Archive for the ‘ICMI Conferences’ Category
Posted by Ted Hopton on May 29, 2008
How did I miss posting about these great articles by Jay Minnucci? I went to link to them from the post I just wrote about Dr. Jodie Monger’s article on survey malpractice and that’s when I discovered I never wrote about them. They were both published in ICMI’s Customer Management Insight (CMI): Getting a Real Measure on Satisfaction (Part I) and Getting a Real Measure on Satisfaction (Part II).
Well, now I am! I loved this two-part series Jay did so much that I asked him to do a presentation on this topic at ICMI’s Dallas Call Center Demo and Conference last week. I think the live session was even better than the articles, because of the audience participation and the dialogue that took place, and just because Jay’s a fun and professional speaker.
These articles make an excellent companion to Jodie Monger’s article that I just wrote about, Are You Guilty of Survey Malpractice? She delves into the details of survey practices and Jay uncovers a whole lot of other factors that you’ve likely never considered.
Surveys alone do not reflect true customer satisfaction levels. Behavioral metrics hold the key to managing dissatisfaction.
I love the way Jay pussy-foots around touchy issues so delicately, as he does here: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Call Center Management, Call Centers, Customer Sat, Customer Service, ICMI, ICMI Conferences, ICMI's CMI | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Ted Hopton on February 15, 2008
Well, the Miami Call Center Demo & Conference just ended. IMHO, which is completely and positively biased, it was excellent!!! But, what really counts is that the attendees certainly seemed to be of the same opinion. That’s what I like to hear 
I have to admit, I had a scare at the end. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Call Center Management, Call Centers, ICMI, ICMI Conferences | Tagged: Call Center Demo, Call Center Management, Call Centers, Education, ICMI, ICMI's Conferences | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Ted Hopton on February 14, 2008
I’m headed to bed. I have so much I want to write about here, but I lack the energy after a very long day and another one ahead.
I want to tell you all about the great call center “insight” tour I went on to a Royal Carribean call center. I want to describe the enthusiastic feedback from participants in the unique team-building-through-baking workshop led by King Arthur Flour. I have dozens of “nuggets” of learning gathered from all the different conference sessions today. And I want to rave about the keynote speaker, Kare Anderson, Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Call Center Management, Call Centers, ICMI, ICMI Conferences | Tagged: Call Center Demo, Call Center Management, Call Centers, Education, ICMI, ICMI's Conferences | 1 Comment »
Posted by Ted Hopton on February 12, 2008
I’m on a plane at the moment that this post is appearing (writing it the day before), on my way to sunnier and warmer weather for ICMI’s first conference of 2008, the Miami Call Center Demo & Conference.
I wish I could do “live blogging” from the conference, but my responsibilities on site won’t leave me enough time. Since I put together the conference program, I try to see at least part of every single conference session, and since there are five simultaneous tracks on the program, that means I do a lot of running around. And since I can’t stay to hear very much of any individual session, it’d be hard for me to accurately represent what the speaker was saying.
No, I’m afraid you just need to be there. If you’re attending, please seek me out, and if you’re not, consider coming to the Dallas Call Center Demo & Conference in May or to our flagship conference, the Annual Call Center Exhibition (ACCE) in Phoenix this September.
I will post from the conference when I get a chance. I’m sure I’ll have more than enough to write about. It’s just a matter of finding the time to do so . . .
call center management
Posted in Call Center Management, Call Centers, ICMI, ICMI Conferences | Tagged: ACCE, Call Center Demo, Call Center Management, Call Centers, conferences, ICMI, Miami | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Ted Hopton on February 5, 2008
We get more questions at ICMI about metrics than just about any other call center management topic. This article, “Metrics: Expanding Perspectives to Increase Effectiveness,” by consultant (and popular speaker at ICMI’s conferences) Tim Montgomery, in ICMI’s Customer Management Insight (CMI) takes an in-depth look at conventional views of call center metrics — such as accessibility, productivity and quality objectives — and explains alternative approaches to measure what matters most in your contact center.
It’s a good review of the key principles for getting call center metrics right, so I recommend that you read it. Here’s Tim’s conclusion:
The best contact centers know that metrics are simply an indicator of opportunities, and that real positive change happens when leaders focus on the right behaviors that help the voice of your company get better.
call center metrics call center management
Posted in Call Center Management, Call Centers, Customer Sat, Customer Service, ICMI, ICMI Conferences, ICMI Publications, ICMI's CMI, Metrics | Tagged: Call Center Management, Call Centers, ICMI, ICMI's Customer Management Insight, Metrics | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Ted Hopton on January 31, 2008
I’m happy to link to my friend (and popular speaker at ICMI conferences), Bob Furniss‘s article that’s pertinent to an earlier post of mine, related to an ongoing discussion thread (“Value Proposition“) in ICMI’s QueueTips Forums: “What Does Your Contact Center Annual Report Look Like?“
An annual report is more than just a report on a set of metrics or measurements. In the call center we often get wrapped up in reporting only the metrics “that the executive asked for.” Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Call Center Management, Call Centers, ICMI, ICMI Conferences, ICMI's QueueTips, Strategy | Tagged: Call Centers, ICMI's QueueTips, Strategy, value proposition | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Ted Hopton on January 11, 2008
I have a weakness for puns. Maybe that’s why I like the name “QueueTips” for ICMI’s question-and-answer community that’s turned into a massive knowledgebase of call center management resources. 
So, the title of this entry is a pun, because Cliff Hurst writes about quality monitoring in call centers quite a bit. He’s been a frequent speaker at ICMI’s conferences, and I like his blog, especially when he favorably references one of our conferences! So, here’s a link, and I encourage you to check out what Cliff has to say. And pity the poor guy, since he’s in the middle of Maine winter right now
call center management
Posted in Blogs, Call Center Management, Call Centers, ICMI, ICMI Conferences, ICMI's QueueTips | Tagged: Blogs, Call Centers, conferences, QA, quality | 1 Comment »
Posted by Ted Hopton on December 15, 2005
I’d like to share some valuable insight offered by one of ICMI’s seminar leaders and frequent speaker at our conferences, Lori Bocklund of Strategic Contact. It’s from an article titled, “What Makes the Good Centers Good?”
I think two common threads run through the best centers I have worked with: good leadership, and clear strategy and vision. It starts at the top. One can argue the tens, hundreds, or even thousands of CSRs that interact with customers in any given center have the most impact. But good leadership and strategic context that is well communicated and understood is what enables those CSRs to have a better understanding of their goals, their roles, and the ways they can contribute. That is what empowers the CSRs to be great.
Take a look for yourself. You just might find some useful ideas for your call center.
call center management
Posted in Call Center Management, Call Centers, ICMI, ICMI Conferences, ICMI Training, Strategy | Tagged: call center, conferences, ICMI, Leadership, Strategy | Leave a Comment »
