By
Sarah Stealey Reed
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Date Published: February 04, 2013 - Last Updated August 22, 2018
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Comments
Way back in 2006, author Seth Godin wrote that "Small is the New Big". On his blog and in his subsequent book, he talked about the flexibility, the nimbleness and the personalized touch of smaller companies over their larger counterparts. He frequently mentioned a better customer experience coming from the small. I think he was on to something, and that his notions also apply well to call centers.
"Small is the new big only when the person running the small thinks big." – Seth Godin
Over the years, I’ve been involved with contact centers of all sizes. I’ve managed start-up centers with only a handful of agents that offered specialized service through only one channel and for only one product. On the flipside, I’ve juggled global sites with thousands of people who handle every channel, language, and product one could imagine. And I’ve consulted, advised and supported just about every size and configuration in between.
I am most often asked to speak though, as the voice of the smaller contact center. Every day ICMI receives inquiries from centers needing to look bigger and do more with less. Leaders of small contact centers are asking for techniques to compete with those that have more money, more resources, and more technology.
So what is the small call center to do? Well, there are in fact a LOT of things that smaller centers can do to gain a competitive advantage. With the right processes, a little creativity, and the desire to try new things and take some risks, the small can achieve big success.
On February 14th, Gary Fisher from Lantronix will join me in a complimentary webinar dedicated to the small contact center. We address the 3 key limitations that exist in small-to-medium sized centers – 1) limited resources, 2) smaller budgets, and 3) higher volatility. From there we’ll provide ten innovative processes and best practices that can be implemented immediately, as well as technology investments that won’t break the budget.
Throughout the webinar and in follow-up conversations, we’ll encourage you to embrace your small, and think big!
Come prepared with questions, or feel free to send them my way ahead of time. What specifically would you like to know? What will help your call center embrace its small size? I want to know what will help you and your leaders to THINK BIG.