Featured Articles Friday: Week of October 1, 2018

By The Editors | Date Published: October 05, 2018 - Last Updated December 03, 2018 | Comments

There's never been a more exciting time to work in customer service, but delivering exceptional customer experiences requires continual learning. At ICMI, we're committed to equipping you with the tools, resources, and knowledge you need to lead your team to success. In this weekly article roundup series, we'll highlight five articles you should read to keep your skills sharp and stay ahead of the trends.

#FridayFive Featured Reading for the Week October 1, 2018

1. Customer Service vs Customer Experience by Bill Gessert

This week we were saddened to learn of the sudden loss of ICMI community member Bill Gessert. Bill was pillar in the customer service and CX industries, known for his quick wit, sharp insights, and kind spirit. In memory of Bill, we're sharing this video he posted earlier this summer. If you'd like to pay tribute to Bill, you can leave condolences and memories on this CX Accelerator page.

Featured Customer Experience Articles

2. Average Time to Resolve Problems is Three Times Higher Than Customers Want by VR by Eileen Brown

Is AI the answer to more efficient service? A recent AI customer experience study shows that although businesses have invested in AI solutions, customers are not happy. How can contact centers better leverage emerging technology to reduce customer frustration? Eileen Brown explains.

3. Why the Fuss Over Company Culture? by Kristina Evey

Does your contact center have well-defined culture, or are you leaving employee engagement to chance? In this article, Kristina Evey shares why you can't afford to ignore culture, and offers up key considerations if you want to drive culture change.

4. Lessons From the Overlook: Sometimes Work Isn't Fun by Jeff Toister

We've all had those days when everything that can go wrong does. Or when we just don't feel inspired by the tasks at hand. In this article, Jeff Toister shares a couple of simple steps--and a practical exercise-- that will help you re-focus your energy and stay on track.

5. Agent Emotional Intelligence Drives Improved CX by Scorebuddy

How do specific agent behaviors impact customer experience, and how can you help your agents develop a better emotional connection with customers? This practical article offers detailed advice on what you need to consider--from metrics to training and everything in between.

We are all striving to be better. Whether it’s being better people, better leaders, or better organizations, improvement and advancement is at the heart of our daily intentions. For the contact center, this mission of constant improvement is fundamental to every interaction. We need to meet the expectations of our customers in ways that improve their satisfaction and brand loyalty. We need to improve employee engagement as we build their skills, knowledge, and experience in ways that grow their own loyalty and improve retention. We need to improve our organization’s operational efficiencies in ways that drive revenue and improve the bottom line.

No one understands the contact center’s focus on improvement like ICMI does. We champion contact centers and their people, and our mission is to make both better every day. Through training, consulting, content and events, we unite the community and empower contact centers to serve their customers better, engage their employees more, and improve the customer experience.

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