I would never have thought that I would complain about working from home – and missing the travel – even going to a callcenter in Glasgow!
I miss the commute, seeing the same people every morning, buying my ticket, getting my coffee at the station. I miss the friendly hello of the concierge and the quiet hush when I enter the call floor!
I miss speaking to my frontline advisors, helping actively resolving their questions or just having a chat about day to day life.
Now – obviously this is not going to change in a hurry – and when we come out of this – we need to think differently! – We have come out of the crisis curve! The question that’s on everybody’s mind is – how do we do this?
- We need to take back control!
This means we need to establish a routine that allows us to control what we can control! It may not be the same Key Performance Indicators as we did before this crisis happened! You will have to think hard about what you can measure that is meaningful but also uplifting!
- Transition to the new normal!
For many contact centers, offering a working from home solution will become a valid option for some of their services and their workforce! With this – we have got a massive opportunity to attract talent we never got to under the “old world” The new normal also will measure Customer Experience differently – and hopefully much simpler! At the end of the day the question to the customer is: Were you happy with my service? A simple Yes or No will do just fine!
- Crisis futureproofing!
We all know that we need a business continuity plan – but frankly, that’s not even what I’m talking about! When my Contact Center Operation moved to home working – it was amazing how little our Operations Manual actually contained! In fact – some areas in the manual were simply blank! I’d invite you to compile your Ops Manual – and to start now! I certainly do!
What’s happening on The Operational Excellence Podcast?
Firstly – last week’s episode with Bart-Hendrik Huisman has blown all other shows out the water! Clearly – you found the episode engaging and interesting! If you haven’t listened to it yet – here is the show.
A lot of you asked me how I, personally, cope with Covid-19, especially as I am deemed a person at risk based on my remission from bowel cancer. I packed my thoughts into a little bonus episode on the Operational Excellence Show. Click the link below to listen.
Please don’t worry – I am doing really well! I’m so grateful for that!
This week’s podcast features a dear friend of mine – Morris Pentel – in short Mo!
Mo has been working in the Customer Experience Space for a long time! He calls himself a lifelong Student of the London School of Customer Experience!
Listen to this engaging conversation and please let us know what you learned!
Stay safe!
Marianne
