How to Upskill Your Contact Center Agents in the Age of AI
Welcome to the third issue of ICMI’s Contact Center Chronicles! Each week, we bring you expert insights, industry trends and practical resources to help you navigate the ever-evolving world of contact centers. Whether you're looking for strategies to develop your team, stay ahead of technology shifts or enhance customer experience, we’ve got you covered. This week’s issue is a mix of all of the above. Dive in and tap HERE to subscribe so you never miss an issue!??
Featured Article of the Week: Upskilling Customer Service Agents: Part One, The Knowledge Curator by Nate Brown
AI is reshaping customer service, but not how you might think. Today's service professionals are becoming "knowledge curators," skilled experts who dig deep into customer insights. Think less ticket-taking, more strategic problem-solving. For service leaders ready to ride this wave of change, the future looks bright: teams that master knowledge-sharing and active listening will transform customer experience in ways AI alone never could.?
What does this mean for your contact center? Dive into this new blog post by Nate Brown and keep an eye out for parts two and three coming soon!??
Curated Gems from Around the Web??
?? Turn Intent into Action: 6 Ways to Build a Customer-Centric Culture by Jeannie Walters, CCXP, CSP
?? Making Your Company AI-Ready with ?Shep Hyken and Simon Kriss
?? Your Customers Shouldn’t Have to Be the Experts | CX & Coffee Ep. 14 With Justin Robbins and Marty Shaughnessy
??? Save the Dates??
? Poll of the Month?
This month, ICMI wants to know how well your contact center can adapt to forces of change. Is your operation nimble and forward-thinking, or do you find change is a hard pill to swallow? Let us know by taking our 3-question poll!?
?? Stat of the Week??
66% of contact center professionals support efforts to integrate generative AI in contact center applications, according to ICMI’s annual survey of the industry. (ICMI, The State of the Contact Center in 2024)?
?? Free ICMI Resources You Might Like?
?? Quote of the Week??
“You don’t have to build confidence before taking action. You build confidence by taking action. Standing still breeds rumination and seeds of self-doubt. Motion fuels progress and elevates efficacy. Never let doubts about your ability undermine your faith in your ability to learn.” - Adam Grant
?? We Want to Hear from You?
What’s the most valuable skill a contact center agent can develop in the age of AI? Do you think technical skills, emotional intelligence, or problem-solving will be most critical in the years ahead? Share your thoughts!??
Did you enjoy this newsletter? If so, subscribe to ICMI’s Weekly email newsletter, Contact Center Insider. Get four new articles written by industry pros delivered to your inbox every Friday morning. Sign Up HERE!?
CX Advocate
1 天前Emotional intelligence is going to be a game-changer for contact center agents as AI takes over the routine stuff. The real value will come from empathy, active listening, and making customers feel heard. As Kai-Fu Lee put it in AI Superpowers, “Human empathy is the one thing AI cannot replace.” At the end of the day, great service isn’t just about solving problems—it’s about understanding people.
Contact Center Senior Manager | Building Engaged Teams | Developing the Next Generation of Leaders & Enhancing Customer Experience
2 周AI isn't going to replace agents, but it will help agents do what they need to do. AI can help with the tasks that don't require human intellect and that can follow the process. When it comes to understanding how a customer is feeling and putting yourself in the customer's shoes, that is where humans shine. We need to be able to let humans be humans and do what they do best.
The Service Culture Guide | Keynote Speaker
2 周Most valuable skill: be human. Agents often sound and act like robots. Elevating our humanity makes us more valuable: * Rapport: build genuine rapport to make customers feel comfortable. * Understanding: use active listening and empathy to truly understand customers. * Problem-solving: bust through silos and broken processes to fix tricky problems.
Founder & Principal Analyst at Metric Sherpa | Independent CX Researcher, Advisor & Speaker
2 周Thanks for sharing our latest CX + Coffee ICMI!
Customer Service & Sales Training That Reduces Escalations, Improves Client Retention, and Boosts Sales | ICMI Top 25 CX Thought Leader & GTACC Award Winner
2 周I love Nate Brown's point about agents becoming knowledge curators! As for what skills will be most critical in the year ahead, I think communication skills are crucial. An agent can have all the knowledge in the world. But if they cannot explain it simply over the phone and in writing, the customer does not benefit from that knowledge.