Would you agree that the contact center industry is constantly moving? Often, I notice, it moves in multiple directions at once. We are in an industry that cannot sit still; we follow trends.
I spend much of my time just trying to keep track of trends. We have “people” and technology trends, and also process, knowledge, customer, measurement, and sourcing trends. As if our contact center lives aren’t hectic enough! Deciding what trends to follow can drive us crazy.
I have defined a “trend” as “an investment strategy resulting in a long-term, significant change in enterprise and/or contact center performance.” Notice that the definition is neutral; the “change” described can be positive or negative. A trend can take us to new heights or correspondingly low depths. Most trends are positive, but even the ones that begin positively can go awry. In 1969, Sir Alec Cairncross wrote a short lyric that illustrates that a trend is what we make it:
A trend is a trend is a trend
But the question is, will it bend?
Will it alter its course
Through some unforeseen force
And come to a premature end?
Have you achieved positive results from following a trend? Have you seen others latch onto a call center trend that did not last? Tell us about it; and, if you would like, change the names of those involved to protect the unwary trendsetter.
