Stopwatch CX vs. Real CX: You Decide
Rick Denton
Conversation Catalyst | Amplify your event's impact | Live podcasting for results | CX Passport Live | Excite attendees | Reward high-value customers | Convert potential customers | ?????CX Passport Host??
(Originally published in this week's CX Passport newsletter. Don't wait for LinkedIn. Get early access right into your inbox? Sign up at https://cxpassport.kit.com/signup)
Speed is NOT the same as service. Some companies obsess over call times, pushing agents to wrap things up faster. Customer solution be damned.
This week’s CX Passport guest, Candy Kothmann, takes a different approach:
“We don't measure average handle time at the agent level. We want the call to last as little or as long as needed to achieve the business purpose of the call.”
In this week’s episode, Candy explains why companies that fixate on speed are sacrificing real customer trust and missing the chance to solve their customers' needs.
Now…don’t miss a key phrase in what Candy said
"...to achieve the business purpose of the call”
If the customer wants & needs speed, the agent provides it. Not because the agent feels the clock-pressure. Instead, the agent discerns the customer’s business purpose and adapts.
To do this, the agent has to feel safe and…it’s overused but it’s true…empowered…to make that decision.
How can this be?
Candy's approach builds that safety. No arbitrary time limits, no rushing customers off the phone.
When agents aren’t pressured to meet a stopwatch, they can actually listen, understand, and resolve issues the right way.
And the business result? More trust, fewer repeat calls, and a better experience for both the customer and the agent.
Before you say, “Sure, Rick. Nice nirvana there. But we have a business to run, or patients to help, or benefits to provide.”
Fear not, Candy’s approach doesn’t mean contact center anarchy.
There’s analysis to search for outliers...not to blame, but to understand and improve. That analysis isn’t done on a call-by-call basis; it’s done looking at patterns and larger trends.
Agents don’t live fearful of the clock and can instead focus on serving their caller.
Your Turn…
Whether you’ve been inside a contact center or “just” a customer, you can tell when AHT is the focus. Have you had a contact experience where you knew “business purpose” was the focus and AHT wasn’t a factor?
Put those tray tables up and buckle those seat belts. Let’s go!
-Rick
Consulting and V.o.C. research in b2b markets leading to insight and actionable strategies and tactics. Providing marketing research for b2b. This makes market research actionable and enables better business decisions
22 小时前N stead of a stop watch a compass with Customer as True North
Passionate customer experience advocate cleverly disguised as a senior business, marketing & analytics professional
1 天前REAL CX… not performative CX… Also, your headline conjures up the old Tortoise & Hare story we learned as children. True CX is not just played on the checker board, but more effectively on the chess field. **we’re on a roll today! I’ll let myself out…. ????
Executive Educator, Inspiring Leadership and Driving Exceptional Customer Experience for ambitious Enterprises | Founder: Commercial Excellence Partners | Speaker | Travel-Tech ?
1 天前Nice turn of phrase Rick: “Stopwatch CX”. So stealing it.