As contact centers shift to omni-channel models, Mayo Clinic’s remote Contact Innovation Center shows that employee connection and trust are as critical as technology.
Healthcare access is undergoing a fundamental shift. As organizations move away from traditional, telephone‑based appointment intake toward more digital, omni‑channel experiences, technology often gets most of the attention. But digital transformation doesn’t succeed on tools alone, it succeeds when the people delivering the work are engaged, connected, and supported.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in remote contact center operations. These teams sit at the intersection of innovation and human experience, translating new processes and technologies into real outcomes for patients and customers. Involving this workforce goes beyond strategy; it's essential for driving transformation.
The Engagement Challenge in Remote Contact Centers
Contact center work has always been complex. It can be fast‑paced and emotionally demanding. In remote environments, that complexity is amplified by distance. Agents may be highly engaged in their work yet still feel isolated, stretched or disconnected from their peers and leaders — a dynamic that research has described as the “remote work paradox,” where engagement and wellbeing don’t always move in tandem.
For organizations pursuing digital transformation, this tension matters. Innovation requires adaptability, learning and trust. Those conditions are difficult to sustain if employees feel unseen or unsupported.
Contact Innovation Center: A Small Team Exploring Big Change
At Mayo Clinic, our Contact Innovation Center team was created to explore what the future of access and scheduling could look like. We are a small, remote-based, pilot‑focused contact center that runs rapid, small‑scale experiments across process design, contact center technology, capacity models and advanced omni‑channel approaches.
The team’s role is to test, learn and refine digital access practices — helping the organization move beyond phone‑first contact approach toward a more digital, patient‑centered state. Because the work involves frequent change, experimentation, and iteration, our team’s success depends heavily on how well the team stays connected and engaged in a fully remote environment.
Using Shared Language to Build Connection
As part of a broader engagement and development effort, the DNALI team participated in a True Colors personality exercise, a framework that helps teams understand differences in communication styles, motivators and ways of working. The model groups preferences into four easily understood “colors,” offering a shared language without labels or hierarchy.
What made the exercise impactful wasn’t the assessment itself, it was how the insights were applied.
Instead of treating it as a one‑time team‑building activity, leaders and team members used the framework to:
- Talk openly about how people experience change, ambiguity and fast‑moving pilots
- Adjust coaching and communication styles to better match individual preferences
- Normalize differences in how team members problem‑solve, ask questions or respond to feedback
For a remote team, that shared language reduced friction and increased empathy. Team members reported feeling more understood — not just as employees, but as individuals navigating change together.
Coaching for Growth, Not Just Performance
Digital transformation often brings new metrics, workflows and expectations. In contact centers, that can unintentionally turn coaching into a transactional exchange of scores and outcomes.
By contrast, Contact Innovation Center leaders used personality insights to re‑center coaching on growth and partnership. Conversations shifted from “Here’s what the data says” to “Here’s how we can support you in this environment.” That shift strengthened trust — an essential ingredient for teams tasked to test new ideas and adapt quickly.
Designing Belonging in a Remote World
In physical contact centers, connections happen organically. Remotely, it must be designed.
Contact Innovation Center leaders leaned into intentional connection through structured check‑ins, recognition tied to strengths and space for reflection during periods of change. These moments reinforced a sense of belonging and reminded the team that innovation is a collective effort, not an individual burden.
Why This Matters for Digital Transformation
Technology can modernize access and certainly help improve patient and customer service. Process redesign can improve efficiency. But sustainable transformation happens when employees feel connected to the mission and are confident in their ability to contribute.
Remote contact centers are not a barrier to culture; they are proving ground. Our innovation contact center experience shows that even small, practical engagement strategies can have an outsized impact when they are aligned with purpose and applied thoughtfully.
As healthcare organizations continue to evolve toward digital access models, one lesson is clear: the future of access isn’t just digital — it’s human.