By
Erica Marois
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Date Published: July 17, 2024 - Last Updated September 12, 2024
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From quick tips to boost culture to how to make the most of your time at Contact Center Expo, read our exclusive interview with Jeff. Expert Perspective: Jeff Toister on Can’t-Miss Sessions, Contact Center Culture & More.
Q: You've been coming to Contact Center Expo for years. What’s your number one tip for a first-time attendee?
Jeff: Come with a plan. You can’t attend every session or soak in every ounce of content. Think about the biggest challenge you’d like to solve in your contact center and go to Contact Center Expo to find the solution. It could be a session, but it could just as easily be a vendor or a fellow attendee. Having a specific “Why” behind attending makes it easier to find what you’re looking for.
Q: Which session(s) are most excited to attend this year?
Jeff: Wow. There are too many to choose from. Some are even at the same time! I’m always interested to learn from Gopher Sport’s Beth Gauthier-Jenkin, Chelsey Johnson, and Sarah Gibart (Session 104). John Goodman always has great insights and data (Session 202), and Justin Robbins will make sure you’re wide awake with his infectious energy (Session 203). Doug Rabold always shares an unexpected perspective that resonates with audiences (Session 301). Day 2 is extra-tough because two of my favorites are speaking at the same time: Leslie O’Flahavan (Session 401) and Brad Cleveland (Session 403).
Seriously, this question is too hard to answer! Can I pass?
Q: What's one quick tip you can share with leaders looking to foster a strong service culture within their organizations?
Jeff: My quick tip: service culture isn’t built on quick tips! Service culture is a collective way that everyone in an organization looks at customers. Getting everyone on the same page takes time and effort, which is why so few organizations achieve it.
But, if you want a place to start, begin by creating a customer experience vision. This is a shared definition of an outstanding experience that gets everyone on the same page. This vision is the foundation of everything you do. (You can create your vision with this guide.)
Q: Who should come to your session, and what can they expect to learn?
Jeff: This session is going to be practical! Participants can expect to gain tools and techniques they can immediately use to build world-class training on a limited budget. I’m going to challenge conventional thinking about training and reveal a faster, easier way to get things done. Best of all, this is going to be a hands-on session!
Join Jeff this October at Contact Center Expo
Date: Thursday, October 24
About Jeff Toister
Jeff's first customer service interaction ended in a service failure. Vowing to learn from that experience, he became obsessed with customer service. Today, he helps leaders build customer-focused teams. He's written four books including the bestselling The Service Culture Handbook. More than three million people have taken one of his video-based training courses on LinkedIn Learning, including Phone-Based Customer Service. Jeff is a former contact center manager, trainer, and agent who has been recognized as a Top 25 Thought Leader by ICMI for 2024.
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