customer service policies. They may have to reshape their sales and marketing messages. Here are 5 tips to harness digital and remote work capabilities.

Though unwise, it was very easy to ignore calls to develop a business continuity plan during periods of fortune. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, companies are seeing the consequences of their inactivity. They are unprepared for the changing realities of the workplace, and unable to swiftly satisfy their customers. It is time to rethink the approach, not only to support work-from-home in the near-term but to ensure your CX remains strong in the face of future risk.