Contact center professionals tend to come from a variety of backgrounds. New areas of study and degrees can help them specialize.
Leaders and frontline agents might want to consider new education programs geared toward managing the customer experience.
DeVry University will offer graduate school business courses in customer experience management (CEM) this summer – one of the first of its kind. Students can pursue one of two paths within the program – analytics and business intelligence disciplines or a concentration on customer experience strategies and consumer behavior.
Either path can help strengthen their skills in the contact center and possibly lead to better operations.
According to Steve Pappageorge, senior director of business services for DeVry University, contact center professionals will have to focus efforts on:
- The voice of the customer (VOC) and what customers truly say and feel
- Social media, how to integrate it into their existing channels and use it to connect with customers and build loyalty
- Six Sigma/process re-engineering/continuous improvement, to help them take action on what customers say and need.
- Continual staff development and training that is tied to career paths, and
- Service recovery situations so dissatisfied customers are pleased again and become advocates.
