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CX QA Live! | The Agent-Centric Customer Experience Show

CX QA Live! | The Agent-Centric Customer Experience Show

By Vistio

CX QA Live!, the home of the agent-centric philosophy, is a show where we talk to the world’s leading CX experts about industry trends, CX technology, and transforming customer support into a strategic advantage for your business by focusing on the most important aspect of your CX operation: the agent.

Attend live every Tuesday @ 12PM ET: www.vistio.io/cxlive/

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Currently playing episode

From 411 Operator to Contact Center Geek: An Interview with Contact Center Operations Expert, Matt Beckwith | Recorded for Quality Assurance: Episode 8

CX QA Live! | The Agent-Centric Customer Experience ShowDec 15, 2021

00:00
34:42
Get Your Agents Outta That Box! - Part 2 | Ep 68

Get Your Agents Outta That Box! - Part 2 | Ep 68

Dec 25, 202334:37
Finding Inspiration for Doing CX Right Everywhere! | Ep 67
Dec 18, 202329:00
State of the Center: Addressing Teams with Transformative Transparency | Ep 66
Dec 11, 202329:20
The Cost of Ingratitude | Ep 65
Nov 27, 202327:38
Maximizing the Impact ot CX Training with AI | Ep 64

Maximizing the Impact ot CX Training with AI | Ep 64

AI has a variety of use cases, and we know how helpful it can be when assisting customers, but what if we were able to take advantage of it before we even deployed it out onto the front lines? How can we best use the advantages that AI provides us when it comes to training? Well, we've got Sheri Kendall with us yet again for another deep-dive into how your new agents and AI can coexist, and make your service teams even more efficient and empathetic.


[2:25 - 4:19] As contact centers, we usually have a very limited learning and developing budget. AI, specifically ChatGPT, can help us in this space by improving and coming up with ideas for new ways to learn.


[9:12 - 10:02] When we are using tools that allow us to become more efficient in the interaction with customers, it leaves space for us to develop power skills. Our power skills are what set each company apart. 


[14:19 - 15:20] People in learning and developing professions are excited to be allowed the space to define their skill set and get better. If you are not excited and you aren’t finding ways to integrate these new tools and technology into your practice, then you probably won’t be around in a year. 


[17:08 - 18:27] An issue that comes with having new technologies that are moving so quickly is being able to budget for them. You could start by using some free tools to demonstrate their efficiency, and make a case for the spending. You don’t have to have the money now, but starting to integrate and seeing the importance of these technologies is a good starting point to getting the money.


As always, thanks for tuning in! To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Nov 20, 202323:46
Utilizing AI to Enhance Human Productivity and Connection in CX | Ep 63

Utilizing AI to Enhance Human Productivity and Connection in CX | Ep 63

Artificial intelligence has the ability to revolutionize the customer experience. Some would argue that AI can replace your service/support teams and provide customers with a more efficient experience. Stacy Sherman sees AI in a different way.


There's so much value to human interactions and if we're going to do CX right, we need to recognize that AI is so much more than an agent replacement tool. In fact, we can use it to enhance the agent experience, creating better interactions for the agent and customer alike. 


Set your clocks appropriately, we've got a lot to learn from this special edition of "CX QA Live!" happening LIVE at 6:30AM from Reuter's CSX event in NYC!"


[ 2:50 - 4:08 ] Whether you’ve been using AI in your contact center or you’re new to AI, there’s room for improvement for everybody. Here’s an example of a use-case: AI can be implemented to listen to calls, register when problematic words are used and give leadership a chance to coach the agent. 


Overall, let’s give the agent more tools to save them time.


[ 5:01 - 5:28 ] When we talk about listening to the agent calls we aren’t listening to punish them. We are listening to be helpful.


[ 8:18 - 9:29 ]  Imagine being trapped in an elevator and calling the help line. Who would you rather talk to, AI or a human? 


[ 11:03 - 11:42 ]  You can also switch the narrative and call outbound, not to sell anything or to do a survey, but to ask if your customers are OK and see if there is anything you can do for them.


11-12 The agents need customer service too. When their computer doesn’t work they can get fast help and not have to wait two days. Or, if they are trying to find the answer to a customer’s question they could use a chatbot to get the support they need. Use AI to solve a  pain point for the agent.  


[ 17:26 - 18:13 ] Imagine using AI for training. It pretends to be a customer and the agent can practice in advance in a safe environment. This would be used for onboarding and ongoing training.  


[ 24:35 - 26 ]  Here’s how to pick your AI vendor.


As always, thanks for tuning in! To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Nov 13, 202328:49
Victim to Hero: Shaping the Destiny of the Contact Center | Ep 62

Victim to Hero: Shaping the Destiny of the Contact Center | Ep 62

We've all been there. At one point or another, we've felt helpless to circumstances beyond our control, and every failure has destroyed our spirit in some way. In the contact center, it's almost natural to feel like a victim when things go awry. However, Jeremy Hyde is going to help us shift that mindset and turn seemingly insurmountable obstacles into fantastic opportunities for growth. Get ready to own your mistakes, embrace your circumstances, and transform your contact center's destiny forever…


[ 4:54 - 6:11 ]  What does the victim mentality look like in the workplace? Let’s understand that it’s our job is to clean up problems. Let’s shift how we feel about it so we aren’t constantly upset. Think, “I’m the person that gets to help the organization get better!”


[ 8-9:50 ]  What does the hero mindset look like in the workplace? Taking ownership of challenges is empowering. 


[ 13:30 - 14:45 ]  As a leader, provide  your team a space where it’s safe to say, “This is what I could do better next time, and here’s how I can improve.”


[ 14:46 - 16:10 ] Never try to assign blame to others. I don’t care who made the mistake, but I do want to understand it so it doesn’t happen in the future. It takes humility to own up to our mistakes. That builds the culture of accountability without any of the negativity that comes along with assigning blame. 


[ 17:52 - 20:44 ]  How can we reprogram our brain so that we actually seei challenges as opportunities?


As always, thanks for tuning in! To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Nov 06, 202329:25
Engaging the People That Engage With Us | Ep 61

Engaging the People That Engage With Us | Ep 61

People are at the heart of business. Always have been; always will be. However, managing your entire workforce can be daunting, and making even the smallest mistake can have drastic consequences. So what can you do to prevent that from happening? If you're Dan Smitley, you get that workforce engaged! We'll be focused on WFM strategy in today's discussion, but we'll also be breaking down Dan's session from ICMI last week, as well as going over the conference experience in general. If you missed out on the conference this year, don't miss out on this episode!


[6:42 - 7:57] As a vendor, a lot of thought goes into the booth, its decor, and what you present, but the most important part of these events is the people. It’s such a magical moment when you are able to meet your online friends and really get to network with others. 


[8:21 - 9:11] Workforce Management (WFM) has three primary buckets: forecasting, scheduling, and real time management. In essence, we are asking how many calls or interactions we are getting, who's going to be taking them, and how we manage, in real time, when we are wrong about how many calls or people we have coming in. 


[15:04 - 17:08] Oftentimes, WFM removes themselves from conversations and being heard, because all they say is that it’s not their problem. What WFM needs to think through is if we are going to look at employee engagement and investing in the employee. Then they need to stay in these conversations of where the company is going. 


[22:47 - 24:45] To go after that paradigm shift and start breaking down silos, we first need to look at people complexly. People are more than just the numbers and there needs to be so much more curiosity in the people, before we start adjusting people’s life and working patterns. 


As always, thanks for tuning in! To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Oct 30, 202330:55
Human-First AI in the Contact Center | Ep 60

Human-First AI in the Contact Center | Ep 60

Coming to you LIVE from Orlando, FL! We've got a special episode of the show coming to you live from Vistio's booth (#805) at the ICMI Contact Center Expo! This time around we're turning the tables and show veteran Stacy Sherman has Rob Connelly in the hot seat on the topic of human-first AI. What does that entail? You'll have to tune in to find out!


[ 3:22 - 4:39 ] Human-first AI is an implementation or use of AI that does not detract from the quality of life of the humans involved, rather, it takes tasks that aren’t ideal for humans, that don’t offer value to humans and gives them to AI to do instead.


[ 10:02 - 12:24 ] Wondering how to pick a software vendor? Make sure that your software vendor’s vision is aligned with your own. The software vendors’ actual business goals in the long run will be facilitated by evaluating more longer term value that they bring to their customers through the problems that they solve with their software and the way that they solve it. 


[ 62:21 - 20:54 ] Speaking to the fear people are facing of losing jobs, let’s break down several layers of resistance. Agents are afraid of losing their jobs. People are concerned with AI in general. 


[ 22:05 - 22:45 ]  We as humans need to feel connections in our work. We can’t just clock in and clock out. The quality of our work will decline. If brands are not creating for their agents a genuinely safe place to find human connection, agents will leave and go find it somewhere else. 


[ 25:04  - 26:36 ] We are all a little bit tired of the AI conversation. Many of us feel pressured to find an AI solution. At the end of the day any implementation needs comes down to understanding the opportunities and the problems of the contact center. 


As always, thanks for tuning in! To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Oct 25, 202330:40
CX Whac-A-Mole: The Optimization Game | Ep 59

CX Whac-A-Mole: The Optimization Game | Ep 59

We already know how important it is to optimize the customer experience. However, if you're hyper-optimizing each department individually, you could be creating siloed, disjointed experiences and not even realize it! Luckily, Dave Seaton is here to share how zooming out and analyzing the journey from start to finish will help you create better experiences for your customers AND agents alike!


[5:11 - 6:23] The antidote to hyper-optimization is to zoom out, adopt a customer journey perspective and then go intentionally design your customer experience around those moments that actually matter. This is the most efficient way of creating a better experience for your customers, while not using up your resources. 


[7:24 - 9:15] A great tool to help organizations understand this is the customer journey map. This map helps visualize how decisions made affect the contact center, and really illustrates how the CX whac- a-mole works. 


[15:59 - 17:26] We always are in a hurry to get clients off the phone and solve their problems quickly, but what if we keep them on the phone a little bit longer and avoid them having to call back again in the future? If you understand the customer's journey, then you can proactively solve their next issue. 


[21:22 - 23:58] Using the customer journey map is like comparing gambling and investing in the stock market. Sure you have the chance of hitting the jackpot, but you are much more likely to make money in the stock market. You have the chance to have success without the customer journey map, but you are so much more likely to succeed with it. 


As always, thanks for tuning in! To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Oct 23, 202329:55
Coaching With Compassion | Ep 58

Coaching With Compassion | Ep 58

Even in the toughest situations, your agents should handle every customer interaction with grace and compassion. What's the best way to do that? Well, if you're Sheri Kendall, you show your agents just that while you're coaching them. We're excited to bring back our resident training expert in this discussion where we'll highlight the benefits of coaching your agents with compassion.


[4:44 - 6:13] The employee experience is the beginning of everything, and the first part of the employee experience is a commitment to their whole human self. We need to start by lighting up the brain and finding out what matters to them in the workplace. After we’ve accomplished that, you can create a  coaching plan, like coaching with compassion. 


[11:59 - 14:32] Since business has taken a massive shift to being online, there need to be ways of having compassion with those who aren’t in the room. Even though it’s weird, a big part of this is making sure that when you are online, you have your camera on! If your goal is to build a connection, then being on camera is the correct move to make. 


[16:45 - 17:35] While the culture of making space for psychological safety is important, it’s Sheri’s mission to remind you that you matter! You can make a difference wherever your seat is. We don’t have to wait for the people at the top to make the change. 


[22:08 - 25:01] What we are not saying here is that compassion replaces business outcomes as the main goal. What we are saying is that one of the main ways of accomplishing the business outcomes that every business is looking for is by making sure that your employees feel compassion. It is our moral obligation to make sure that we are developing our employees.  


As always, thanks for tuning in! To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Oct 16, 202328:06
Get Your Agents Outta That Box! | Ep 57

Get Your Agents Outta That Box! | Ep 57

What's the biggest issue that contact centers face? Go ahead and point to your favorite performance or quality metric, but the issue extends far beyond your data. The real issue is that agents are treated as "glorified" order takers. Your agents are the literal lifeblood of your contact center, and Nate Brown is going to take us back to school to teach us all just how much value your agents have and the strategic advantage they can provide to the organization as a whole.


[3:51 - 4:24] Agents should not be ticket takers. It may be part of their jobs, but there is so much more insight and connection that they have that they should do something greater with it. It’s important for agents and their leaders to know their worth. 


[10:54 - 12:02] We have successfully automated a lot of the transactional stuff, so now what we are left with are the complicated and creative interactions. These types of interactions can only be accomplished with agents. We need a great digital ecosystem that can give information to the agent so that they can help the customer in a way that only an agent can do.  


[18:36 - 20:24] If you are an agent who is hopping from contact center to contact center and remaining in a front line agent role, you need to get smarter and come into your power. Examine your interactions and find ways to go beyond this ticket-taking mode. You don’t have to be a leader to help the organization embrace new ideas.


[24:47 - 26:45] It’s all about time. We want to be generating long term values and if we are really looking at how we can generate more long term value in 2024, then that needs to happen at the CX level. 


As always, thanks for tuning in! To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Oct 02, 202331:11
Foundations of Agent Career Growth | Ep 56

Foundations of Agent Career Growth | Ep 56

Let's be honest. Who aspires to be a contact center agent? It's a dead-end job that someone has to do in order for businesses to succeed... Except it's not! There are so many opportunities for agents to learn and develop into leadership roles. Lisa Guzman returns to the stage to show us how to embrace every skill and trait agents have that will transform them into the best leaders.


[ 2:36 - 3:14 ] Agents are sometimes viewed as replaceable and there is a certain level of attrition that it just accepted in customer service, but that’s actually a really big loss of knowledge.


[ 5:50 - 7:34 ] Agents can tell when they aren’t valued, but if you invest in them they’ll pay you back with their performance. Encourage them to be the CEO of their own career, and give them a track for career growth.  


[ 7:58 - 9:49 ] This human being is a very valuable asset. They know things you don’t know, and they talk to your customer all day. The contact center shouldn’t just be thought of as a cost. It’s a customer retention center. It’s an interface for the business and the customer. Q: How can we communicate this to leaders? A: Break down the silos that separate customer support from the other departments of the company.


[ 15:17 - 16:24 ] Agents are trained to look at their metrics. As they move into leadership roles they need to learn that there are less concrete ways to show their value. They either need to save the company money or make the company money. 


[ 17:40 - 18:08 ] Don’t be disappointed if your idea doesn’t pan out and the company doesn’t go with it. The important thing is that you’ve shown yourself as a thinker. 


[ 22:20 - 23:50 ] Should agents continue pursuing higher education to move up in a contact center?


Yes, empowering agents is the right thing to do morally, but it’s also the right thing to do for profitability. 


As always, thanks for tuning in! To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Sep 25, 202329:37
Simulated Interactions, Real Agent Value | Ep 55

Simulated Interactions, Real Agent Value | Ep 55

You can train your agents on your knowledge base, your process, and your entire system, but how do you train them to actually handle a call? Do you just send them into the queue with your fingers crossed? Heck no! We're joined with the Brohawk himself, Mark Brody as we explore why simulated customer interactions can help sharpen those ever-important soft skills agents need.


[3:11 - 4:28] The number one reason why call simulations matter is because the mock calls that you do in training are just not good enough. We need to be able to simulate what the environment is going to be like when we don’t have training wheels on. 


[9:52 - 11:38] One of the biggest shortcomings of mock calls is the inability to build empathy. The mock calls are very focused on how calls can be managed from a green path, but call simulations focus on coming to the right resolution for that customer. 


[15:24 - 17:39] The importance of having an agent at the point of resolution so that the customer can have confidence in your brand's ability to resolve the customer's conflict is much more impactful than what any AI can accomplish. 


[21:00 - 22:56] Knowledge makes all the difference in a contact center. Your agent’s knowledge is only as good and accurate as their knowledge base is. So companies need to focus on knowledge alignment to develop the most experienced agents. 


As always, thanks for tuning in! To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Sep 18, 202328:45
CX"Queue"A Live! | Ep 54
Sep 04, 202328:16
Revisiting the Contact Center of the Future | Ep 53
Aug 28, 202334:10
Training Agents in the Age of AI - Part 2 | Ep 52

Training Agents in the Age of AI - Part 2 | Ep 52

We're in for a treat today! We covered a lot of ground the last time we spoke with Sheri Kendall, but we've still got even more to go! AI and agent training feels especially topical in today's market, so we're diving back into the discussion and finding even more rabbit holes to go down that will help contact center leaders think about the relationship between agents and AI.


[2:41 - 3:50] There are around 100 AI tools that can assist with efficiency. Some of these tools can even help improve coaching, so that we can provide ourselves with new knowledge and growth. 


[10:01 - 11:16] The AI tools need the training and information that we put into it, so we need to be very thoughtful about what information we are putting into it. The AI is interacting with both your employees and your customers, so we need to be aware of what it knows. 


[15:55 - 16:30] The reality is that if you don’t have agents thinking of working with you as part of their career, then they are going to have a lot of fear around being replaced. You don’t want your agents thinking this way, because you need their skills and intelligence to train the AI.


[16:58 - 18:08] If your agents are worried about losing their jobs to AI, then we would encourage the leaders and organizations to really consider how AI can enhance their jobs rather than replace. If your agents are focused on the fear of losing their jobs then the quality of customer service is going to go down. 


[19:34 - 22:16] With the increased chances of emergency situations with a natural disaster, we need to be proactive. We need to have contingency plans put in place and know how to support our agents through these situations. 


As always, thanks for tuning in! To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Aug 21, 202324:06
Agent Feedback: The Untapped Value | Ep 51

Agent Feedback: The Untapped Value | Ep 51

If you have a contact center, you're sitting on a goldmine of customer insights. Everyone knows that! What you may not realize is you also are able to get direct feedback from the people who deal with your process everyday. Longtime friend of the show and now our featured guest, Chafik Abdellaoui is here to share his ideas and experiences in attaining and applying this feedback in the contact center.


[ 7:50 - 8:25 ]  When you have a call center with an environment that is separated it’s harder to make sure that leaders actually receive the feedback from the reps and agents. Alternatively, when everybody reports to the leader, the feedback is implemented more quickly and more easily. 


[ 11:15 - 13:47 ]  As a former agent who is now in a leadership role Chafik is convinced that the fewer barriers to feedback, the better. In feedback sessions and “town halls” the bulk of the time needs to be given to the front lines so they can share their feedback. 

[ 13:56 - 14:41 ]  Remain connected. Listen to calls, whatever role you are in. And better yet, go a step further by doing shadowing sessions every quarter. 


[ 16:37 - 20:40 ]  Agent feedback is priceless, but businesses make decisions using numbers. So where is the balance when you’re operating at a large scale? Make sure you’re shadowing agents from a variety of performance levels so the metrics are helpful in going head to head against the numbers.


[ 27:26 - 28:38 ]  People saying that something is a good idea is not real buy-in. The truth is, we just tend to be agreeable and often offer verbal support of ideas. It’s about actually seeing value and working together on the right ideas that deserves buy-in.

As always, thanks for tuning in! To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Aug 14, 202330:15
Everything is CX | Ep 50

Everything is CX | Ep 50

Many would argue that business is all about sales and playing the numbers game. Guess what? They're wrong. The truth is, without customers, there is no business. Join us, along with Philip Bennett, as we reveal why focusing on customer experience agents is vital to servicing, not just your customers, but quite literally everyone.

[ 3:57 - 4:29 ] What does your customer get when they choose you over your competitor? They get YOU!

[ 10:34 - 11:43 ] My job as the manager is to assign the credit and take the blame.

[ 11:56 - 14:09 ] We say ‘Fail hard, fail fast.’ But do we really allow people to do that? Or do we punish them? Management literally pays for agent’s to make mistakes We’re paying for their education so let’s keep them around so we can benefit from that! Kenneth adds “The leader takes the bullet. The team takes the glory.” That’s real buy-in and leadership. 


[ 16:54 - 18:12 ] What should CEOs say when they are asked the question, “What keeps you awake at night?” I never hear them answer the way I think they should. They should say, “What keeps me up at night is that the very person who talks to my customer, representing my company, using my voice, is the person who everyone in the company is trying to downsize, automate or outsource.” That’s the biggest shame in the world.  


[ 22:05 - 23:35 ] Asking front line agents for ideas is one of the best things you can do.

[ 24:55 - 25:04 ] It’s the small ideas that are the great ones to implement, not the big, flashy ones.

[ 26:32 - 29:14 ] After AI comes into the call center we may even need more agents because volume will increase, automation will take care of mundane tasks and agents will be needed for more intricate calls. 

Let’s remember that everyone is a customer, and customer experience is everything to our company.

As always, thanks for tuning in! To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Aug 07, 202331:20
Measuring the Value of Common CX Metrics | Ep 49

Measuring the Value of Common CX Metrics | Ep 49

CSAT. NPS. AHT. Nearly every contact center has held their agents accountable for metrics like this to evaluate success. Does everyone really understand the values behind the measurements, or do we all just go along with it because it's “the way it’s always been done"? We've got Doug Rabold in the hot seat, helping us realize the true merit of metrics and how they can impact agent performance for better... or worse.


[6:21- 7:24] It’s important in any environment where you are looking at different metrics and various key performance indicators to look at them holistically. Each piece impacts another piece leading to a different performance. 


[10:39- 11:29] When a customer is calling in and they have a policy problem with how the company is treating the customer, there is nothing the agent can do about it. The agent could be fantastic, but if the policies are anti-customer then you aren’t going to figure that out with certain measurements. 


[14:12- 15:56] The biggest limitation of the metrics being used is how they only survey those who are consuming the service. They do not survey those who have given up on the service. These perspectives are just as necessary, if not more, in how to measure the service.


[20:58- 22:16] There are the five questions that you can ask to better improve your surveying, to make sure all opinions are heard and your company can grow. The areas that you’d want to ask questions about are quality, speed, technical ability, approachability, and communication. 


As always, thanks for tuning in! To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Jul 31, 202327:55
Training Agents in the Age of AI | Ep 48

Training Agents in the Age of AI | Ep 48

Jul 24, 202328:57
Agent Value in the CX Marketplace | Ep 47

Agent Value in the CX Marketplace | Ep 47

When deciding on how to build out a support team, it's important to analyze the tech and tools you'll be utilizing to do so. However, while it's important to know the value of all of that, it's even more important to recognize the indispensable value of sitting right in front of you. Join us live with Stacy Sherman as we discover more than the monetary value that lives in your contact center right now!




[ 5:34 - 7:00 ] Agent value is human value. It’s how the company uses their staff to deliver value to the customer and how they make sure the agent feels valued through actions. The individual also needs to own their value. The reason this is becoming such a hot topic is because contact center outsourcing is booming and so the agent is actually the product of the BPO. 

[ 7:03 - 8:16 ] We are transitioning as an industry from 'how much work can we get from and agent and still get minimum quality scores’ toward ‘seeing the agent, and even marketing the agent, as a competitive advantage.’ and this is exciting. Everyone is boasting “better talent.”

[ 13:15 - 14:30 ] Think about how high pressure it is to be on the phone, running through multiple computer screens, and trying to find answers to the customers’ questions. Data and technology can help this story.  

[ 15:55 - 17:15 ] How leadership can help with an agent who is having a hard day so that they are supported. 

[ 22:04 - 24:25 ] Lisa’s question: The difference between agent value and also the value of the independent contractors we work with.

[ 26:26 - 29:51 ] Shafik’s question: Technology can enhance (customer and agent) experience but AI is not sufficient by itself. There will always be cases where AI won’t work, like emergency response. Make sure you have the right application for the tool so humans can move beyond repetitive and mundane tasks like password resets. 

Paradoxically, the world is huge and small at the same time. Offshore options are more and more competitive. We can find our edge by embracing a career mindset toward the agents and caring about their value.


Learn more about Stacy Sherman from her podcast Doing CX Right


As always, thanks for tuning in! To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Jul 17, 202332:35
The VoA Playbook and Why You Need One | Ep 46

The VoA Playbook and Why You Need One | Ep 46

It's very easy for companies to claim they support improving the agent experience and giving them a voice. But how do you actually demonstrate that? Well, for Jeremy Hyde it's just a matter of creating that space for your agents. Join our session today to learn how you can create an action plan for your contact center, with no financial investment required!


Topics we discuss:


[ 3:54 - 5:45 ] 

What’s the difference between saying that you care about giving your agents a voice and actually having a Voice of the Agent playbook? Until you have a specific plan, VoA activities just feel like one more thing you need to remember to do. Hope isn’t a strategy. “What gets measured gets managed.” Make it part of your day in a very specific way. Talk is one thing, but if you put goals, measurements, and accountability in place you are actually showing that the agent matters to you. 


[ 11:33 - 12:12 ] 

The driving force is seeing a pattern of attrition. Let’s implement improvements and ideas before it’s too late. So that you can make a case to upper management about implementing agents’ ideas, get your stats in order for how many hours per year are unproductive and what your percentage of attrition is.


[ 17:14 - 19:03 ]

The feedback we get from our team members is, “I’ve never worked anywhere else where my feedback is valued so highly” and “Thank you so much for explaining why.” We are building serious goodwill with our team when we listen to our agents. Do you show how much you care for and respect what they bring to the table?  


[ 23: 00 - 25:40 ]


Here are some specific ways to respond to verbal agent feedback and how to make sure their comments, ideas and suggestions go through the full review process. Let it be anonymous, but be timely and 100% transparent about each piece of feedback that has been submitted and the status of reviewing it. Over time, you’ll prove cynics and nay-sayers wrong. You’ll prove that you actually care about agent feedback. 


As always, thanks for tuning in! To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Jul 06, 202327:45
CX and Women Leadership | Ep 45

CX and Women Leadership | Ep 45

Live from CCW in Las Vegas, we'll be bringing back one of our "CX QA Live!" regulars for a very special topic. Serving as a director for ACEL, Co-Founder and COO of Support U, it's our dear friend Dr. Hui Wu-Curtis speaking on the most important asset in your CX leadership teams. Also, we have Stacy Sherman in the host seat this week and we're anticipating some CX greatness to happen, so don't miss it!



[2:29- 2:54] We as women feel like there are only so many spots at the top and we are all fighting for them. This isn’t always true, and because of this it’s hard to ask for help. We don’t want to show vulnerability and we always want to achieve. So it’s easier for us to just figure it out for ourselves than to ask for help. 


[7:50- 8:53] There are so many great options for technology to help with the work, but many people are afraid that the tech will replace the worker. New tech has lead to a focus on how to bring the humanity back into CX. Women leaders are important for this task, because they tend to be more conscientious about the human and emotional elements of their staff.


[15:33- 15:54] If we want to be leaders in our businesses, then we need to be okay with the uncomfortable when we ask for that higher pay or leadership role. Let’s feel it and move through it.


[21:34- 22:17] The biggest teachers are mistakes. So taking moments were you made mistakes and using them as growth moments and building blocks helps improve your ability to be a good leader. It’s important to have a safe space to make mistakes and be able to reflect and learn from them.


As women working in CX it’s important that we go for leadership positions and support one another in our work force. You don’t have all the answers and you don’t need all the answers, so let’s help each other out!


As always, thanks for tuning in! To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Jun 26, 202328:25
How to be "People Fertilizer" as a Contact Center Leader | Ep 44

How to be "People Fertilizer" as a Contact Center Leader | Ep 44

Have you ever heard of "People Fertilizer?" While it might sound like something out of the 1973 dystopian thriller "Soylent Green," we promise there's no human composting involved. Rather, we're going to be focusing on how you can help your contact center agents grow into incredible, hard-working leaders. Lisa Guzman is here to help elucidate what exactly it takes to be the "people fertilizer" in your contact center, and why you need to start doing it today!

[5:32- 6:37] What is being a “people fertilizer”? Everyone knows that fertilizers provide the proper nutrients that allow plants to grow faster. So as a people fertilizer, you look at the reports and see what is missing. After the gap is identified, you can align yourself and your plan with your employees and fix it. 

[10:18- 11:02] Lisa Guzman shares with us her four magic words that she uses all the time whether it’s with new hires or people trying to level up. These words are “I believe in you”. While these words are very simple, most of the people who are in these struggles have never heard them. I believe in you, because I know you are capable. 

[16:23- 17:04] There’s this sandwich that you are put in as an agent where you get flack from your leaders, but you're also dealing with customers yelling at you too. This can be a lot of pressure for someone in customers service, which is likely why there is such a high turnover. There are several ways to relieve those pressure points that businesses should look into and implement. 

[20:50- 21:20] The people working in customer service are actually brand ambassadors for their company, as most of the time they are the only form of contact that the customer has with the company. You want to be feeding into and developing those people. The customer service reps are the company's voice. 

Customer service is very important to a company's brand. It can make or break your business and when it comes to maintaining the image and brand, customer service is a very important aspect. Really taking the time to develop and strengthen your customer service team is very important to the growth of your company. 

As always, thanks for tuning in! To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Jun 19, 202329:03
A Special JEPPPisode | Ep 43

A Special JEPPPisode | Ep 43

When you find your purpose in life, you feel more at peace and experience a sense of belonging like no other. In Japan, this concept is known as "Ikigai" or "your reason for being." In Milan Batinich's eyes, there are key teachings that exist within this concept that you can apply to your career and he calls it "JEPPP." And who else needs that sense of belonging more than your contact center agents? Join our discussion on how JEPPP can become the focal point for your agents, and learn how doing so can help you see ROI in MANY different ways.


[3:55- 6:37] What is JEPPP? J stands for joy and discovering what brings you joy when coming to work. The letter E stands for energy and how being in the proper role for who you are brings you energy. The first letter P stands for passion, and doing the type of work that you are passionate about. The second P stands for peace and creating a calm stress-free environment at work. The third P stands for purpose and finding your purpose in your work. 

[11:18- 12:16] Managing and coaching all of your employees the same way will not work. Everyone has different needs that should be met, and one solution does not always work for everybody. It’s important to listen to each of your agents to manage them in a way that will allow them to feel purposeful and lead to success. 

[19:46- 20:50] The leaders of companies are so busy with the other aspects of their jobs that they aren’t able to focus on and communicate with the agents. The leaders need to be able to put in the work and communicate to make an employee-first culture. This type of culture is cost effective and will allow the company to have more success. 

[23:59- 24:36] There are so many organizations that focus on external motivators rather than internal motivators. Speaking to these internal factors and motivators will allow the employee to be more in touch with their JEPPP and more motivated to work. 

Integrating JEPPP into your business and the way that you manage will have tons of benefits to improving the work culture and work quality. Having joy, energy, passion, peace, and purpose in your work will make working so much better. 


As always, thanks for tuning in! To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Jun 12, 202329:27
Understanding the Role and Value of Humans in Customer Service in an Age of AI Innovation | Ep 42

Understanding the Role and Value of Humans in Customer Service in an Age of AI Innovation | Ep 42

In the age of AI innovation, it's crucial to recognize the unique role of humans in customer service. While AI can automate certain tasks, humans bring irreplaceable qualities to the table. Come along with Justin Robbins as we use data to unpack the value of the human experience in an AI focused market.


[7:13- 8:14] AI’s biggest role and impact is how it enables us to exponentially scale, so we can learn from and leverage data. AI helps improve our customer experience and interaction to make the experience better for the customer. 

[14:28- 15:43] There will be a number of things to keep AI in check,  but we can’t just set it and forget it. AI needs to be watched and used properly to keep us all in check economically and morally.


[17:03- 18:48] One of the key principles is being clear on what your desired outcome is and how you will know it when you see it. First, where are you trying to go? Second, understand the role that you are wanting automation or people to fill. Third, you need to be okay to test, integrate and fail. 


[21:58- 24:07] There’s going to be an increasing in acceptance of AI in a number of applications. The line will constantly be walked in what is too much AI involvement and how much human interaction there is. It will need to be an active effort to include the human touch and maintain it in your strategy. 


Overall, be reasonable with yourself and the process of strategically integrating AI into your business. No one person is going to figure this out on their own and no one person should have to figure it out on their own. 


As always, thanks for tuning in! To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Jun 06, 202330:58
Strategies For Doing CX (and AX) Right! With Stacy Sherman | Ep 41

Strategies For Doing CX (and AX) Right! With Stacy Sherman | Ep 41

We are very excited to welcome Stacy Sherman with us back on the podcast to discuss how to do CX and AX right. Agents are working in the front lines just as much as your sales team, so it’s important that they are being treated right. This starts with the leaders and the empowerment that the leaders give to their agents to do their job properly. Business will thrive when they put focus on their agents and their experience.

 

[3:49-4:40] Agents are humans too, so just imagine being in their position. If you don’t have the right technology and tools to properly help the customer, then the you're going to be frustrated and the customer will notice it and feel frustrated as well, causing a much larger ripple effect with no solutions. 

[10:45-11:42] Leaders in brands need to take feedback and use it to build strategies and implement changes. Agents are integral to that, because they are chatting with the customers every day. Often times brands don’t rely on the agent feedback, and that is a mistake. There is so much benefit to including agent input in these discussions.

[18:44-12:05] Technology can improve efficiency, as it helps agents do their repetitive tasks. The technology allows the agents to actually focus on the customer experience rather than doing their other small tasks. Secondly, technology helps agents, by giving them a larger access to information, which improves and speeds up the customers’ experiences. Technology also helps agents with communication and collaboration with other agents. 

[25:45-27:36] Agents are expecting to be able to work how they want, when they want and where they want. Agents also know there are a lot of opportunities for them to do gig work. It’s important that business understand the other options that are available to agents. Put an emphasis on the agent experience and that starts with the right leadership. The companies that are going to win have a dedicated team and are not just checking boxes.

Agents will go where they are treated well and it will be seen in the business’s bottom line. This is just the reality. The reality we are now in is very different than it was three years ago and those changes need to be seen and implemented in our businesses.


As always, thanks for tuning in! To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

May 22, 202329:48
The Best Qualities That Will Lead Your Agents to Contact Center Success | Ep 40

The Best Qualities That Will Lead Your Agents to Contact Center Success | Ep 40

Managing a contact center is no easy task. Any given contact center can take upwards of 1,000+ calls a day. Whether you're a part of a BPO, an auto dealer, or in telecommunications, how exactly can you retain a mighty workforce to handle that kind of workload? Armando Coronado is here to share his personal experiences in the contact center, and what leadership qualities he embodies to empower his agents to feel right at home in the contact center.

We want the best work from our agents, but how can we as leaders make that possible? Today’s discussion will revolve around the best qualities that we as leaders can build in our agents to allow them to produce more and better work. 


[4:31- 7:18]  Being genuinely compassionate and caring for your team goes beyond just general niceties. At the bare bones of it, having care for your team is essential for your success. You can’t have success without your team, but the biggest part about having genuine care for your team is a focus on the three dimensions of a relationship. You have a human side, a business side and a hidden side. If these parts can all be addressed and properly cared for, then your business will thrive. 

[10:51- 11:41] We have to realize that being compassionate and being passionate are similar, but not the same. We have to be compassionate that not every contact center agent is passionate about what they are doing, but that they are passionate about who they are doing it for. This is where the agent's hidden side is and we need to be compassionate to that. 

[19:08-19:43] One of the most important things you can do as a leader is to fail hard and to fail fast. That way, by you're being bold, you are not afraid of taking chances. You're also demonstrating that you can solve issues as needed. Meanwhile, continue to rely on your team and their performance. 

[20:10- 21:37]  There is a lack of authenticity in the culture not the people. It is not necessary for individuals to hold up the culture, but rather it is the job of the business itself to provide an authentic culture. The mission and the values of your company have to be focused on how you deliver them on a daily basis. The culture of your company is pinning your values up and showing who you are as a company. 


Your success is based upon your team’s success, so it’s important that your team is as successful as possible. Remember to be bold, be compassionate, and be authentic when leading your team. 


Armando Coronado has a podcast of his own called The Lion & The Duck. Make sure to check it out!


As always, thanks for tuning in! To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

May 15, 202330:11
The Agent Metrics Obsession That’s Killing Customer Experience | Ep 39

The Agent Metrics Obsession That’s Killing Customer Experience | Ep 39

There's something addictive about improving performance metrics. It seems there's some innate fascination with watching numbers get bigger and smaller over time. However, this sort of "metric obsession" can have adverse effects on your contact center. Join us as we chat with Dave Seaton⁠ about how obsessing over metric goals is hurting the customer experience, as opposed to helping it. We're analyzing actual stories and case studies of the unintended consequences of performance management systems.


[ 3:20-5:51 ]  Let’s start off with an example where customers were complaining of long turn around times. A performance management system was put in place incentivizing programers to hit a quote of sending 32 projects per month to quality assurance. The programmers modified their behavior to meet the quota. Productivity shoots through the roof, programers qualify for the rewards and avoid the punishments as outlined in the performance management system, but ... the turn around times actually got longer. 


How did this happen? 

How do unintended consequences subvert our good intentions?


[ 8:46 - 9:05 ]  Remember The Good Hearts Law: when a metric becomes a target it ceases to be a good metric, because behavior will change to achieve the metric, and not necessarily to produce the intended consequences.


Most people, when they discover this dilemma of unintended consequences, decide to stop incentivizing the metric, but rather to incentivize the behaviors that will drive the metric. This is a good first step. The next problem may be that the behavior-driven incentives also had unintended consequences.  


[ 12:39 - 14:31 ]  So, here’s the answer to the million dollar question: We must first diagnose what customers value about interactions with us. Define the experience we’re trying to provide. Then measure that in every way you can, because we aren’t saying metrics are unhelpful. Continue with a thorough root cause analysis. Next, improve the metrics, and then put a governance system in place so we don’t revert to previous practices. 

So back to our example with the programers who were gaming the system - How did management fix the issue? They analyzed all of the root causes and put a new performance management system in place that was based on team performance. The programer no longer succeeded or failed based on individual performance. 


Today’s real question is how do we learn to think differently?

The rallying cry is always, “how do we do more with less?”

[ 25:15 - 27:12 ]  Here’s another great example out of the airline industry in Europe from the 70s and 80s. They committed to their niche and didn’t let any other metic get in the way. 


As always, thanks for tuning in! To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

May 08, 202329:34
The Impact of AI on CX Quality | Ep 38

The Impact of AI on CX Quality | Ep 38

Continuing the topic of AI, today we are being joined by Doug Rabold to discuss how AI impacts the quality of our work and how can learn how to properly use AI. We’ve seen before in sales and marketing how new technologies can shape the market and this can happen with AI in CX too. To make sure that there is a growth in quality, it’s important that we educate ourselves on the capabilities of AI and how to properly use it to our advantage. 

[ 7:37- 8:03 ]  A good understanding of a particular tool allows you to make good use of the tool. If you just start with the tool and don’t know how to use it, then you will feel the negatives of the tool far more than the benefits.

[ 12:11-12:34 ]  You’ve got to make sure that these tools work with your long term strategy, not just the flavor of the day. The data shows that there are uses for AI in CX, but it has to fit into your overarching business strategy. Don’t just throw it in there because everyone else is doing it. 

[ 17:09-19:08 ]  It’s much easier and cost effective to keep current clients happy than it would be to find new ones, however it’s being found that it’s much harder to do so when taking the agent out of the equation. No one wants to talk to a computer, and frustrations can be raised when it’s difficult to speak to a human. Many people prefer talking straight to humans, especially in high tension situations.

[ 20:56- 21:22 ]  If an AI agent can fully understand humans’ emotional needs than that would not be good. The more power we give a tool, the more power can be used in different ways that we may not like or benefit from. It’s important to view the ethics of advancements like AI. 

At end of the day, customers come first so it’s important that AI improves their experience. AI has the potential to be a helpful tool, but it’s up to us to make sure we are using it properly and educating ourselves to create the best possible quality. 

To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

May 01, 202328:35
Human Intelligence vs Artificial Intelligence in CX | Ep 37

Human Intelligence vs Artificial Intelligence in CX | Ep 37

In today’s episode, we will be continuing to explore AI and its impact on the CX community, specifically by viewing the relationship of human intelligence versus artificial intelligence. Fred Stacey joins us as we discuss the rapid growth of technology and how the acceleration of innovation makes AI an important part of business. AI can do a lot for CX, but it’s important to remember the significance of humans intelligence and emotion in customer relations. 

[ 8:30- 9:17 ]  With AI being pushed into CX, the CX community now has the opportunity to make sure that the tough questions are being asked and deep, important conversations are being had. The integration of AI into CX will be unlike anything we’ve seen before, because of the speed and acceleration of not just innovation, but the adoption as well. 

[ 12:59- 14:08 ]  Agents aren’t going anywhere. It’s simply a myth that people will stop calling for customer support. Until absolutely everything can be done by an AI, there will still need to be call centers and agents because there will be situations where they need to talk to real people. 

[ 18:40- 19:55 ]  People who start as agents and then move up the company learn about the nature of business from the front lines. Agents in this position are able to move up and do more valuable work in new roles, which can put humans ahead of AI.

[ 23:30- 24:20 ]  AI has already grown so much over the years due to people being rushed to have the best algorithm. Some people will always try to take the rails off of it and just let it run. This is were government intervention may come into play, however the government may have a hard time intervening. 

While the fast growth of AI may seem daunting, the point of discussions like these is not to push fear, but rather to have better, more realistic conversations. Having AI replace certain tasks is not terrible as long as we make sure that the things we are freed up to do make us more human, and the things we are giving up are not core to being human. 

To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Apr 24, 202332:03
The Impact of AI on Today’s Labor Realities in CX | Ep 36

The Impact of AI on Today’s Labor Realities in CX | Ep 36

As technology continues to advance, AI is being integrated into businesses everywhere. So how does Al impact CX? AI is seen as one of the most efficient ways to cut costs and increase efficiency, which are very important parts of CX. In today’s episode, we are joined by Kory Kostecka to discuss AI and its role in CX.


[ 5:34-6:54 ]  AI is an enhancement, not a replacement. While some calls with simple questions can easily be answered by an AI, there are plenty of calls and questions that require a human with emotions to answer. Emotional intelligence is an important part of CX and as AI is integrated into CX, emotional intelligence will be more desired in the hiring process.

[ 9:54- 10:43 ]  There are two ways to look at AI involvement. The first way is through direct interaction with the customer, and the second way is through internal factors that the customer does not see. When using AI for internal factors, the AI is being used as a resource rather than a replacement. 

[ 16:16-16:56 ]  A good example for how to properly use AI is a Sharpie. A Sharpie is a tool used with the intention to write. If the lid is on or a hand can’t hold the Sharpie, then the Sharpie is unable to accomplish its goal. Just like a Sharpie or any other tool, we need to be informed on how to properly use AI. In CX, this means starting with the customer and what the customer wants to accomplish. 

[ 18:07- 20:34 ]  Human beings want to adapt to efficient processes. Think of ATMs. People were a bit weary of them when they were first introduced, but they realized that basic functions were something a machine could automate. For the banking industry, ATMs lowered the cost of function and led more banks to being opened up, overall helping the banking industry and the jobs of tellers

AI is a necessary next step to take when working in CX. However, AI should be used as an enhancement rather than a replacement to make sure that your business is as efficient as possible. 


To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Apr 17, 202329:18
Benefits and ROI When Investing in Agent-Focused Software | Ep 35

Benefits and ROI When Investing in Agent-Focused Software | Ep 35

Investing in and adopting agent-focused technology into your CX business can be a great way to improve your efficiency and benefit your company. Today we are joined by software expert, Adam Saad, to discuss the benefits of integrating agent-focused technology into CX. 

There are quite a few things that need to be accounted for when integrating new software into your business, so we will be divining into the ways to make it the most advantageous for your company.

[ 3:28- 5:25 ]  When examining ROI you have to remember that it is a pretty broad term. In this case, most organizations are focusing on having to do more with less, making efficiency and growth top of mind. The ROI metrics used can be divided into two main areas. The first one being human capital efficiency and improving the output with more efficient humans. The second one is increasing customer lifetime value by reducing customer churn. 

[ 10:33- 11:24 ]  We can’t control how customers are going to treat the agents they are working with, but what we can do is focus on what we can control. Some of the things that we can control to improve customers’ experience is the environment you are in, the team camaraderie, and the software that is being used. 

[ 11:55- 13:06 ]  When deciding what software to implement, it’s important to look into shelf ware. Shelf ware is how much software you bought isn’t being used or, in other words, is sitting on the shelf. To prevent this, you need to know how to integrate the software and have an intricate adoption plan put in place. Start slow, then adopt, and then upgrade what you have. 

[ 19:41- 20:08 ]  Much like the famous Papa Johns catchphrase, we need better ingredients and better CX. The ingredients of proper CX are the people, process, and technology. All of these factors rely on one another to be successful in CX. 

Implementing new software into your business will help you build a better customer-to agent relationship and help grow your business. There are many benefits to adopting new software and technology into your CX business, so make sure to integrate it into yours. 

To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Apr 10, 202331:11
The Impact that Community Has on the Greater CX Industry | Ep 34

The Impact that Community Has on the Greater CX Industry | Ep 34

Throughout the greater CX industry, there are so many benefits to being involved in a community. Today Rob Connelly and Jakob Mattice, discuss the impact that communities have on the CX industry. The more connected agents are to the company reflects onto their experiences with the customer; so it’s important to build up a strong connection. We are better together in our ability to solve problems. 


[ 5:23- 5:52 ]  Community presents us with an opportunity to help us learn from one another. It also gives us the opportunity to teach one another so that we all can grow and improve. 

[ 12:51- 14:03 ]  Learning and growing is an important part of improving your business and a great way to do so in the CX industry is through CX Accelerator. CX Accelerator accelerates your learning of CX through professional help and a strong community that allows everyone to learn. 

[ 15:47- 17:46 ]  When you are engaging with a community, the best way to do so is to be a part of that community. Do not think of it as just transactional and don’t just take. You need to be meaningfully engaged in your community without strings attached. Doing this makes people feel safer and strengthens the community.

[ 21:23- 22:22 ]  If you think about any CX problem that a company is facing, another company has likely faced the same problem as well. We can learn from each other’s experiences if there is a good, open community. 

When we work in communities we are able to achieve more and have a greater reward. Invest yourself in communities and you will see a great improvement in how your call center functions. Remember to join our livestreams so that you can be apart of the live audience and get the full experience! 


To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Apr 03, 202328:46
Compassionate Boundaries in Connecting Employees to the Resources They Need | Ep 33

Compassionate Boundaries in Connecting Employees to the Resources They Need | Ep 33

Today we welcome back Jeremy Hyde Director of Customer Service for Sun Country Airlines to discuss how to appropriately help employees who are facing crisis in their personal life.

[ 9:18 - 10:19 ]  Employee performance issues may alert us to the fact that they are going through some sort of a difficult situation. Let’s talk about how to approach an employee and have a conversation that is candid, sympathetic and respectful.


[ 10:26 - 10:57 ]  Boundaries are so important in interpersonal communication. We tend to overstep boundaries when we are too optimistic about motives, abilities and intentions. In these ways we may inadvertently hurt someone we are trying to help. For example, we might try to cover for someone whose performance is lacking, only to see that backfire when the individual goes too long without getting the the help they really need to address the root of their issue.

[ 11:22 - 13:46 ]  If someone comes to us to make me aware of something they are going through. We shouldn’t press for details; instead, just ask them what they think they need. What does this look like? Sometimes we can connect them with HR and FMLA so they can have the time and energy to focus on working through their personal issue, knowing their job is protected during this time.  


[ 14:02 - 15:15 ]   Create a culture of “what do you need?” Get them access to the resources they need without making them uncomfortable about oversharing. 

Remember to separate the conversation about their performance issue from the conversation about connecting them with help that is available to them.


[ 18:49 - 20:46 ]  We need to normalize mental health and wellness. We need to make resources more available, talk about our EAP, an encourage employees to actively engage in general wellness. 


For so long in American culture we’ve admired hustle and bragged about working ourselves to the bone, clearly neglecting our health. Now we’re starting to move toward positive health. As leaders If I’m not healthy for me? How can I help you be healthy for you?


[ 26:23 - 27:22 ]  As leaders can we model the appropriate level of transparency and model recognizing when we need help.


Andrea’s question: What advice to you have for convicting Contact center leadership to buy into caring about the wellness of the team?


[ 30:26 - 31:32 ]  The best way to bring about change is to understand the cost of not changing. Come with solutions not just problems.


[ 32:09 - 32:26 ]  When we talk about the customer experience that we want our agents to provide, what we are really doing is hoping that the humans who work with us will interact in a helpful way with the humans who buy from us.  


To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Mar 27, 202333:34
The Importance of Empathy in CX Interactions | Ep 32

The Importance of Empathy in CX Interactions | Ep 32

In today’s episode we are joined again by Dave Seaton to discuss the topic of empathy and how it can be used to improve CX interactions. It’s very important to make sure that your customer feels heard in their emotions, so we will be diving into what empathy in CX looks like, as well as how to show empathy in CX.

[3:13- 5:02]  There are 3 types of empathy. First is cognitive empathy which is rationally understanding what emotion someone is feeling. The second type is emotional empathy, which is mirroring the feelings that someone is feeling. The third type is empathetic concern, which is a combination of the two and then being motivated to do something about it or help out. 

[10:11-11:25]  Empathy is important in CX, because humans have an emotional need for it. All humans want to be respected and clients who receive empathy are more likely to participate in pro social behavior. Pro social behavior means actions that are good for society as a whole and not just as an individual. 

[15:19-15:53]  It’s not just the negative emotions that the customer wants to feel empathy with. It’s just as important for the customer to feel seen in their positive emotions as well. 

[22:32-24:43]  FBI negotiators use empathy to talk down criminals and the same tactics can be used to improve customer service. While you may not be in a hostage situation, cognitive empathy still holds a lot of power.

Reach out to Dave Seaton to learn more about empathy and emotional intelligence.


Links and resources: 

37 Empathy Statements Based on Emotional Intelligence

https://www.seatoncx.com/empathy-statements/ 


To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Mar 20, 202329:18
The Relationship Between Engaged Agents and Brand Differentiation | Ep 31

The Relationship Between Engaged Agents and Brand Differentiation | Ep 31

We are super excited to welcome Stacy Sherman of the podcast Doing CX Right onto our show today! Since most of the CX focus is centered around the customer experience, it is easy to forget about the equally important agent experience. Engaged and supported agents make a large difference in your company and can either help or hurt your business. Today we will be discussing tips for how to keep your agents engaged and improve your brand.

[ 5:54- 6:33 ] You have to invest in your agents. The work of the agents will reflect the support they receive and it effects the customers as well. Your customers can tell when your agents are supported and valued.

[ 10:29- 11:06 ] The difference between the best companies and the mediocre companies is having a team dedicated to agent experience. This is an area that needs more than just one person. It needs a whole team dedicated to supporting your agents.

[ 12:35- 13:02 ] You have to give your agents the proper tools to succeed. This will allow them to save time and make their processes easier.

[ 17:15- 18:00 ] Agents thrive in a community and it’s important that your company creates a space where a community is possible. Your agents will create communities themselves and those could be potentially destructive or negative, so you need to provide a positive community for them.

[ 21:16- 22:47 ] There are many great and positive outcomes that come with having engaged agents. They will stay loyal and your customers will stay loyal as well. You’ll also find that your agents will do better work and go above and beyond.

It’s important to cultivate an area where your agents are supported and engaged. When people love what they do and have a meaning behind it everyone involved will have a positive experience.

To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Mar 13, 202329:13
The Job No One Wants | Episode 30

The Job No One Wants | Episode 30

Q: Why is this the job of a Call Center Agent a job no one wants?

A: 2 reasons.

1. Agents call people; and people don’t want to be called.

2. People have to call companies because something in their life isn’t working properly and there is an issue that they are already frustrated with.

Today Jakob Mattice welcomes Jacob Shields to talk about improving the call center agent role .

If the agent is even remotely the kind of human who takes another person’s frustration and anger personally, the agent is going to be on the receiving end of a lot of negativity.

[ 8:01 - 8:49 ] Call Center Agents who are passionate about helping people want to work for a company who supports them in being able to make customers happy.

[ 11:24 - 12:39 ]We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again; Happy cows make happy milk. So if we’re really serious about the emotional wellbeing or our agents this is what we need to do. When an agent has a tough call send them out for a walk and a chat with someone who can hear them out.

[ 17:59 - 20:16 ] Your front line staff is very important. You have to talk to them. If you don’t understand the root of the problem get used to high turnover. How many leaders have called into their own companies? Be the customer and see what it’s like to talk to your support team. Can we use that experience to figure out ways to help the agents?

[ 21:44 - 23:10 ] Try something new, course correct, and try something new again. After about 3 months the agents start speaking up about their ideas to improve the call center.

We are defying physics and allowing influence to trickle up instead of only trickling down. We’re championing servant leadership and challenging all business management to go visit their own call center, learn the job and take some calls.

To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Mar 06, 202329:41
Designing CX Training to Drive Optimal Business Outcomes | Episode 29

Designing CX Training to Drive Optimal Business Outcomes | Episode 29

On today’s episode, we are super excited to welcome back our guest Sheri Kendall. Sheri is an expert in CX training analytics and is here to help us connect CX training analytics to our business outcomes. Sheri shares the 3 main areas of analysis: content, trainer, and design.

[ 7:44- 9:54 ] The first area of analysis is content analysis. This is all about gathering data and asking the right questions to find out if or what changes need to be made.

[ 11:36- 12:41 ] It’s important to think about your business partnerships. Communication is important, so it’s necessary to keep your communication and your relationships strong. This allows you to better work out problems and find out if the problem is with the training or a need for new tools.

[ 13:31- 16:05 ] The second main area of analysis is trainer analysis. This is done through well thought out smiley sheets. While smiley sheet questions tend to be very surface level, so it’s more effective to chose the right questions that lead to action.

[ 19:52-21:08 ] The final main area of analysis is design analysis. A good design includes everyone and has plenty of diversity. It’s important to make sure that everyone sees themselves in the teachings.

There are many different areas of analysis that are crucial in making sure that our businesses are running smoothly and with good customer satisfaction. Using these CX training analytics will greatly impact business outcomes.

To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Feb 27, 202327:09
CX Agents: Give Yourself Some Love! | Episode 28

CX Agents: Give Yourself Some Love! | Episode 28

Welcome to our first ever Valentine’s Day addition of Recorded for Quality Assurance! Today Rob Connelly and Vistio welcome Suzi Earhart of McorpCX. She’s all about solving problems, giving love, life-long learning and helping others reach their full potential, so she’s here to help us show agents some love today!

Contact centers sometimes take a lot of heat for issues with the functioning of their call centers that end up actually being business issues disguised as call center issues.

[ 4:22 - 5:03 ] Contact center agents are creative, determined people who solve complex problems under stress.

So, how can we empower them and drive better business outcomes?

Three key areas:

  • Helping to provide agents a doable job
  • Providing rewarding re-enforcements
  • Having a mentoring mindset

[ 8:58 - 9:41 ] Sometimes we need to re-configure our incoming calls so that agents can clear out their queues and not feel constantly overwhelmed. Agents need their 30 second breaks in-between calls to not be consumed with after-call work.

[ 12:47 - 14:26 ] The predictable pizza party reward isn’t actually helping agents grow in their careers. What makes a difference in whether the agents feel valued and seen? It’s the leaders’ awareness of the agents’ “why.”

[ 15:13 - 16:28 ] “The people who lead the best are the people who listen the most.” On this show our most recurring advice to leaders is to sit down with your agents, listen to them and take calls with them.

Team leads and supervisors have a lot of power and potential in their roles because they can be the closest to the agents.

[ 18:06 - 18:57 ] You can say all day long that you value mental health and strive to have a positive work environment, but we are talking about how to actually show your agents that you care and mean it.

We’d love to talk to guests from call centers who are doing this well. Please reach out to us!

Resources:

To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Feb 20, 202330:19
CX from East to West | Episode 27

CX from East to West | Episode 27

Despite attempting to accomplish the same goal, the West’s version of CX is quite different culturally than the East’s version of CX. In today’s podcast we will be addressing the differences between the two areas. Representing the East’s perspective we have today’s guest Vaishali Dialani, who will be discussing with us the cultural disconnect between the East and the West.

[ 4:40- 6:03 ] There are a lot of variables that lead to cultural disconnect that can factor in. Knowing what these variables are can help us fix them and lessen the disconnect.

[ 10:56- 11:39 ] One of the leading factors in cultural disconnect is a lack communication from management to the frontline agents. Communicating with and understanding the frontline worker’s experiences is the best way to improve customer experience.

[ 17:10- 18:55 ] If both the West and the East were given the exact same call and the exact same customer, there would still be a difference in that customer’s experience. The customer would have a different expectation of how the call would go and would different opinions about the outcome of the call.

[ 21:33- 25:20 ] There are four key things that organizations can do to break down the problem of cultural disconnect. The first is understanding the perspectives of the frontline workers. The second is actually learning and seeing the differences between the East and the West. The third is having cultural training and learning what type of culture the customer prefers/expects. The fourth is having a standardized marketing strategy, but adapting it to different areas.

Even with all the differences between the East and the West, it is possible the lessen the cultural disconnect. Remember, improvement over perfection. We can do this!

To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Feb 13, 202329:14
The Contact Center of the Future | Episode 26

The Contact Center of the Future | Episode 26

A big welcome to Thomas Laird AKA The Call Center Geek, the host of the podcast Advice From a Call Center Geek! and the Founder and CEO of Expivia.

Today Jakob Mattice and Thomas Laird talk about the role that AI will play in the call centers of the future.

Question: Do we really think Artificial Intelligence is going to take out the role of the contact center agent?

Answer: It already has, but there is no way AI can replace agents completely. The contact center agent is not going anywhere. That role needs to evolve though.

The bottom line is that we want AI-enhanced agents.

We don’t want agents that are assisting AI.

We want AI that is assisting agents.

We may start to see some brands identifying themselves as having 100% human interaction just as we saw food brands boast being 100% organic, because we value that human connection.

Topics we discuss:

[ 4:30 - 5:18 ] Chat GPT is finally getting to the point where it’s helping us. Ask again in 10 years, but for now it seems, agents still have an important role to play.

[ 7:13 - 8:02 ] Chat CPT is being utilized as a call center agent. This may seem like a new and shiny idea, but don’t forget that we need a line of agents ready to step in when AI hits its limit of understanding.

[ 8:32 - 9:13 ] How AI assistance could really make an agent’s job easier.

[ 10:17 - 12:33 ] How do we prepare ourselves for AI taking call center jobs? We are digging into levels of what technology can do. Perhaps off shore call center jobs are a little more vulnerable to being replaced by AI because we’ll always have higher tier issues needing to be solved by agents with a mastery of the English language.

[ 20:16 - 21:53 ] Imagine Digital adoption and the meta-verse. Put on your VR headset and imagine walking into various stores to act as a consumer and resolve customer service issues. It’s coming.

Right now, we feel about AI, the way 1994 felt about the internet. Innovation comes when we’re most uncomfortable and that’s what’s happening right now. We’re growing into AI. 

To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Feb 06, 202329:22
Build Respect for Your Brand | Episode 25

Build Respect for Your Brand | Episode 25

Throughout social media, there is a lot of corporate speech that presents a fake perception of how a company runs. It’s easy to posts if you're a successful business, but how do you become one? Our guest today is Martin Anderson, co-founder and CEO of Lemon Contact Center. Not only do Martin’s posts build respect for his brand, but they accurately reflect his company and its success.

[4:07- 6:45] Are your posts an accurate reflection of your work? Remember that our posts reflect not only our business, but ourselves as well. It’s important to be doing the right thing when no one would see it, so that good actions become the habits.

[11:26- 13:05] Having good service is a cost to your business, but it’s a cost you're willing to pay. Always show what the company values and make sure that the service is good, all the way down to the little details.

[18:37- 19:35] Your business cannot thrive without care for the environment of the business and the people in it. You can’t manufacture a good working environment, it has to be authentic.

[24:00- 25:10] While most of the time you think you should be using your head over your emotion, emotions are still a very important part of building your culture. Your emotions will guide you in building your work environment.

The appearance of your company is important, but the appearance is nothing without a genuinely strong working environment behind it. Remember, how you do anything is how you do everything. Build your culture with strong habits and good service to have a respected brand.

To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Jan 30, 202329:29
Buy-In from Agents Builds Buy-In from Executives | Episode 24

Buy-In from Agents Builds Buy-In from Executives | Episode 24

Getting buy-ins is everything in CX leadership, so it follows that it would also be the #1 problem that CX leaders struggle with. Today, with the help of Dave Seaton, we will be explaining how to build buy-in and how to appeal to your stakeholders.


Topics we cover in today's discussion:


[ 3:34-6:33 ] There are more steps beyond buy-in. To be successful, you need both commitment and action. To do this, you need to really analyze your stakeholders.

[ 9:35- 10:05 ] Everybody is different, which means that each stakeholder will have different areas that are more important to them. When pitching to each stakeholder make sure that you are appealing to their wants and needs. Influence with intention, not intuition.

[ 17:14- 18:17 ] There are times when you need to appeal to all different types of stakeholders at one time. To properly appeal to them all, think of it like snacks at a party. You’ll want to make sure that everyone of your executives has a little bit of “snack” to keep them interested.

[ 19:58- 21:10 ] Predicting the effectiveness of your change is as simple as this easy formula: E ( effectiveness of change ) = Q ( quality of change ) x A ( acceptance of change )

Even with the same project and same goal, you’ll need individual proposals to appeal to each of your stakeholders. Analyzing what is important to each of your stakeholders and applying it to each of your proposals will help with building buy-in.


To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to j3;34oin our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Jan 23, 202328:50
Values and Value in CX | Episode 23

Values and Value in CX | Episode 23

Today we are talking about the growing expectation from that market that our companies are bringing value to the world. There is a demand for ethical businesses that make the world a better place. Value-based businesses truly reach their customers.

With labor being sourced off shore what are our opportunities and responsibilities as companies?

[ 3:21 - 4:34 ] What is impact sourcing? Impact sourcing is the idea that you would open up a new labor market, agents, in a location where the ability to pay those agents according to the overall contract value and the other business dynamics represent a massive positive change economically for those societies. Your employees will love their jobs and your customers will benefit directly.

[ 11:48 - 13:28 ] It shows when companies take care of their employees. Then those employees are able to turn around and offer true help and real compassion to customers.

[ 14:15 - 15:24 ] Companies need to work on retention because of the stressful difficulties agents face. There is shifting value from the employees’ perspective and how much they actually believe in the company they work for.

[ 20:31 - 23:10 ] The ways that employees are treated matters a lot. If our business wants to maintain their position in their industry and continue to be a market leader we need to improve this part of our reputation.

[ 24:52 - 25:40 ] Your org chart should have customers are on the top and leaders on the bottom. The leader should be serving those who serve the customer.

Pair all of this focus on the values and the heart of your business with excellent performance and you’ll have a strong combination.

To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Jan 16, 202329:27
Lessons from the Southwest Airlines CX Disaster | Episode 22

Lessons from the Southwest Airlines CX Disaster | Episode 22

We just witnessed the Southwest Airlines holiday meltdown of 2022. Due to winter storms, 60% of Southwest’s December flights were canceled, leaving over one million customers were affected. The debacle that ensued can be attributed primarily to Southwest’s Direct Route Model as opposed to the Hub and Spoke Model that most of the other airlines use. Additionally, antiquated technology made it hard to mobilize pilots and staff along other flight routes.

That’s what went wrong.

Now, with the help of Brannon Stacy, Global Business Development Manager at Fusion, let’s take a closer look at what Southwest did right.

[ 4:55 - 6:37 ] Southwest representatives despite feeling helpless, managed to connect with the customer and ease their frustration. They showed a high level of respect, allowing customers to finish speaking. They apologized and they were transparent.

[ 7:53 - 9:05 ] Taking another step back, here are 4 things that helped Southwest ride out the crisis: teamwork, partnership with the airport, facing challenges, and overcoming the obstacles in front of them. Truthfully, they defied all odds, and in the end, they lived their mission statement.

[ 13:48 - 15:41 ] What kind of training would it require to maintain your mission statement in a time of crisis? Here’s how agents can speak transparently to an upset customer when they don’t have an answer. Our culture wants so badly to hear good news, but isn’t the truth more important? We should not just placate the customer in order to fake a short term, positive interaction.

[ 20:16 - 21:12 ] We can all learn from Southwest here. We all need to make sure we have the right tools and technology to prevent these kinds of situations.

[24:27 - 25:26 ] As an agent, it would be tempting to throw in the towel in the face of so few answers for so many unhappy customers, but instead, a great agent will still try to connect with the customer on a human level.

Does your mission statement shine through on an average day? What about in a time of crisis? Once the crisis happens, the time for training is past, and if agents can embody the mission statement in a time of crisis, that’s an excellent reflection on senior leadership.

To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Jan 09, 202327:04
Real Questions and Answers with CX Agents | Episode 21

Real Questions and Answers with CX Agents | Episode 21

Welcome to the show! Today we’re diving right in with two real life customer service calls we recently had in our personal lives as customers. Let’s talk about what makes a helpful and seamless experience versus a frustrating experience. Let’s talk about tools, policies and responsiveness.

Focusing now on the voice of the agent:

[ 9:55 - 11:21 ] The results are in and 65 percent of CX agents don’t think of CX as their career, and 40 percent want to leave CX as soon as humanly possible. Unfortunately, we see the self fulfilling cycle of turnover that our friend Leslie Oflehaven calls “the lasagna of stupid.” We don’t invest in our agents as much as we could because they don’t stick around. And they don’t stick around because we didn’t invest in them enough.

[ 12:40 - 14;03 ] The agents who do see CX as their career are most happy with the ability to work from home.

[ 14:03 - 16:35 ] People are taking stock of 2022. Is work what drives you? How is your overall well being as a person? Working from home is fitting into their life. The ability to work from home is actually more important than pay. Be careful about the push to return to the office.

[ 21:42 - 24:27 ] There are some great lessons and opportunities for discussion in the book The Customer Rules by Lee Cockerell. One point to highlight is that we should become an expert at creating experts. Another lesson is to surround yourself with smart and confident people. Let those people be equipped and freed up to thrive in their role.

[ 26:25 - 28:00 ] Don’t give responsibility without authority. Giving responsibility without authority sets your center up to have a high rate of escalations because you’re not letting the agent resolve the customers’ issues on their own. All of those escalations are going to increase your costs.

To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Dec 26, 202229:46
What CX Agents Want and How to Give it to Them | Episode 20

What CX Agents Want and How to Give it to Them | Episode 20

Back in front of the mic today to talk about agent satisfaction and how to effectively compensate and motivate our most important assets.

[ 6:58 - 8:45 ] The polls are in and here’s what agents really want: more respect from leadership, more respect from customers, more satisfaction from their work, better pay, proper training so they feel like they’ve actually been taught how to do their job the way leadership wants it done. Of all of these, the highest by far was higher pay. And agents want higher pay not just because they want more money, but because they feel like they don’t get paid enough for what they go through. Wouldn't an alternative to higher pay, then be to come up with ways to make their work to better and easier.?

[ 9:49 - 11:34 ]  We are focusing on “the voice of the agent” and designing an agent-satisfaction metric, making qualitative data more quantitative. Call center leaders need to listen to agent feedback to improve their CX programs. They need to listen to both seasoned agents and new agents.

[ 15:42 - 17:21 ]  CX agents, if they are trying hard to contribute to the company, may face the challenge of burn-out and we may start to see “quiet quitting.” The truth is though that most people don’t strive to underperform in their lives, and the people who are in that mode didn’t get there over night and probably don’t want to stay there.

[ 18:44 - 21:20 ]  Change initiatives are usually uninspiring. First to note here is that we shouldn’t think of our goals or initiatives as “change management.” And, it doesn’t matter what you’re saying if you’re not paying a livable wage. If you want to inspire, figure out how to open up the profitability that would pave the way for pay increases.

[ 22:57 - 25:39 ] Who builds brand loyalty? Agents do. They are the one that communicates that the customer matters to the company and that what the customer is experiencing matters to the company. And now, employee experience is finally getting the air time it deserves. You’re not building your business. You’re building the people who’ll help build your business. These times are marked by shifting labor dynamics, turnover and the leverage going to the agents who can now switch jobs more easily than ever. This is one of those moments in time where the economics are shifting and we don’t want to miss this opportunity to grow in the area of employee experience.

To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Dec 19, 202228:58
Screening for and Staffing the Soft Skills that Build Brand Loyalty | Episode 19

Screening for and Staffing the Soft Skills that Build Brand Loyalty | Episode 19

Jakob Mattice sits down with Kory Kostecka from RemX to discuss his insights into the ways we are staffing our call centers and how we can improve our hiring.

Our standard screening questions when hiring new call center agents focus on hard skills instead of the soft skills that really move the needle with brand loyalty.


Topics we discuss:

[ 4:59 - 5:44 ] Here’s what contact centers should be looking for: problem solving skills, listening skills and phone etiquette.

[ 8:06 - 10:44 ] Surveys show that customers value a friendly tone from customer service representatives. They want someone who’s trying to help solve their problem and they say they feel loyalty to the brand when they feel that helpfulness.

[ 12:51 - 14:36 ]  Here’s how to encourage our agents, who were hired for their hard skills, to develop their soft skills as well: incentive pay, providing a flexible schedule, company culture. and helping them feel like they are important and that the work that they do is important.

[ 15:27 - 16:59 ]  The opportunity for advancement is essential for retention.

[ 19:47 - 20:35 ]  We are often using screening questions that are too binary. For example, we may ask “How many years experience do you have?” And, if the candidate doesn’t say the right number, the recruiting team isn’t even going to get the chance to meet these new, “green” agents who may have the soft skills that we are looking for.

[ 24:13 - 26:09 ] Inherent AI challenges to watch out for and how to avoid them.


To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.

Dec 12, 202229:35