The CC/CX Update - Volume 56

Hi Everyone,

Okay, let me get this out of the way early, I lied to you and I'm not even sorry!

That's right I lied to you because I said this edition includes a world exclusive interview and product demo with a truly unique GenAI product team. And it does.

But, this edition also includes a SECOND interview with Adele Rogers Assoc CIPD who has been working with me on fastracx and we briefly talk about that so technically there are 2 incredible product related interviews in this edition!

A huge thank you to Sanjay Rakshit and the whole team from InteliGems?Labs who gave their valuable time to run through Odyssey Anywhere and demonstrate it's multi modal GenAI powers that have so many use cases. I urge people to watch that interview and share it because it is going to get some brain cells ticking about how companies can implement this technology.

That plus all the usual news, trends, in demand skills and industry events for the rest of 2024!

Lets dive in!

For previous editions of the CC/CX Update, click here

Current Recruitment Trends

Survive till '25. I heard this expression a couple of times since volume 55 and I think it neatly summarises the current state of play for many hirers. Many are planning budgets and headcounts for 2025 anyway but others that have had a tough 2024 are simply hunkering down and waiting out the next couple of months. The end of the year can appear very close indeed if you wish it too. I think we're going to see low numbers of new permanent vacancies come onto the market over this calendar Q4 but the conversations I am having about headcount growth for 2025 are cautiously optimistic.

M&A. I said at the start of the year that this would be a big year for M&A and it continues to be true with NICE taking over Playvox in the last couple of weeks and Advania continuing their expansion into the UK. Acquisitions usually precede some form or reorganisation or migration of headcount for various reasons so I'd expect to see some change around January as things settle down

Interview Fatigue Returns. From a candidate perspective I am starting to see signs of interview fatigue again. This happened last year after long processes at multiple roles took their toll on candidates that have been interviewing for a while and that's the cause again. This appears as people just not being quite as well prepared as they once would have been for every interview. I know it's hard to keep getting up and going again but if your effort reduces over time then logically your chances of securing a role are also going to reduce. If you interview well in the first stage you are expected to at least interview as well at the last stage. Interviewing well for one company does not mean anything to another company so you have to be as good every time. It's a tough message for tired candidates but I feel it's a necessary one

Cash Is King. Last edition I talked about revenue generating roles out performing the vacancy market at the moment and that is still true. However there is a new element to this that's started to appear. Revenue targets are starting to be attached to more roles within professional services and customer success as companies look to have everyone switched on to finding new opportunities for sales. The reasoning for this after a tough 2024 is obvious but it is an interesting development. I wonder if it was discussed at some industry event that I didn't attend because it seems to be creeping across several employers?

Freelancing. More and more I am speaking to experienced CX professionals across Europe that are taking the freelancing route. They are focusing on projects that interest them and being paid for their value and knowledge rather than their time. The Budget in the UK may have an effect on the number of entrepreneurial people starting their own businesses (or not) or perhaps we will see larger numbers of people emigrating to sunnier European climates to do business from? Overall though there is a definite trend towards self employment at the experienced end of the market and when you combine this with the incoming working generations desire for flexibility and work satisfaction we are going to enter a period of unprecedented change for employment in Europe.

Hot Skills in Demand

• CX Complex Solution Sales (Enterprise) - Europe (number 1 for a few editions now)
• CX Account Leadership/Growth - Global
• Genesys Cloud Engineering - Global (rising back up the ranks again)
• Entry Level/Early Careers SDR/Lead Gen - Europe
• MSP Customer Support - Europe
• Strategic Leadership within CX - North America

Customer Experience Industry Events - Europe and North America

Nov 13th -14th - Digital Customer Experience Summit 2024 - Toronto, Canada

Register Here

Nov 8th - ElevateCX - 239 Old St London EC1V 9EY

Register for FREE here

Nov 26th - Customer Engagement Summit 2024 - The Brewery, London

Register Here (I'll be attending this one)

Nov 27th - 28th - Call & Contact Centre Expo 2024 - London, UK

Register Here (I'll be attending as always)

The Interviews

Here it is the WORLD EXCLUSIVE interview with the team from InteliGems?Labs looking at their brand new Odyssey Anywhere GenAI product. Thank you to Sanjay Rakshit and the whole development team (Bartek, Shamil and Sambit) for demonstrating the product so ably and I hope if you want more information you'll get in touch with the team directly as they're very happy to answer any specific questions.

And as promised here is our second interview this edition as I speak to Adele Rogers Assoc CIPD from People Need Skills regarding what to expect if you are going to work in a Contact Centre for the first time. This is essential viewing if you know someone that is looking at a contact centre job this festive season and isn't sure what to expect or needs to prepare for their interview.

Please share this video with anyone you think it might help. You can contact myself or Adele if you have any specific questions about working in a contact centre or the fastracx product that will help you train and prepare in just 20 mins per day!

Thank you

Thanks for reading, liking and subscribing! Next week I have yet another wonderful interview on identifying vulnerable customers and how to support them so if you haven't subscribed yet click that button on the top right!

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James