TimTams & Outsourcing

What do Australian biscuits have to do with outsourcing ?

Not much to be honest other than both featured heavily in yesterdays Get out of Wrap TV along with lots of other biscuits, QA and Performance management, such is the eclectic nature of the show.

It's the highlight of my week to chat with so many (91 at peak) passionate and informed people from our contact centre community.

Everyday is a school day and today was no different - starting with learning what TimTams are (thanks Katie Davies ) and then onto the views and insights from the watching members of the GOOW crowd ??

Despite the TimTam debate, by a close margin Chocolate HobNobs was the most popular biscuit from those watching - what's yours ?

Then I showed everyone the new Contact Centre Leader Planner. The Team Leader Planner has become much used and much loved across contact centres and with feedback from people who use it and from within the Team Leader Community I've now published a new and improved version. Still 200 pages the daily planning page & notes page (now lined & with a margin) are now complimented by monthly review pages and coaching templates.

It's everything your Team Leader or CCM needs to have a productive month and you can get yours here;

Buy the book from Amazon

Download your Monthly PDF Version here

Then I moved on to thank Mark Conway & everyone at CCP as they have provided a ￡100 prize for our monthly competition in The Team Leader Community. It's certainly been well received in the community ?? ??

Nerys Corfield kicked off the chat 'oooff - it's going to be super tough. 19 years in outsourcing, 6 different outsourcers so love the world a lot and there is no better grounding but they have to adapt - or suffer - sadly.'

Niamh Judge said 'Mergers. take overs and digitalisation.'

Danny Wareham 'With AI real-time voice/translation, offshoring becomes potentially simpler. You don't need to find English speaking advisers, which could vastly change the way we look for talent...Especially as developing country costs are far lower....'

Shivadhan K M 'In my opinion, outsourcing will continue however those who will win are those ready to move from traditional method to digital'

Luke Dobson 'In Europe the market will shift from Agent intensive to automation and best practice CX. A shift from pay for time to pay for experience & outcomes'

Alan Donaghy 'Spent 10 years in an outsourcer, loved the environment however if they do not focus on tech and people in equal measure they will struggle.'

Nerys Corfield 'They have to focus on creating a coaching culture that focuses on emphatic first rate CX for the clients that need it'

Spencer C. 'Outsourcing's future ? Like a boss ! Think AI, VR and maybe even customer service drones. It's a wild ride ahead'

Nerys Corfield 'Digital interactions will be easily managed in house so they will only be left with voice - customers who want Comfort, are in Crisis or Clarity. I think we'll see 50% drop in numberss over the next 6 years'

Graham Bunting 'It's all very Darwinian isn't it - the race will be won by the most adaptable as Nerys said.'

Keith Stapleton 'I believe the current comfort felt from AI being deployed to support agents could be short lived for the reasons stated by others. However can AI offer an empathy to customers like people can? I think we need to start thinking about the skills agents need to make them stand out, technical knowledge may not be the key skill it has been for years.'

Pete Dunn 'Everything that's already happening now, but faster!'

Niamh Judge 'It's been harder for BPO's to move to digital as they often hook into their client's systems so some of the automation has been restricted to out of hours. Think this is changing though as the clients see the benefits of out of hours and are looking to adopt...'

Michael Moran 'Will the role of the agent not become more important through AI assisted tools. The interactions will become more individual, longer and personal.'

This should be a great live webinar on Agent Engagement and if the topic itself , Nerys and Nick Beardsley (plus me) were not enough to entice you to join then Onecom have a great offer to all attendees - drawn at random two people will win a ￡50 Amazon voucher.

Register here

Then we continued with the read along & chat about ContactBabel UK Contact Centres Decision Makers Guide 2024 (after some mickey taking at my expense about Spurs last result ?? Mark Henderson ??)

Danny Wareham 'I always love when "lack of time" is cited as a reason. It's a fallacy. We all get the same time. What you really mean is "something else was more important".

Pete Dunn 'Not enough time...all too often its the comfort of doing what is known - admin - over taking a risk of upsetting someone with a coaching conversation. It also reinforces performance management as a last ditch, negative process'

We started chatting about how we need to reclaim performance management as a positive term...

Richard Jennings agreed 'positive performance management' adding 'Make a part of the daily system, to celebrate development, drive personal accountability, focus on the person and grow your people, your service and your brand.'

Amandip Kooner CCIBS said 'RBS committed to coaching from top down which worked in turning around the bad press it had'

Pete Dunn 'The need to develop our operational leaders to be effective communicators, and build a culture that delivers safety to have these discussions has never been greater'.

Danny Wareham 'For me, it's interesting that none of those recommendations have any ownership. None of them say 'I must do x' They're all apportioning responsibility elsewhere...'

This slide led to a wide chat on QA...

Pete Dunn 'QA is getting more attention via the medium of big data analytics - more analytics driven coaching, knowledge management, emotion management etc. But context learning agility, empathy ...none of these are replaced by tech, we need to support people with coaching and development, not training them on how to use the tech.'

It was close but when the viewers came to vote for comment of the show they chose Pete Dunn who wins one of the new planners. Full disclosure I did say comments laughing at Tottenhams result were not eligible ??

Thanks to all who attended and contributed and hope to see you all next week - Tuesday Tuesday Special People Special Places

Watch the show here

Register for next weeks show here

Mart ??