Sharing Your Passion – Notes from the Call and Contact Center Expo in Las Vegas

“As soon as I saw you I knew a grand adventure was about to happen.” ― A.A. Milne

One really exciting thing about meeting a person who shares your professional passion is the gravitational pull you feel towards each other. At a conference, it has to happen fast: with so many exhibitors to visit, it can turn into a blur—until you meet the people you really connect with. In spite of the noisy crowds, you are locked in on learning everything you can from a kindred spirit.

At last week’s Call & Contact Center Expo (CCCE) in Las Vegas, the Call Design team was privileged to introduce ourselves to a new audience of contact center professionals from across the spectrum of CC roles: Outbound specialists, AI developers, Quality and Speech Analytics experts, and BPO’s. It’s always gratifying to interact with industry trailblazers who are looking for the latest contact center technology. 

We’re Vibing, Right?

Meeting new people can be great, it’s really next-level to run across contact center folks who get as excited about Employee Experience and the human side of Workforce Management as we do.  The advances in technology on display were amazing, but our Call Design team got extra enthusiastic talking with EX/CX specialists about the ways that technology can make employees’ lives better. We bonded with new friends who have also made it their mission to create a supportive, welcoming, uplifting environment that allows their employees to envision a long-term working relationship. 

For many of the people who stopped by the Call Design booth, Workforce Management is something they’re familiar with, but not their direct responsibility. They may have thought of WFM as a numbers game, a machine whose only goal is efficiency and Big Brother style adherence tracking. But these folks were passionate about personalized Customer Experience and treating their employees well to support that goal of good CX. It was very satisfying to introduce them to the human-centric side of WFM and see their eyes light up in recognition of a people-first direction. 

Happy, Engaged, Fulfilled, and Aligned at Work!

Along those same lines, our own Dan Smitley presented a speaker session at CCCE titled: The Machines Have Taken Over – Now What? As a work culture champion and Call Design’s Strategy and Optimization Czar, Dan recognized that there were lots (lots!) of AI companies exhibiting and presenting at CCCE with a message about AI technologies that can do the work of human agents. Dan focused on the continuing importance of the human element, and why we should be focusing on developing soft skills now to prepare for the AI-assisted future. 

Quite a few of the people who came to the Call Design booth were seeking us out after Dan’s presentation resonated with them. If you wish you had been there to hear about maintaining humanity as AI becomes more prevalent in the Contact Center, you’re in luck! Dan is presenting on this topic for the Association of Customer Contact Professionals on May 18. 

One more plug for those of you who love people-focused content: If any of you are attending the SWPP Conference in Nashville in a couple of weeks, be sure to catch Dan’s speaking session at 11am Monday the 15th — Managing More Than Just Your Workforce: You’re Taking Care of Everyone Else, But Who’s Taking Care of You? 

I’ll Have That To Go

When we get back home from a trip like this and recover from the early morning flights, the Vegas crowds, and the extremely good food (pictured)– it can feel like reality starting to set back in. But while we certainly had email backlogs to work through, the Call Design team still feels inspired and renewed in our mission. Experiencing a shared passion with other professionals is a multiplier— it’s a motivational chain reaction that makes our individual fires burn even brighter. As we build relationships with other energized people, our network of experiences and talents grows. And we can’t wait to use that rich set of tools and expertise to create revolutionary change for our customers. 

OK, maybe you’re thinking that happiness at work is great, but you’re still running a business! What about some data to back up all the warm and fuzzy? We can help with that—if you’d like to see some real numbers that show how a people-first philosophy can work at work, get a copy of our latest whitepaper Investing in Your Employees.

We’re back in the office and ready to help solve your contact center problems! Contact us today to discuss how we can partner with you to create a more engaged, more fulfilled workforce. 

—Shawn McCormick