Customer Support Metrics, Scaling, and Soft Skills
I’ve had a number of opportunities recently to contribute customer service and customer experience content to other blogs and want to share them. Here they are:
Lessons in Leadership: Reflections from Jeremy Watkin
It was an honor to be named a Top 25 Thought Leader by HDI. In this interview, I talked about the importance of being involved in a rich customer service community. I went on to share my thoughts on AI and the opportunities for it to drive significant efficiency in customer service.
Guest Interview: Jeremy Watkin, Customer Service Leader at FCR
It’s always fun to tell others about my philosophy of customer service — a topic that is near and dear to my heart. In this interview with Thematic, I started by talking about my roots in customer service right out of college. I also discussed topics like building a customer experience program and the importance of engaged employees.
27 Experts Discuss Key Customer Support Metrics That Drive Growth
What a great compilation of expertise by JitBit on the most important customer support metrics. In my response, I shared the importance of a balanced approach. Both agent productivity and quality should be considered and trouble can result where one exists without the other.
23 Experts Reveal How to Scale Customer Support (Without Hurting the Customer Experience)
The only thing better than one awesome compilation by JitBit is a second one. In this case, we shared practical advice on effectively scaling a customer support operation. My take is that you need a clear set of KPIs that you track consistently, a sustainable team structure, and effective self-help. If you can do those things well, you’ll scale successfully.
17 Experts Weigh in on the Term “Soft Skills”
I’m incredibly proud of this article on the ICMI blog discussing our thoughts on the term “Soft Skills” and whether or not it makes sense to label these essential customer service skills as “soft.” While there were a variety of opinions among the experts, 52% of the experts were in favor of calling them something else like skills, people skills, communication skills, or emotional intelligence.
Finally, Jenny and I learned that we were both included in the Top 50 Call Center Twitter Accounts To Follow In 2017 list published by PlayVox. It’s always an honor to be included on these lists and we want to offer our congratulations to the other 48 people listed.