The 15th Anniversary Customer Contact West: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange in Huntington Beach was a meeting of innovative, enthusiastic, collaborative, and analytical minds. This year, the main challenges discussed by contact center leaders were: · Improving employee engagement and retention · Finding the right balance between excellent CX (customer experience) and automation · Moving the company’s vision beyond revenue and profit generation to one that will move us all towards a better world There were so many sessions, with loads of information to process. This insight gives you an analysis of the top 5 takeaways in 2019: 1) Employee engagement is the key to success 2) Take time to teach your ro/co/chat bots 3) Dig deep – find the root causes of challenges 4) Trust will be a key factor as automation increases 5) Don’t ever forget the Voice of the Customer Why is Employee Engagement Critical? The demographics of the contact center have changed in the past decade. The contact center workforce draws from the millennial and younger generations, which favor a more flexible workplace environment with work/life balance. An increasing number want to work from home. The gig economy is made up of not just the younger generation, but of the older generation as well. It can include retirees who need a bit of extra cash or are bored. Mothers (or fathers!) may also be part of this economy—they want to work a few hours a week and still be home when the kids are back from school. This dynamic workforce creates uncertainty for your company. In the “it’s all about me” world we live in today, people actually want to like their jobs. Keeping them engaged will be critical for employee retention. People are worried that new technologies will replace them. Thus far, we are finding this to be fiction. This insight shares some of the key takeaways from the CCW event that will help guide you digital transformation strategy. Author: Alpa Shah