Hot Topics @ ACCE 2010 Conference
Filed under: Leadership, Management, Relational Leadership, Uncategorized
New Orleans in mid-June redefines the word humidity. I am from Memphis and we thought we invented the word, but a week in NO let me know we are B-league at best. So, it was hot… but so was the sharing and learning at ICMI’s ACCE Conference. Traditionally one of the best call center conferences, there was a buzz this year in the sessions and on the trade-show floor. I heard that attendance was up (perhaps a leading indicator for the economy) and the hot topic was social media.
Having been in the industry for more than 29 years, there have been years when everything seemed to be status quo. I remember being excited about quality systems in the early ‘90s. The technology went on to revolutionize the call center industry and I believe has been a key element in the consistency in centers. The IVR had a huge impact on centers in the mid-90’s. IVRs are now a part of every-day life (although they can be a HUGE point of frustration for those companies that don’t do it very well).
In the late 90’s CRM was “all the buzz.” It was everywhere. I even remember seeing a headset company that advertised their headsets were “CRM approved.” If you were a vendor in the 90’s you had to find a way to be a part of the craze! Of course the success has been undeniable. CRM systems are now a part of centers as small at 10 agents and as big as 10,000. Email management, chat and speech analytics were the next hot topics.
Well, this year the buzz was Social Media – and I say that not just because I had the opportunity to speak about it in three different sessions. It was the topic of conversations at breakfast and lunch – and on Bourbon Street when attendees put down their hurricanes to talk shop at night. One guy at lunch said it best, “Jezz, it is all I hear.”
ACCE is always an interesting blend of all levels of call center leaders. I talked with VPs of Customer Service for large corporations and to a lady leading a team of 25 in a small health practice.
It is cool to think about the possibilities of Social Media. There’s no doubt that companies with an online presence are the early-adopters and are leading the way for the rest of us. Actually I think we are all on a huge learning arch. In our session on Monday, I was happy to hear a story of one leader who said their small doctor’s group is “dabbling” in social media. Mike Pace with Constant Contact was a great resource in the session – sharing many success stories from his center. 1-800-Flowers, Dell and Intuit also shared best-practices. It comforting to know that even these companies, who are leading the way, have been doing this for less than two years so we all have time to ride the Social wave behind them.
Salesforce.com knocked it out of the park again at the sponsored lunch event. They may not be the only vendor doing Social CRM but they are definitely leading the way in teaching us how to do it right.
The trade show floor was lively. There were the usual suspects in the area of CRM, Outsourcing and Quality Management. I continue to be intrigued by CallCopy. I have several clients that have their systems and all have been VERY satisfied.
Many may have not noticed it but there was a new vendor in the mix this year with a totally new concept. He is actually an industry veteran. Michael Tamer (a previous Call Center Pioneer winner for his contribution to Quality Management while at Teknekron/etalk) was there representing his company Tamer Partners Corporation. They are offering a new SAS application that provides a way for customers to give feedback directly to the call center agent. The system allows the customer to become a direct “coach” for the agent. It is pretty cool stuff. I might add that I have worked with Mike and his top consultant Scott Thomas for many years - so while my comments may include some bias, they are still relative.
The ICMI team should be congratulated for a great conference. If you choose only one conference in 2011, this is the one to attend.
Finally, here are some great Social Media links that we shared in our session. If you have questions or want to talk more about how Social Media might affect your center, please give me a call or send me an email:
Learning more about Social Media:
http://mashable.com/ - Understand more about Social Media
http://www.socialmediatoday.com/ - great blog
http://mashable.com/2009/01/21/best-twitter-brands/ - 40 of the Best Twitter Brands and the People Behind Them
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=22754 - Directory: 100 technology experts on Twitter
http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/hiner/?p=916 - Techies: The top 10 people you should follow on Twitter
http://mediasosial.com/socialnetworking/the-ultimate-list-of-people-to-follow-on-twitter/ - The Ultimate List of People To Follow on Twitter
http://www.chrisbrogan.com/ - the guy I read consistently…
http://socialmediagovernance.com/policies.php - great site for policies.
Thanks to Faith LeGendre for the opportunity to co-present on several sessions. She always makes me look smart!
The History of Call Centers
Over the years I have had the opportunity to speak at many ICMI events. In 2003 I passed the process to become a Certified Associate (it was pretty intense!). I have always felt honored to be a part of the ICMI team and have taught their premier workshop, Essential Skills and Knowledge, around the world.
The organization just celebrated their 25th Anniversary. If you have been around call centers as long as I have, you probably remember the huge trade shows from the past and perhaps attended a class taught by the Gordon McPherson (the guy that is credited with giving us the term “call center”). To celebrate the history of the organization, the former President, Brad Cleveland recently sat down for an interview. While it is a look at the history of the ICMI organization, is it also, in my opinion, a priceless look into the history of the call center industry.
I love to tell people that I started working in call centers before they were called call centers. My first call center job was in a “phone room.” We had 10-key brown phones with the headset hanging on the side. The ACD was nothing more than a blinking light indicating that a call was on hold. In the video, Brad will take you back to those days and bring you forward to the technology of the future. The video is about 10 minutes long but I think it will be worth your time.
Top 10 Signs You Work in a Call Center
Letterman-style list for your next manager meeting (although the last one may be a little
10. You supply your spouse with a daily quality performance report and analysis.
9. You end your date with the question, “is there anything else I can do for you?”
8. After a romantic evening with your spouse, you send him or her a satisfaction survey.
7. Your kid’s names are acronyms.
6. You find yourself calculating the average talk time after an argument with your spouse.
5. When you watch your son play soccer you keep yelling that the other team is out of adherence.
4. You keep losing bets by insisting that “Shook Me All Night Long” was sung by the mega-rock group “ACD”
3. At Halloween, you answer the door and say: Press one for Snickers, Two for Butterfinger, Three for Almond Joy, Four for Kit-Kat, or press 0 to opt out for an apple.
2. When choosing a line at the grocery store, you run a quick intra-day forecast.
1. Your dates always seem to go downhill because you keep bringing that your last date said you did not meet service level.
Thanks to Scott Thomas for co-authoring this. He is one of a kind!
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Bob Furniss
As founder and President of Touchpoint Associates, Inc., Bob Furniss has more than 25 years of experience in the customer service field - assisting organizations to increase productivity and profits by bringing out the best in their people. He has shared his experience in the areas of leadership and service with some of the top companies in America - companies like FedEx, Corporate Express, DePaul University, Delta Airlines, Hanley Wood and more.
Click here to email Bob direct -
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