The KPI Podcast

“AI will replace your agents” is one of the biggest lies in contact centers today.In this episode of The KPI Podcast, we sit down with Jim Iyoob, a 35-year CX veteran and Chief Customer Officer at eTech, to break down what real AI success looks like.We cover:• Why “next best action” is the most overlooked metric in AI• How to measure ROI beyond buzzwords• Using AI to reduce attrition, close skill gaps, and eliminate QA bias• Why waiting for the perfect AI strategy will leave you behind

We know adopting new tech, especially AI, can be daunting.That's why we asked Jessica Lockhart, Business Intelligence Director at Jeff Coat Law Firm, to break down her process for getting teams to buy into new tech.What she covers in this jam-packed 20 minutes:How to get leadership and ethics teams on board earlyWhy experienced team members are often the hardest to convince (and what to do about it)Why onboarding AI tools should look a lot like onboarding a new hireWhat happens when you actually stick with a feedback loopIf you're looking to roll out new tech, you’ll want to hear this one.It's time to turn skeptics into champions.

Jerry Ellis, a call center guru, believes that agent attrition is a foundational KPI that is often glossed over. It's just baked into your numbers, not many companies try to implement changes to improve attrition rates.But Jerry believes there is one thing that can drastically change this KPI.That's Engagement.Take the long way to the break room. Take extra time each week to connect one-on-one via Zoom/Teams if virtual.If you can provide a good work environment and engage with agents, then you don't need to be the highest-paying call center.This isn't just Jerry's opinion, though. He shares studies & results that back up his claims.

Tonia Brown, VP of Compliance at First Credit Services, gives you the top 5 compliance requirements in the latest episode of the Contact Center KPI Podcast!If you don't have 20 minutes to listen or watch, here is a sneak peek at those requirements:1. You need a knowledgeable compliance person in-house2. A Compliance Management System (CMS) 3. Executive leadership and oversight4. Documented policies and procedures in your CMS5. Internal audit process

Daniel Foppen, Head of Product & Product Marketing for Convoso, has over 20 years of CX experience and joins the Contact Center KPI podcast to share his predictions about outbound contact rate.Prediction #1: Customer service teams will be doing outbound dialing in the near future.Outbound is not just for sales teams. Customer service teams will be asked to do outbound dialing to customers to help them stay ahead of issues.For example, a product trigger could notify agents to call a customer if they are receiving an error. Customers no longer have to "wait in line" adding a level of concierge service to your company.Listen to the full episode to hear more about why Daniel believes contact rate in contact centers is valuable.

Hannah Steiman, President & Chief Strategy Officer at Peak Support, joins us to talk all about Quality and why it should be a top priority.Quality starts with the best agents and people. But you still need processes and technology to achieve those high scores.At Peak Support, they focus on root cause analysis. Their 5 level analysis lets them get to the root cause of the issue so they can continue to provide the best quality of service.Traditionally fingers are pointed at the agent when scores aren't where they need to be. However, in reality, there can be a variety of reasons - process, technology & product, performance management, or a combination of the three.Listen to how Hannah breaks it all down!

Berny Miller, who has over 20 years of experience in contact centers, joins us to focus on agent attrition.But this conversation dives into so much more. It was hard to narrow down which three points we wanted to share!If you like what Berny has to say below, we HIGHLY suggest listening to this, even if it's on a drive.1) Step back and listen before you make any changes. This means being on the floor with the agents, being in the breakroom, and getting to know your HR person/team. If you're a remote team, it's harder. You just need to meet with agents and take the time to listen to as many calls as it takes to get an understanding of how things are going.2) Understand - Are your agents quitting you? Or am I having to quit the agents?This will help you find the disconnects and where to start to solve your attrition issues.3) If you help take care of your agent's needs (transportation, daycare, food), you'll start to see a loyalty shift and a drop in attrition. This isn't just "more money", there are many ways to help with this.

Jordan Fleming, CEO of smrtPhone, joined us on the Contact Center KPI podcast for a phenomenal episode on agent performance and his steps to coaching & training.Here is what you're going to learn in this episode: 1) Three steps to agent coaching & training: I do you listen, you do I coach, you do I listen.2) The above steps won't work because you expect it to happen quickly. You need to implement the steps properly and realize you're teaching a process - it's not a "trick".3) If you have the agent just "listen", then you're missing the point. You need to break down the call, listen to the recording multiple times, explain each step, and work on building the skill.If you don't have time to listen to the full 20 minute episode, you need to at least listen to 7:50-9:12!

Today's guest on the Contact Center KPI podcast is Oliver Catt, Founder of The Cattalyst.We talk all about agent attrition. A touchy subject in the contact center world.Here are three things you'll learn from Oliver's episode:1) It can cost 105% of an employee's salary to replace, recruit, and train and new person to replace them. 2) It has been normalized to expect higher levels of attrition instead of trying to do something to improve it. Companies just accept the sunk cost.3) Attrition occurs because of one of these three reasons:- Money: Not being paid enough- Motivation: No growth, no motivation to push themselves- Management: Bad leadership

Clayton Drotsky joins us on the latest episode of the Contact Center KPI podcast!With 18 years of contact center leadership experience, Clayton is taking a different approach in today's episode.We're discussing the big picture and how leaders should approach KPIs!KPIs are usually decided on at the higher levels and then are communicated down the ladder. But there is usually a communication breakdown which causes a gap in why these KPIs needed to be achieved in the first place. Where do you start? First, ask yourself does everyone at your company (from the agents to the CEO) understand why these goals & KPIs are set? Listen to hear the rest of Clayton's advice!

Aaron Slavin, a compliance call center expert with over 10 years of experience, joined us on the Contact Center KPI podcast to share his secrets on balancing employee safety with operations.Key takeaways from the episode that you don't want to miss...1) Have a threat matrix in place. Know exactly when to escalate incidents.2) Put safety before sales. The two factors to consider when a threat happens - proximity and the nature of what was said.3) Rely on a team, not just one person to make decisions around shutting down operations due to a threat. This allows people to be more candid and make better decisions together.

This episode is a MUST LISTEN.Why?Chris Crosby, Founder & CEO of CX Ventures, joins us to talk about why KPIs today aren't worth much and how each one can be "gamed". He took a different perspective on KPIs and how companies should be focusing on the fundamentals instead. If you're focused on the fundamentals of your operation like...Are your agents showing up on time? Are they handling calls effectively & efficiently? Is your management team forecasting accurately?If you get those right, your KPIs will fall in line as KPIs are just aggregations of the day-to-day operations.The next step is understanding what the person responsible for the KPIs can control and what they can influence. Listen to the full episode to see how Chris breaks it down further.

Sean Moss, Co-Founder & VP of Scoutnet and StellaNStone.com, joined us on the Contact Center KPI podcast!Our KPI for this episode is Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). CLV is often complicated and most companies aren't focused on it. They are focused on average handle time, first contact resolution, or other "leading" indicators. Sean says, "Keep it simple". First, recognize that CLV is a KPI worth keeping track of. Whether you're an outsourced contact center or in-house.Then know that your other metrics may suffer when a customer has exceeded that value. It's okay if your AHT is higher for those top-tier customers. They shouldn't be rushed when on the phone.Lastly, know that customers go through journeys and find ways to improve that journey to increase your CLV.