CCNG receives ongoing feedback from our management members in contact center and customer care about the relative hot issues they are most interested in discussing with peers.  We bring these Hot Topics to you with regular webcast content provided by our members and partners.

Managing your contact center operations to achieve exceptional customer care in your organization requires access to information about the technology, processes, human capital management, and peer knowledge & experiences.  CCNG members share their experience and best practices in how they manage customer care in their enterprise contact center operations to improve the overall customer experience.

This channel features webcast presentations by thought leaders and award-winning operations who cover the key topic areas in this increasingly changing and dynamic field.

What do Facebook, a COVID19 prediction model, and Bronx Honda all have in common? All three were specifically referenced in a recent FTC announcement aimed to encourage “truth, fairness and equity” in the use of AI. That same week, the European Union proposed comprehensive AI regulation as well. What this likely means is that regulation is coming to AI soon, and it's now a great opportunity to talk about the negative outcomes that can arise from poorly implemented AI. Specifically, how do we spot bad actors in AI overhyping what the technology can do? And how can we ensure the AI systems we implement are not flawed by human bias?

Join CCNG President and CEO, David Hadobas, along with Vince Lynch and Owen McGrath of IV.AI as they dive into:

What might upcoming AI regulation in the US look like?
For those in the contact center that have or are considering implementing AI technologies, what do they need to know?
What can industry stakeholders do to ensure they’re implementing best practices?
How do we conduct due diligence on AI vendors?

AI Regulation and the Contact Center

CCNG talks with member Dan Smitley around what we’re going to do once the bots take over the world. Dan is a WFM evangelist, public speaker, and industry expert who has been in the contact center space for over 20 years.

More info at CCNG.com

The Machines Have Taken Over, Now What?

CCNG member Kirstyn Sansom, President and CEO of Sansom Consulting, kicks off this Town Hall and facilitates a discussion on Retaining Your #1 Asset Through Leadership & Culture.

2021 saw many companies suffer the great resignation.  As we enter 2022, many are asking (1) What can we do to avoid this continuing? and (2) What are some key areas of focus companies can have to retain employees?  Join us as we "deep dive" into some of the main reasons our talent is choosing to leave their positions and what we can do to retain the number #1 asset in our companies – our talent.

During this conversation we discussed the key areas of culture and leadership and how that has impacted people's decision to leave their roles.  We also discussed what you can do to influence them to stay. Let’s work towards making 2022 the year of the great retention ... and not resignation!

Member Town Hall - Retaining Your #1 Asset Through Leadership & Culture

Codependency in the Customer Engagement Center -- the relationship between agent enablement and customer experience.

Contrary to the typically negative connotation of codependent relationships. the relationship between agent enablement and a positive customer experience is critical. While some organizations regard agent enablement initiatives as a way to meet internal goals -- such as improving retention, curbing turnover, or improving efficiency, the reality is that investments in agent enablement can have a dramatic impact on customer experience.

During this webinar we’ll discuss some tactics to improve agent enablement that can lead to a better customer experience. For example, organizations that employ successful CRM solutions and integrated business processes are better positioned to have empowered agents delivering personalized service.  This not only delivers higher agent satisfaction, but also happier customers, due to faster and more personalized service!

Codependency in the Customer Engagement Center

Richard Kenny from Poly and Kate Brouse from NTI discuss how organizations can scale up call center home working from the current BandAid approach into something that meets employee, business, and customer needs?

Poly (Plantronics, Inc. – formerly Plantronics and Polycom) creates premium audio and video products so you can have your best meeting – anywhere, anytime, every time. Our headsets, video and audio-conferencing products, desk phones, analytics software and services are beautifully designed and engineered to connect people with incredible clarity.

How to Scale Up Home Working for Your Call Center

David Hadobas of CCNG talks with Vince Lynch and Owen McGrath of IV.AI about the current state of AI in the contact center ... specifically if the technology lends itself to working effectively on a SaaS model. They discuss topics including the training of AI models in client onboarding, the human component to effective implementation, and the common causes of ineffective AI in the contact center.

Cloud Based Solutions, the Contact Center and Future of AI

The Covid-19 pandemic instantly sent millions of employed Americans home to work. This new era of remote work has forever changed the mindset of the talent pool, and has ushered in a new set of challenges. But, for those companies who understand that putting people first will set them up for success in the war for talent, there is a silver lining.

This people first corporate mentality sounds great, but how do you ensure it is implemented? How do you not only hire great employees remotely, but engage and retain them so they give back with passion?

For HR professionals, figuring out how to keep employees engaged while working independently in a remote setting might seem daunting at first. Through storytelling, Kim will share a clever combination of tried-and-true culture-building strategies that can take employee engagement to the next level. Coupling this with technology, such as onboarding tools to boost productivity and engagement, and structuring your company information for easy collaboration, you'll be able to leverage your O365 investment to win the war for talent in a remote world.

In this webinar, you will learn:

• How to build a strong, people first remote culture
• How to engage employees who aren’t physically together
• How to retain top talent in an increasingly competitive environment

Remote Rule #1 People First!

CCNG Member Vicki Brackett leads a conversation with senior leaders to discuss the issue of workforce motivation going into year two of the pandemic and the work-from-home model.

As we head into 2021, both you and your team may be feeling foggy, cranky, and fatigued.  A continuing health pandemic, disrupted work environment, economic uncertainties, and social unrest are sapping our energy and enthusiasm.  The adrenaline of battling the first wave is over and "getting back to normal" seems a distant proposition.  Getting through the next phase may be the toughest leadership challenge of all.  What should you do when assurances that "we're all in this together" are met with skepticism and fatigue?  What can we do as leaders ... for your team(s) and for the front line?

This interactive Executive Dialogue will explore strategies and ideas in a facilitated, roundtable format, featuring insight from industry thought leaders and personal experience from executive colleagues.  Lon Hendrickson, Executive Director CCNG Magnet Program, will host this virtual event.  Vicki Brackett, Founder of Virtual Live Labs and author of The Leadership Toolbox, will kick off the discussion.  Attendees are encouraged to participate with questions and insight.

Executive Dialogues - How to Lead and Motivate a Weary Workforce

Magnet members and senior leader guests join Lon Hendrickson for Executive Dialogues, a forum for you to explore strategies and ideas in a facilitated, round-table format, featuring insight from industry thought leaders and personal experience from executive colleagues. 

Topic: Artificial intelligence in the Contact Center -- Getting Started

Executive Dialogues: Getting Started with AI in the Contact Center

This virtual Town Hall video call is an open forum for all members to address current issues, challenges, and priorities, and to share success stories.  The goal of this virtual Town Hall is that each member will walk away with one thing to begin implementing now.

CCNG member Darrius Jones will help kick off this Town Hall virtual event and will facilitate our discussion with a focus on Hybrid Working.

Member Town Hall

CCNG member Matt Woody, First Vice President, Client First Center Director at First Financial Bank, shares his journey in building a playbook to ensure continued exceptional service delivery from the First Financial Bank's distributed agent workforce.

During this interview, Matt will discuss:

*The challenges presented by the pandemic and how his teams addressed those challenges;
*The changes they made to achieve service level; and
*Employee performance objectives.

A Playbook Ensuring Exceptional Service Delivery from a Hybrid Agent Workforce

CCNG member Ed Ariel, Vice President Customer Service, kicks off this Town Hall and facilitates a discussion on Motivating and Engaging Employees in a Remote Environment.
 
Our conversation centers around:

- Developing a lasting, effective post-pandemic work-from-home (WFH) strategy with employee experience in mind;

- Exploring fundamental success factors in WFH policies for service and support; and

- Key metrics to monitor for lasting WFH strategy success.

Motivating and Engaging Employees in a Remote Environment

The office as we know it has been changed forever. As companies navigate what remote or hybrid means, they are quickly realizing that workspace is where people will go to collaborate, educate or celebrate, not to write emails or reports.

How will this radical re-envisioning of the workplace impact the selection and use of offices moving forward? Find out in this discussion between Tracy Hawkins, VP Real Estate & Workplace and Remote Experience @Twitter, Nellie Hayat, Head of Workplace Transformation @ Verge Sense, and Paul McKinlay, VP Communications & Remote Working @ Cimpress & Vistaprint, moderated by Tara Carcillo, President & CEO @ The Clearing.

The Impact of Remote and Hybrid on Workplace Transformation

The Covid-19 pandemic instantly sent millions of employed Americans home to work. This new era of remote work has forever changed the mindset of the talent pool and has ushered in a new set of challenges. But for those companies who understand that putting people first will set them up for success in the war for talent, there is a silver lining.

This people first corporate mentality sounds great, but how do you ensure it is implemented? How do you not only hire great employees remotely, but engage and retain them so they give back with passion?

For HR professionals, figuring out how to keep employees engaged while working independently in a remote setting might seem daunting at first. Through storytelling, Kim will share a clever combination of tried-and-true culture-building strategies that can take employee engagement to the next level. Coupling this with technology, such as onboarding tools to boost productivity and engagement, and structuring your company information for easy collaboration, you'll be able to leverage your O365 investment to win the war for talent in a remote world.

In this webinar, you will learn:

• How to build a strong, people first remote culture
• How to engage employees who aren’t physically together
• How to retain top talent in an increasingly competitive environment

Remote Rule #1: People First!

Understanding the work involved before and after you deploy a virtual agent makes all the difference between a poor customer experience and one that’s on par with your best live agent. What’s surprising to many is that, firstly, getting alignment from internal stakeholders may be the biggest challenge in the conversational AI journey, and, secondly, most of the work to improve virtual agent performance actually happens after going live.

Gary Davis, SmartAction CEO, shares insights and best practices for implementing AI virtual agents in the contact center.

After deploying conversational AI for more than 100 leading brands, we’ve learned a few lessons on what can make — or break –– the automated customer experience.

During this webinar you’ll learn:

- The internal stakeholders you need to involve and engage to make your conversational AI project a successful one
- How automating a customer service call isn’t as simple as using a script from a human interaction
- What happens after go-live, and how to monitor, fine-tune, and train your virtual agent
- The potential ROI when conversational automation is done right

The Conversational AI Journey: What to Expect from Start to Finish

The way we conduct work has completely changed. Before the pandemic, remote working or a few work from home days were allowed for certain employees. Now, remote working is our new normal. We have had to align our business to make sure that our employees are productive and have the necessary resources to succeed. But, did we make sure that they still feel connected with the rest of their team?

Join Elena Valentine, CEO of Skill Scout, to learn how to make employee engagement a top priority even when everyone is working remotely.

In this webinar, you will learn:

- Best practices for adapting the feel of in-person meetings to virtual meetings;
- How to mimic a traditional office environment;
- Why engagement should be a top priority;

And more!

How to Keep Employees Engaged and Connected in the New Normal of Remote Working

Leading a digital transformation inevitably means considering the Cloud for your products. Cloud offers great flexibility, increased security, and more innovation opportunities. However, moving your product to the Cloud is not a simple lift-and-shift exercise. It involves re-envisioning your product and your platform to identify an effective technique. As the product manager, you need to know the best way to lead the team in this transformation while avoiding common pitfalls.

In this discussion, we will focus on what you need to know to ensure a successful digital transformation to the cloud.

Go to the Cloud: How Product Managers Can Lead a Cloud Transformation

Get powerful help desk and support insights from influential experts. Connect with thought leaders and colleagues to get the most up-to-date knowledge on the help desk and support strategies that effect business value and growth.

Help Desk and Support

As an IT professional, many of the problems you face are multifaceted, complex and don’t lend themselves to simple solutions. The information technology community features useful and free information technology resources. Join to browse thousands of videos and webinars on ITIL best practices, IT security strategy and more presented by leading CTOs, CIOs and other technology experts.

Information Technology

In this SaaS and subscription economy, the key to success is customer success. This is much easier said than done as client ecosystems are constantly evolving and their needs and aptitudes vary. Join this community to engage with leaders who are prioritizing and pioneering customer success by helping clients maximize ROI, inspiring account growth and strong client retention.

Customer Success

Get powerful insights on how to best serve today's customers. If you want to create a successful customer experience today, you will have to appeal to the need for “alone together” time. Millennials, Gen X, Boomers or Silent Generation all look for shared but individual experiences.

Customer Experience

The sales community on BrightTALK brings together thousands of engaged sales professionals. Learn about careers in IT sales and marketing, sales techniques and selling strategies. Join the discussion by participating in on-demand and live sales webinars and summits with leaders in the sales industry.