Category: Blogs

Revving Up Auto Lending Through a Strategic BPO Partnership That Drives More Profitable Loan Business

Automotive manufacturers are increasingly investing in auto financing as a strategic move to capture more revenue and create a seamless journey for car buyers, from the moment they set their eyes on a vehicle to the exhilarating point of driving off the lot. 

A critical touchpoint in this journey, auto financing presents a unique opportunity for dealerships to deliver unmatched convenience, time efficiency, and a spectrum of competitive purchase options at the consumer’s fingertips. Buyers can easily navigate the entire purchasing process, from selecting their dream car to finalizing their finance options, all under one roof. This holistic approach is revolutionizing how customers interact with auto brands, significantly bolstering customer loyalty, deepening dealer loyalty, and turbocharging sales figures for auto manufacturers (OEM). 

In this blog post, we explore the transformative power of a car-buying experience supported by outsourced auto financing back office processes that deliver a competitive advantage for auto lenders. An outstanding financing experience fosters lasting relationships that translate into repeat business and a resounding endorsement of the automotive brand. Join us as we demonstrate how strategic BPO partnerships and robust back office support can amplify this experience, turning one-time buyers into lifelong brand advocates. 

Back Office Support Fuels Car Sales With Positive Financing Experiences

In its Global Automotive Consumer Study, Deloitte reports that car buyers who have personalized interactions with lenders are three times more likely to be highly satisfied and two times more likely to recommend the lender. PWC’s Automotive Consumer Insights Study reinforces these figures, finding that customers with positive financing experiences are twice as likely to recommend the lender and repurchase from the same brand.   

Automakers who create these remarkable financing experiences that customers want to share benefit from improved customer experience ratings, increased loyalty, higher sales, and more loans.

With over 25 years of experience partnering with leading global brands in the automotive sector, iQor helps drive success for clients in auto financing. Through skilled and efficient complex back office support characterized by accelerated income pre-verification (IPV), high quality scores, and higher loan conversion rates, we create positive customer experiences that fuel loyalty among car buyers.

With over 25 years of experience partnering with leading global brands in the automotive sector, iQor helps drive success for clients in auto financing. Through skilled and efficient complex back office support characterized by accelerated income pre-verification (IPV), high quality scores, and higher loan conversion rates, we create positive customer experiences that fuel loyalty among car buyers.  

Our auto lending back office CX expertise extends from approving loans and onboarding new borrowers to managing revenue recovery and repayment solutions with patience and agility to build trust and recover more revenue month over month. 

Read on to learn how a strategic BPO relationship can help auto lenders harness opportunities like these to attract – and earn hero status with – their borrowers. 

5 Benefits of Outsourcing Back Office Support in Auto Lending

Accenture surveyed 7,500 car owners and discovered two key findings that can increase sales and customer loyalty: personalization and stronger dealer relationships. By leveraging innovative technologies, personalization strategies, employee training, and efficient back office support, OEM manufacturers are poised to meet and exceed the expectations of today’s discerning buyers to close more loans faster and at a lower cost. 

For more positive financing – and ownership – experiences, more auto lenders are offering a broad spectrum of options driven by expert back office support that adeptly manages critical tasks such as documentation, regulatory compliance, and data management, enabling auto lenders to stay focused on their core competencies. 

Here are five benefits of outsourcing back office support. 

1. Optimize Performance 

BPOs like iQor are adept at optimizing processes for automotive lenders. Our New Program Implementation (NPI) team comprised of inter-departmental leaders performs a holistic assessment of our clients’ business and guides them through the onboarding process with expertise in automation, security, training, coaching, and more to make back office auto lending programs a success from Day One. Highly skilled agents who know the ins and outs of loan terms and processes close more loans with faster income pre-verification response times, improved accuracy, and greater agility to meet ebbs and flows in demand while delivering personalized support for complex issues. Partnering with a BPO also provides the ability to scale operations without additional hiring or capital investments in infrastructure. 

2. Achieve Significant Savings

Auto lenders can realize substantial savings, often in the tens of millions of dollars, by partnering with a strategic BPO provider that specializes in nearshore and offshore outsourcing. This strategy reduces costs related to recruiting, training, and retaining employees for back-office support, while also improving efficiency and accuracy. The result is a faster loan closure process. By working with a trusted BPO partner with expertise in nearshore and offshore operations, lenders speed up processes while enhancing cost-effectiveness, leading to increased proficiency and efficiency in their operations.

3. Hyper-Personalize Service 

A BPO that offers back office support with a customizable, interactive business intelligence platform can automatically correlate and aggregate data according to the lender’s needs to empower decision-making, solve complex problems, and identify new opportunities to tailor services and interactions to customer preferences. BPOs play a crucial role in refining data management and real-time analytics for auto lenders to improve decision-making and tailor services based on data-driven insights. 

4. Leverage Digital Transformation 

An approach to digital transformation that applies automation where it matters most can enhance personalization in customer interactions and provide valuable data insights for greater operational efficiency and seamless customer experiences. Robotic process automation (RPA) expedites back office support for loan processing by automating mundane tasks while ensuring data accuracy, improving compliance, and elevating the customer experience. Working with a trusted BPO partner that leverages technology can help auto lenders implement RPA solutions that contribute to higher auto loan conversion rates and improved profitability. Moreover, at iQor, our Symphony [AI]^TM generative AI ecosystem combines advanced machine learning models with our decades of accumulated process knowledge to create holistic employee experiences that drive performance. 

5. Safeguard Customer Data

In an era where security consciousness is paramount, digital identity verification tools like facial recognition and e-signatures are crucial in mitigating risks of fraud. A BPO with a robust zero trust approach to security ensures back office support that provides peace of mind for the dealer, the lender, and the borrower.

By capitalizing on outsourced back office support for irresistible customer experiences , auto lenders can build a foundation for long-term brand loyalty and success. 

Case Study: Back Office Support Exceeds KPIs for Auto Lender

A leading auto finance company has enjoyed remarkable benefits through its decades-long collaboration with iQor. With results consistently exceeding their target KPIs, the lender expanded the partnership to include complex back office support services designed to accelerate loan velocity and improve efficiency and quality while driving down costs.  

iQor’s team of back office CX professionals creates smile-worthy experiences through deep product knowledge, brand awareness, comprehensive training, ongoing QA, and compliance monitoring. QA scores are consistently at or above the client’s target with faster turnaround times that secure the lender’s competitive advantage in the auto loan industry. 

A Tale of Two Lenders Redefining Auto Finance Through CX Innovation

Two trailblazing captive finance organizations are energizing the customer experience in auto finance through initiatives powered by exceptional back office support. 

The first company, the financial services arm of a leading Japanese auto manufacturer, set a new standard with its comprehensive financial tools and resources. Its website is a treasure trove of knowledge, featuring extensive educational materials, intuitive auto finance calculators, and an exceptionally detailed FAQ section. 

This innovative lender has also introduced a world-class loyalty program. Its customer-centric ecosystem translates financing into rewards points that unlock myriad possibilities, redeemable for vehicle services, parts, and unique accessories. 

Another auto lender, this one for a renowned American auto manufacturer at the forefront of customer experience, has tailored its financing programs to resonate with specific customer groups. Their heartfelt commitment shines through in their special financing rates for active and retired military personnel. Additionally, they extend a helping hand to those rebuilding their credit, offering specialized assistance that empowers customers to regain financial stability. 

These auto makers are pioneers in customer engagement. Their proactive omnichannel customer service and back office support are staffed by personable and knowledgeable frontline representatives. Their support teams offer tailor-made, compassionate assistance that caters to the unique journey of each customer. 

Experience the iQor Difference

iQor is an award-winning managed services provider of digitally enabled business process outsourcing (BPO) solutions trusted by global brands. We understand the unique opportunities available to auto lenders and are ideally suited to help brands create exceptional customer experiences throughout the car buying journey. iQor offers a comprehensive suite of BPO full-service and self-service scalable offerings that are purpose-built to deliver enterprise-quality CX. We provide strategic thought leadership, competitive pricing, performance excellence, attractive geos, and talented teams to meet demand and deliver differentiated customer experiences at the best value in the industry. 

Our award-winning CX services include:  

• A global presence with 40+ contact centers across 10 countries.  
• A CX private cloud that maximizes performance and scales rapidly across multiple geographies on short notice.  
• A partnership approach where we deploy agents and C-level executives to help maximize your ROI.  
• The perfect blend of intelligent automation for scale and performance coupled with an irresistible culture comprising people who love to delight your customers.  
• Virtual and hybrid customer support options to connect with customers seamlessly, when and where they want.  
• The ability to launch a customer support program quickly, even when you need thousands of agents ready to support your customers.  
• A best-in-class workforce management team and supporting technology to create a centralized organization that can better serve your entire business.  

iQor helps brands deliver the world’s most sought-after customer experiences. Interested in learning more about the iQor difference? If you’re ready to start a conversation with a customer experience expert, contact us to learn how we can help you create more smiles.

Susan Halvorsen is vice president of business development at iQor. Connect with Susan on LinkedIn.

Driving Holistic Customer Journeys in the Consumer Technology Industry Through AI Omnichannel Solutions

Today’s digitally connected customers expect technology innovators to provide seamless, personalized interactions through a full suite of omnichannel capabilities. This is why business leaders in the consumer electronics industry are seeking strategic CX innovations that appeal to customers, providing differentiation in a competitive market.  

iQor’s years of experience supporting clients in the consumer electronics industry have earned it a reputation for innovative strategic outsourcing solutions and ease of doing business. Our industry-leading digital transformation strategies and cutting-edge customer insights help businesses achieve KPI targets and deliver more positive customer experiences. As a trusted partner to our clients, we unlock the ultimate customer experience through decades of CX expertise, a diverse array of agile solutions, and our next-gen Symphony [AI]^TM ecosystem.

How iQor Leverages the AI Imperative for Elevated CX in the Digital Age

Research shows that effectively integrated omnichannel shopping experiences are a minimum requirement for consumer electronics brands to succeed with their top customer segments.  

Skyrocketing customer spending on consumer electronics further highlights the benefits of meeting customer preferences for accessible, convenient touchpoints. This goes beyond the moment of purchase to encompass the entire customer journey, from advertising and order management to post-purchase customer support and revenue generation. 

The powerhouse of iQor’s comprehensive digital strategy is artificial intelligence combined with irresistible human experiences.   

The powerhouse of iQor’s comprehensive digital strategy is artificial intelligence combined with irresistible human experiences.   

At iQor, we integrate AI across platforms and processes to maximize success for our clients. Our agent training is specifically tailored to meet the unique demands of the consumer electronics industry, ensuring that our team is equipped to provide top-notch digital CX excellence. 

In this blog post, we discuss why frictionless touchpoints for customers and personalized customer experiences are top priorities for consumer electronics brands. Then, we break down iQor’s three-step strategy for unlocking the ultimate customer experience with AI to deliver elevated CX in the consumer electronics industry.  

The Advantages of Streamlining Customer Support With AI in the Consumer Electronics Industry

Streamlining customer support processes with AI in the consumer electronics industry is a complex task that requires careful consideration and strategic planning. Collaborating with a reliable BPO partner like iQor ensures a smooth alignment of the new system with the unique processes and workflows of the business. This may entail employee training, adjustments to backend systems, and reconfiguration of customer-facing interfaces. Here are a few of the advantages this AI integration yields for better CX.

1. Protect customer privacy with uncompromising security standards. 

The implementation of an updated support system brings forth the challenge of upholding security standards for handling sensitive customer data in the consumer electronics sector. Meeting these security requirements and adhering to regulations is of utmost importance. 

This is why iQor employs a comprehensive multi-layered approach to data protection, utilizing a zero trust security architecture and end-to-end encryption. These measures safeguard our work-in-office and work-at-home teams and provide peace of mind for our clients.

 2. Seamlessly integrate AI with existing processes. 

Consumer electronics brands experience numerous benefits by teaming up with a trusted BPO to seamlessly integrate AI customer service systems into their existing business processes. This integration yields several advantages, including heightened efficiency, elevated customer service, and informed decision-making. 

The integration of customer support systems with business processes facilitates the seamless exchange of data related to sales, inventory, and customer interactions among different departments. This results in more accurate forecasting, improved inventory management, and reduced costs through optimized resource allocation. 

3. Reduce friction to boost satisfaction, loyalty, and revenue.

The amalgamation of customer support and business processes contributes to an enriched customer experience. Centralizing all customer data allows businesses to anticipate needs, make recommendations, and provide seamless experiences. This leads to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty, translating to repeat business and more purchases. 

Engaging with a BPO company that leverages AI-powered solutions further streamlines the customer experience. AI technology assists in training agents, analyzing customer data, and addressing customer needs promptly. This results in quicker issue resolution, heightened customer satisfaction, and a competitive edge in the consumer electronics market. 

iQor collaborates with brands to deliver managed services that minimize operational friction, maximize efficiency, elevate the customer experience, and foster business growth.

The AI Imperative for Personalized Customer Journeys That Build Trust in Consumer Electronics Brands

Personalization and convenience are essential for today’s tech-savvy, highly diverse personal electronics users. With products and services evolving at lightning speed, the consumer electronics industry faces two unique opportunities to drive satisfaction for their global customer base.

1. Rapid technological obsolescence drives the need for updated products. 

Consumer electronics products quickly become obsolete due to rapid changes in technological advancements. This results in shorter product lifecycles and can lead to challenges managing inventory, dealing with e-waste, and maintaining customer satisfaction as consumers expect the latest features and functionalities. 

2. Supply chain disruptions necessitate optimized processes and redundancy. 

The consumer electronics industry relies on complex global supply chains. Disruptions caused by factors like natural disasters, geopolitical conflicts, or global pandemics can lead to short- and long-term component shortages, delays in production, increased costs, and challenges meeting customer demand. Effectively managing and mitigating these supply chain risks is essential for the consumer technology industry. 

With these market forces in mind, AI personalization for consumer electronics brands requires high-quality and relevant data for accurate predictions and recommendations. Without the right data, personalization may not be effective. As businesses invest in data collection and management approaches, an experienced BPO helps ensure that customer data is used responsibly to maintain customer trust in consumer electronics brands. 

Unlocking Valuable Insights With AI-Powered Data Analytics

AI plays a significant role in data analytics, helping businesses anticipate customer needs and preferences by analyzing substantial amounts of data. This enables consumer electronics companies to understand trends and patterns, allowing them to address customer demands proactively and stay competitive. 

iQor offers advanced interaction analytics capabilities through VALDI, our in-house platform designed by our global team of data science experts. VALDI—an essential part of our digital CX infrastructure—mines customer interactions for data that provides actionable real-time insights for optimizing customer service quality by providing personalized recommendations to customers based on their purchase history, browsing behavior, and preferences.

iQor’s 3-Step Strategy for Unlocking the Power of AI for Ultimate CX

AI has revolutionized service interactions by efficiently handling routine customer queries, offering instant assistance, and escalating complex issues to human agents with the information they need to address customer needs. This leads to improved customer satisfaction through faster response times and 24/7 support availability. iQor leverages AI technology across our business operations to drive performance excellence and business growth for our clients. 

iQor’s Symphony [AI] ecosystem augments agent performance throughout the employee lifecycle, offering forward-thinking strategies to keep employees smiling and delivering exceptional customer service. This next-generation AI ecosystem combines advanced machine learning models with iQor’s years of accumulated process knowledge to optimize the employee experience from first contact with recruitment through the years of customer service experience they build on the production floor.

Step 1: Optimize Talent Acquisition for Client Success 

By harnessing AI to optimize the talent acquisition process, we ensure our client partners benefit from expertly matched frontline employees tailored to meet the needs of their CX programs. Advanced technology and automation combined with our recruitment expertise elevates program outcomes at scale and boosts employee longevity. We accomplish this by strategically applying automation and conversational AI at various touchpoints in recruitment marketing, talent sourcing, candidate evaluation, hiring, and onboarding.

Step 2: Empower Agents From Day One Through Active Learning and Training

By integrating automation into employee training and nesting, we deliver rapid and effective training experiences based on employees’ individual skills so they are ready to excel in minimal time. By harnessing AI to optimize these experiences, our training, nesting, and development ensures frontline agents are well-prepared and knowledgeable from the outset. AI is used in the curriculum to promote more engaging hands-on learning experiences and to support employees throughout the training process. By fostering an environment of constant exploration and feedback, employees develop essential skills and knowledge for optimal performance. 

 Step 3: Ensure Excellence in Service and Compliance

Through AI analytics and real-time interventions, we’ve optimized processes to monitor employee efficiency, evaluate performance, ensure adherence to compliance standards, and prioritize well-being to drive employee satisfaction and retention. 

iQor’s robust analytics tools provide valuable insights into operational metrics, customer interactions, and service outcomes. This data-driven approach enables informed decision-making, process optimization, and a proactive stance towards enhancing overall performance and efficiency.

A sampling of these capabilities include: 

• AI-driven performance enablement technology integrated into our coaching processes inform personalized interventions based on data-driven insights. 
• AI-powered work-at-home monitoring ensures the security of critical resources and helps achieve consistently high quality scores. 
• Custom solutions like RPA and chatbots create a seamless customer experience and free agents to focus on more complex services. 
• Natural language processing and machine learning facilitate customizable analytics and connection-issue scoring to generate further insight into performance. 
• AI system semi-supervised learning techniques facilitate sentiment scoring and generate predictive NPS (pNPS) for learning at scale. 
• Machine learning solutions focused on attrition prediction inform personalized interventions that increase retention and build our team of happy and experienced professionals committed to delivering the best CX. 

The Result: An Award-Winning Workplace Culture That Delivers the Ultimate Customer Experience

The implementation of this three-step AI-driven strategy for CX culminates with an irresistible workplace culture that fosters rewarding employee and customer experiences. iQor has earned the Great Place to Work® Certification^TM in Colombia and the Philippines for 2024, highlighting iQor’s commitment to fostering a universal value-driven culture. This best-in-practice approach throughout the employee lifecycle produces positive work experiences ranging from a fair and just work environment, an inclusive community with open communication, and excellent training and growth opportunities. The end result is smile-worthy experiences for employees and customers.

Book Time With Us 

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January 2024 in Las Vegas showcases breakthrough innovations, inspiring thought leadership, and the latest industry trends that set the stage for the future of technology and business. In a session dedicated to the topic of unlocking the ultimate customer experience with AI, Atif Kureishy and Ken Mills will share their insights on the topic. Kureishy is founder and CEO of Vistry, a San Diego-based generative AI startup focused on revolutionizing the food commerce industry. Mills is CEO of EPIC iO, a global AI and IoT technology provider. 

To learn more about how iQor can harness AI to elevate CX for your consumer electronics brand, book a virtual consultation with our CX experts who specialize in the future of AI in customer service.   

Experience the iQor Difference

iQor is a business process outsourcing company (BPO) ideally positioned to deliver innovative, technology powered CX services custom-built for our consumer electronics clients.  

Our expert teams collaborate every step of the way to develop a comprehensive AI strategy that propels your customer service into the future with AI-powered agents, in-app messaging, and intelligent analytics that create irresistible customer and frontline employee experiences. 

Our award-winning CX services include:

• A global presence with 40+ contact centers across 10 countries.  
• Decades of experience optimizing business processes for consumer electronics brands and a reputation for ease of doing business. 
• Our Symphony [AI] next-generation ecosystem for optimizing agent recruitment, training, nesting, onboarding, and ongoing performance and compliance. 
• A CX private cloud that maximizes performance and scales rapidly across multiple geographies on short notice.  
• A partnership approach where we deploy agents and C-level executives to help maximize your ROI.  
• The perfect blend of intelligent automation for scale and performance coupled with an irresistible culture comprised of people who love to delight your customers.  
• Virtual and hybrid customer support options to connect with customers seamlessly, when and where they want.  
• The agility to launch a customer support program quickly, even when you need thousands of agents ready to support your customers.  
• A best-in-class workforce management team and supporting technology to create a centralized organization that can better serve your entire business.  

iQor helps leading consumer electronics brands deliver the world’s most sought-after customer experiences. Interested in learning more about the iQor difference? If you’re ready to reshape your customer service strategy with the optimal mix of AI and human performance excellence, start a conversation with one of our CX experts.

Blake Graves is director of sales enablement at iQor. Connect with Blake on LinkedIn. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Empowering Brands to Stay Ahead in the Marketplace by Optimizing Costs, Employee Engagement, and Customer Experiences 

Strategic outsourcing to a business process outsourcer (BPO) has long been a boon for brands that want to focus their internal resources on their core competencies. Brands that have historically been reluctant to embrace outsourcing have come to realize the value of a collaborative relationship with a BPO and therefore now view outsourcing in a new light. They are realizing the benefits a strategic BPO partnership offers for effective solutions that meet a diverse array of business needs in an ever-evolving marketplace. Global BPO spending is estimated to reach to $212 billion in 2023, a 19% increase over pre-pandemic numbers in 2019. 

This rise in outsourcing can be attributed in part to the trusted nature of the relationship between a brand and a strategic outsourcing partner. A trusted BPO relationship offers unique advantages in a variety of business scenarios, such as the following three. 

1. Boost CRT: Many changes in consumer behaviors brought on by the pandemic remain today. Increased demand for remotely accessed goods and services increased contact center volume and impacted customer resolution times (CRT), heightening the need for customer experience (CX) solutions that offer lightning-fast, effective resolutions. 

Outsourcing allows companies to offer 24/7/365 support with seamless omnichannel capabilities. Access to robotic process automation (RPA) and other digital transformation optimizations frees agents to resolve more complex inquiries, reducing overhead costs and improving customer satisfaction (CSAT).  

2. Hire Right, Hire Fast: Tight labor markets can make it challenging for brands to recruit, hire, and retain motivated and loyal employees for frontline customer experience roles. 

A trusted BPO relationship is capable of recruiting, training, and nesting an engaged workforce with ongoing coaching, support, and a culture of career advancement that boosts retention and improves performance. BPOs with predictive analytics skills can forecast when frontline employees might be at risk of attriting and intervene with coaching and support to retain more of them. They can also harness AI performance enablement technology to inform coaching and replicate top performers at scale, as iQor does with AmplifAI. 

3. Reduce Costs: Inflation, high interest rates, supply chain issues, and other shifting economic trends can impact pricing, making every aspect of business operations more costly. 

A BPO’s access to a global talent pool of in-office and work-at-home (WAH) agents, workforce management technology, speech analytics, cloud-based infrastructure, endpoint security in a dynamic zero trust security environment, and other technologies provides brands with comprehensive and effective CX solutions. This type of partnership provides agility in changing environments, reduces overhead costs, and increases profitability by improving overall performance as measured by NPS, CSAT, CRT, AHT, and other KPIs. 

Strategic BPO partnership solutions provide brands with the results they need to enjoy an edge over their competition. In a marketplace defined by rapid, ever-changing advances in automation and technology and shifting customer sentiments, BPOs facilitate the ways in which companies can embrace the digital and human connections necessary for outstanding CX.

Getting Started With Strategic Outsourcing

After deciding to consider an outsourcing strategy, it’s time to dig into the details to find the right partner. Brands who view their selection process as choosing a strategic partner benefit in the long run from a collaborative relationship with a BPO starting on Day One.  

While the due diligence process explained here deserves attention to detail, assessing culture fit between you and the BPO is equally as important.  

Start with a cost-benefit analysis. After completing this exercise, conduct rigorous evaluations and due diligence of managed service providers before selecting a strategic BPO partner that provides the best fit for your brand’s culture, values, and business needs. 

Collaborating on Your Action Plan and Roadmap 

Here are some details to consider when negotiating a contract with BPO providers. 

• What are your most critical focus areas? 
  • Do you need to outsource front office operations, back office operations, or both? 
  • Some companies limit outsourcing to one line of business before committing to more after establishing a collaborative relationship with their BPO that proves economically viable and relationally compatible. 
• Which geolocations best fit your goals and values? 
  • Nearshoring and offshoring with integrated digital optimization strategies can reduce overhead, enable fast ramps with 24/7 support, and maintain exceptional quality and service, all while maintaining compliance and data security requirements. 
  • Highly educated, digitally savvy teams in different geographical regions can enable additional benefits such as bilingual support and technical expertise as part of a widespread customer service culture. 
• Can the BPO meet your staffing requirements and workforce management expectations? 
  • Are coaching and training processes already in place that fit your goals? 
  • What is the plan for the first team to complete training and nesting and start production with real-time coaching and quality assurance practices in place? 
• Does the BPO leverage artificial intelligence and automation options? 
  • A trusted BPO should recommend the use of RPA or AI or other automation solutions to optimize customer service offerings and focus human expertise on more complex tasks. 
  • A trusted BPO should have access to a wide range of secure digital platforms and cloud-based technology CX solutions. 

Finding the Right Strategic Partner 

Strategic outsourcing is more than just a business decision; it’s a partnership that requires trust, open communication, and commitment on both sides. The due diligence process can entail multiple conversations and site visits. Ultimately, selecting a BPO means inviting a trusted partner into your business based on shared values and cultural alignment.

At iQor, we’ve been privileged to develop valued partnerships over the past 20+ years with brands spanning many industries. To guide you through the selection process, we’ve gathered the following recommended attributes to look for in a BPO partner: 

• Provides strategic, individualized, research-driven solutions. 
• Implements effective operational changes as promised.  
• Maintains open, responsive communication to ensure all expectations are met. 
• Remains flexible and solution-oriented, bringing new ideas to the table as necessary to ensure success that is tailored to your company’s specific and evolving needs. 
• Engages with your brand through many levels of operations including the executive team, when appropriate. 
• Delivers excellent service across all geos. 
• Ensures all services are delivered in a zero trust data security environment. 
• Possesses a track record of consistently achieving client KPIs. 
• Offers work-in-office and work-at-home services with equal reliability, security and performance. 
• Provides robust training, coaching and career path options for employees, resulting in satisfied employees who love their job.  

5 Case Studies That Illustrate the Benefits of Strategic Outsourcing 

The roadmap for success looks different for each brand. Here’s a snapshot of how five brands addressed their specific needs and goals through a strategic partnership with iQor that provides a tailored approach to support each brand’s goals and deliver meaningful and profitable results.  

1. US-Based Energy Company’s Strategic Outsourcing Yields $14 Million Annualized Savings in Customer Service 

After partnering with iQor for non-voice back office support services, a Fortune 500 U.S. energy company and first-time outsourcer sought to expand their BPO support for credit, revenue recovery, new order service calls, customer care, and emergency calls. After conducting a rigorous evaluation and due diligence process of several BPOs recognized as leaders in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Customer Service, the client selected iQor as their first and sole outsourced customer service BPO to handle both voice and non-voice support. 

They began the BPO selection process by identifying their critical focus areas as follows: 

1. Select a partner with a proven track record providing support to companies in the energy sector.
2. Expand into more geolocations to reduce attrition and recruiting costs that were impacting CSAT in their domestic operations. 
3. Identify and implement automation opportunities. 
4. Accelerate agent proficiency with the infrastructure for flexible work-in-office and work-at-home solutions. 

In partnership with the client, iQor designed and delivered automation integrations, staffing solutions, workflow optimization, and accountability models that yielded meaningful results for the energy company, including: 

• Annualized cost savings of $14 million. 
• CSAT results above goal and virtually zero attrition. 
• Seamless ramps in offshore and nearshore locations while meeting timeline and performance commitments. 

This partnership—which included a dedicated new program implementation team, open communication with iQor’s senior leadership, and a proven track record of success—paved the way for major strategic savings while maintaining or exceeding quality benchmarks. Read the full case study here. 

2. Strategic Outsourcing Saves Fashion Retailer $5 Million in Order Entry Costs 

After a competitive request for information process with multiple BPOs—including a leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Customer Service—a major retailer selected iQor as their first and only BPO partner. Facing a shortage of experienced order entry agents who could upsell and cross-sell in their locale, customer demand for 24/7 customer service, and the need to ramp up staffing for two busy selling seasons each year, the retailer partnered with iQor for a strategic outsourcing solution that would also reduce costs. 

iQor’s new project implementation team devised a scripted playbook that set measurable targets for a comprehensive three-pronged strategic offshoring solution that integrated automation and AI technology:  

• Staffing that evaluated candidates’ abilities to tailor the sales approach to the customer. 
• Customized training in products, upselling, and cross-selling. 
• Agent coaching aided by three of iQor’s proprietary technologies. 

The client has reported the following returns since the partnership began in 2020: 

• $5 million savings in order entry costs in Year One. 
• Cross-sells 9% over goal; Upsells more than 12% over goal; Credit card signups nearly 2% over goal. 
• Average handle time reduced by more than 16%. 
• Order entry volume handling increased by 9%. 

The success of this strategic partnership has led the client to continue to expand iQor’s role in their business. Read the full case study here. 

3. Strategic Outsourcing to Trinidad Saves Utility $3 Million in Year One for Customer Support 

A U.S. utility selected iQor as their first and only strategic BPO partner for inbound customer service after a rigorous due diligence process that also included evaluating several BPOs recognized as leaders in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Customer Service. With a strong commitment to customer satisfaction, the utility requested strategies to reduce the cost of service delivery in response to cost pressures while maintaining quality. The utility initially preferred to keep their customer service operation wholly domestic, but after learning of the benefits of nearshore outsourcing, they invited iQor to develop a strategic plan. 

In collaboration with our client, iQor’s new program implementation team created and executed a plan to nearshore part of their customer service operation to Trinidad. iQor’s investment in training and automation tools minimized the 1:1 transition of resources and increased our client’s profitability while providing an excellent customer experience. 

This strategic partnership resulted in: 

• $3 million annual savings in customer service delivery costs. 
• Comparable efficiency between U.S. and Trinidad teams across every KPI. 

This successful partnership approach led the client to expand their relationship with iQor to include additional lines of business with a similar focus on strategic solutioning. Read the full case study here. 

4. Culture of Innovation Inspires Strategic Outsourcing Partnership to Meet Global Retailer’s Commitment to Excellent CX 

A leading global retailer and e-commerce provider relies on an extensive network of business process outsourcing partners to support millions of customers. The company emphasized the requirement for all its BPO constituents to meet 95% compliance with their staffing goals to ensure timely and efficient customer service resulting in high CSAT. 

iQor initiated a proactive strategy by inviting the retailer to participate in a summit designed to evaluate performance, predict results, and determine actions to achieve their compliance goal. Using the retailer’s feedback along with input from iQor’s workforce management leadership team, iQor created and enacted a plan to maintain ongoing and transparent communication, showcase intelligent performance management tools that support employee development and lead to high customer satisfaction scores, and continue to improve processes.  

These custom CX solutions met the client’s compliance needs.  

• 100% staffing compliance. 
• Achieved #1 BPO status in the client’s network, leading KPI performance in voice and chat, including CSAT and repeat contact rate. 

As a result of this success, the global retailer outsourced additional lines of business to iQor. Read the full case study here. 

5. Strategic Outsourcing Transforms B2B Revenue Management for Business Solutions Provider 

A transportation, e-commerce, and business solutions provider manages high-priority, multimillion-dollar B2B contracts with top global enterprises that involve high-volume queues and require excellent performance from skilled agents. Their long-standing strategic partnership with iQor began with third-party account recovery services and expanded to include first-party inbound and outbound accounts receivable management and back office support. After visiting iQor centers in the Philippines for the first time, the client added complex revenue management services—outsourcing and offshoring these B2B revenue recovery lines of business for the first time in their history. 

iQor partnered with the business solutions provider to build the revenue management program and implement it expeditiously in domestic, nearshore, and offshore locations. The team streamlined training for the inbound and outbound voice and non-voice programs and boosted agent performance through workforce management and digital solutions. A three-phase RPA strategy for performance optimization enabled the redeployment of team members to more critical tasks focused on enhancing the customer experience. 

This partnership has yielded meaningful results for the client. 

• $100,000 savings in operating costs in one year. 
• 99% quality scores across all lines of business. 
• The first offshore launch was in the Philippines, with rapid onboarding and customized training in 45 days. The team met or exceeded the client’s KPI goals, surpassing the aging goal for overdue accounts by 7%. 
• iQor’s proprietary digital automation platforms strengthen training and coaching, reducing training time in one line of business by 50%. Insights gained through interaction analytics helped reduce AHT on the complex inbound voice line of business by 8% within the first six months of implementation. Data-driven, personalized coaching elevates the employee experience and yields high levels of customer satisfaction. 

This trusted partnership empowers the client with the confidence to rely on iQor for innovation in critical areas and has inspired them to expand RPA and other strategic CX solutions as the relationship continues to grow. Read the full case study here. 

Embracing the Digital + Human Transformation of Business Models Makes Strategic Outsourcing a Savvy Choice 

Partnering with a trusted BPO allows companies to discover and employ cost-saving measures while maintaining excellent CX and maximizing ROI. 

Navigating the landscape of brand and customer interactions requires a dynamic approach to determine the best strategies for your brand’s growth and success. Seasoned BPOs with a long history of a collaborative culture offer a multitude of benefits to help guide your brand along this path towards integrated technologies, skilled agents, and honed operational processes. 

Whether you’re seeking a partner with experience integrating seamless omnichannel support offerings or providing a robust and secure technology infrastructure, CX experts like the ones at iQor provide guidance to help brands deliver the best customer service to their customers. Our talented team of CX experts partners with brands to design intelligent channel optimization strategies and apply automation where it matters most to align with customer needs. 

By recognizing the profit-growth potential of embracing the digital and human transformation of CX, a strategic outsourcing partner provides many brands with big rewards as evidenced by the five case studies described above. No doubt, the positive trend of outsourcing will continue to rise, fueled by the uniquely effective potential a trusted partnership with the right BPO can deliver.  

Experience the iQor Difference 

Digital customer interactions are rapidly outpacing offline ones in many industries. A digital transformation of your customer experience is essential to help you keep pace as new technologies continue to evolve. A successful digital CX strategy accounts for all the customer experience variables relevant to your brand. These differ for every business, and you can implement them gradually. Examine your current customer experience options and look for touchpoints that can be optimized for digital, provided they improve the customer experience. With customer data and predictive analytics, you can refine your customer service options and provide a better experience for each customer while also creating a supportive environment for employees on the frontline serving your customers. 

iQor’s CX experts partner with brands to design intelligent channel optimization strategies to ensure they are perfectly aligned with customer needs. From AI-powered agents to in-app messaging, iQor’s experience makes us a trusted partner in CX. 

iQor is a business process outsourcing company (BPO) ideally suited to help brands create amazing customer experiences. iQor provides a comprehensive suite of full-service and self-service scalable offerings that are purpose-built to deliver enterprise-quality CX.  

Our award-winning CX services include:  

• A global presence with 40+ contact centers across 10 countries.  
• A CX private cloud that maximizes performance and scales rapidly across multiple geographies on short notice.  
• A partnership approach where we deploy agents and C-level executives to help maximize your ROI.  
• The perfect blend of intelligent automation for scale and performance coupled with an irresistible culture comprised of people who love to delight your customers.  
• Virtual and hybrid customer support options to connect with customers seamlessly, when and where they want.  
• The ability to launch a customer support program quickly, even when you need thousands of agents ready to support your customers.  
• A best-in-class workforce management team and supporting technology to create a centralized organization that can better serve your entire business.  

iQor helps brands deliver the world’s most sought-after customer experiences. Interested in learning more about the iQor difference? If you’re ready to start a conversation with a customer experience expert, contact us to learn about how we can help you create more smiles. 

Richard Eychner is a strategic advisor at iQor. Connect with Richard on LinkedIn. 

Harnessing AI Capabilities to Build a Customer-Centric Culture 

In the competitive landscape of the retail industry, customer satisfaction sustains businesses and fosters brand loyalty. Satisfied customers are more likely to return for repeat purchases and become brand advocates, spreading positive word-of-mouth that can significantly impact a retailer’s reputation and bottom line. With this knowledge, retailers increasingly recognize the immense opportunities for growth in optimizing customer service performance. By placing the customer’s needs at the heart of every interaction, your retail brand can carve a path toward long-term success. 

Today’s digital-age customers have a stronger voice than ever, which is why retailers are investing in transforming their teams and operations to build a customer-centric culture. A culture that revolves around understanding and catering to the customer’s desires fosters stronger connections for both employees and customers, creating a unique and memorable shopping experience. This approach boosts sales and forges lasting relationships with customers, reinforcing brand loyalty and differentiating your retail brand from competitors. 

Technology plays a transformative role in this pursuit of exceptional customer service, and generative artificial intelligence (AI) is at the forefront of this revolution. By harnessing AI capabilities, you can create an irresistible culture that elevates both employee and customer experiences. At iQor, we offer our AI-driven proprietary interaction analytics platform, VALDI, to analyze customer data for trends and behaviors. These insights can be leveraged to personalize interactions, offer tailored recommendations, and anticipate needs for higher customer satisfaction levels. 

As a result, generative AI empowers brands to craft an immersive and personalized shopping journey that drives successful outcomes while nurturing a loyal customer base. Here we discuss how retailers are thriving by embracing a customer-centric culture backed by AI capabilities to unlock contact center optimization and build the future of customer satisfaction in retail. 

How the Rise of AI in Retail Facilitates Great CX Across the Customer Journey  

In today’s fast-paced and digitally driven world, customer expectations have evolved beyond completing a transaction to experience-based shopping that captivates their senses and emotions. In response to these evolving expectations, retailers are harnessing the power of intelligent automation to cultivate immersive customer experiences.  

In today’s fast-paced and digitally driven world, customer expectations have evolved beyond completing a transaction to experience-based shopping that captivates their senses and emotions. In response to these evolving expectations, retailers are harnessing the power of intelligent automation to cultivate immersive customer experiences.  

Phygital retail and experiential concept stores are becoming increasingly popular, where cutting-edge technologies converge to create unforgettable moments that ultimately boost sales. Innovations that were once the realm of science fiction are now real, such as augmented reality (AR) technology that allows customers to try on clothing items virtually without having to step into a fitting room and virtual reality (VR) simulators for testing out new shoes in an immersive, exciting way. 

At the heart of this retail revolution, the rise of generative AI has emerged as a critical facilitator of the modern shopping experience. Many retailers are developing innovative strategies for integrating AI software into each touchpoint of the customer journey, revolutionizing how customers find relevant products, access information, make purchases, and resolve inquiries. Through AI-driven personalized recommendations, customers can discover products that align precisely with their preferences and needs. AI tools allow retail brands to analyze vast amounts of customer data, enabling them to predict buying behavior accurately, tailor promotions accordingly, and boost upsell and cross-sell performance.

AI tools are especially effective in the realm of customer service. AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants provide real-time assistance, guiding shoppers through their purchasing journey and promptly addressing any concerns they may have. Integrating AI software into various omnichannel customer service options has proven instrumental in providing instant support that maintains a frictionless customer experience (CX). 

As technology continues to evolve, the retail industry stands at the cusp of a transformative era where AI-driven experiences will redefine the customer journey. Retailers embracing these innovations are positioning themselves to exceed customer expectations, forging lasting connections with their audience and creating opportunities for growth in an ever-competitive market. The future of retail belongs to those who can effectively leverage AI at every step of the customer journey to deliver seamless, personalized, and captivating experiences that leave shoppers coming back for more. 

AI Tools Boost Loyalty by Delivering on 4 Priorities Most Important to Today’s Shoppers  

Today’s discerning customers expect retailers to go above and beyond by providing efficient, helpful, and secure shopping journeys facilitated by cutting-edge technology in both physical retail and eTail spaces. Here’s what matters to modern shoppers and how AI software empowers retailers to meet these needs with irresistible customer service. 

1. Freedom 

Modern shoppers want the freedom to choose from a variety of seamless omnichannel support access points, ranging from self-service options to direct interactions with live agents. By providing a seamless transition between these channels, retailers ensure that customers can access support at their convenience. AI integrations play a crucial role in optimizing these interactions, offering personalized recommendations and assistance through each customer’s preferred touchpoint. 

2. Efficiency 

In today’s fast-paced world, time is of the essence. Shoppers expect support inquiries to be quick and easy. AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants enable swift resolutions that create smiles. These AI-driven solutions continuously learn from each interaction to deliver efficient customer service for frictionless CX. 

3. Efficacy 

Resolving customer concerns effectively is vital for trust-building and loyalty. AI-powered systems are equipped to handle a vast range of inquiries, providing prompt, accurate, and relevant information to customers. By tailoring responses to individual needs, AI ensures that customers feel heard and understood, leaving them satisfied and more likely to return for future purchases. 

4. Security 

In an era of data-breach risk and privacy concerns, shoppers are cautious about sharing their personal information. Retailers that prioritize data privacy and implement robust security measures can gain a competitive advantage by winning customers’ trust. AI plays a significant role in data security, assisting retailers in identifying potential risks and vulnerabilities while safeguarding customer information. According to a McKinsey survey referenced in a 2020 article, only 18% of consumers trust that the retail industry adequately protects their data privacy. This statistic underscores the importance of investing in AI-driven solutions to soothe customer concerns, build trust, and earn customer loyalty.  

By integrating AI at every touchpoint of the customer journey, retailers can significantly elevate customer engagement, drive sales, and foster lasting loyalty. From product recommendations to customer support, AI enables retailers to craft seamless and personalized experiences that resonate with today’s tech-savvy shoppers. 

Unlocking the Potential of Customer Lifetime Value: Why Retailers Are Betting on AI Tools in Contact Center Operations to Drive Loyalty and Revenue  

In looking to the future, forward-thinking retailers recognize that making a sale is just the beginning of the customer relationship. To truly unlock the potential of customer lifetime value (CLV), retailers are striving to improve the entire customer journey by investing in contact center operations that provide irresistible support that boosts customer satisfaction.  

AI has emerged as a game-changing tool for retailers to create a seamless omnichannel customer experience to drive loyalty and maximize CLV. Chatbots and virtual assistants are examples of AI-driven self-service options that provide customers with accessible and convenient resolutions while freeing up frontline agents to address more complex inquiries.  

Retailers are betting big on AI tools in their contact center operations because they understand that customer loyalty and CLV go hand in hand. AI is ushering in a new era of how retailers conduct operations in a competitive market, with one study anticipating an explosive 30.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of AI in the global retail market from 2023 to 2033. By prioritizing the entire customer journey and leveraging AI technology, you can provide exceptional service and support that create smiles with your valued customers. As a result, you stand to gain a competitive advantage while cultivating a loyal customer base that continues to generate revenue and contributes significantly to long-term brand loyalty. 

How Contact Center AI Software Is Rewiring Customer Service in the Retail Industry  

In the ever-evolving landscape of the retail industry, customer service stands as a critical differentiator for success. The future of contact center optimization is here, driven by AI, and it’s transforming how retailers interact with customers in unprecedented ways. 

AI-Powered Interaction Analytics for Real-Time Insights 

AI-driven interaction analytics, like iQor’s proprietary VALDI platform and T-DSL search language, enable retailers to gain valuable voice of the customer insights from customer interactions. VALDI offers enormous potential to drive success in retail contact center operations by mining recorded conversations and data from various touchpoints. It helps retailers quickly uncover conversations where customers mention specific products and analyzes customer sentiment toward those products. This information is used to coach agents on how to respond to customer comments in a way that satisfies customers and supports the brand. VALDI can also monitor agent compliance with KPIs and recommend additional coaching to agents who could benefit from it the most. 

One retailer partnered with iQor for customized inbound sales agent training and coaching facilitated by VALDI’s innovative capabilities. VALDI mined all interactions for trends and hot topics to uncover customer sentiment, inform coaching, and develop a more personalized customer service strategy. By trusting iQor to leverage these insights into their operations, the retailer succeeded in boosting cross-sells and upsells, maintaining high customer satisfaction, and lowering order entry costs. The result? iQor helped the retailer save $5 million in order entry costs in the first year alone, creating smiles for our retail client and their customers. 

One retailer partnered with iQor for customized inbound sales agent training and coaching facilitated by VALDI’s innovative capabilities. VALDI mined all interactions for trends and hot topics to uncover customer sentiment, inform coaching, and develop a more personalized customer service strategy. By trusting iQor to leverage these insights into their operations, the retailer succeeded in boosting cross-sells and upsells, maintaining high customer satisfaction, and lowering order entry costs. The result? iQor helped the retailer save $5 million in order entry costs in the first year alone, creating smiles for our retail client and their customers. 

AI Software for Optimizing Workforce Management 

AI software is streamlining workforce management in retail customer service departments. Through predictive analysis, AI helps you anticipate call volumes and customer demands, enabling you to allocate resources more efficiently and improve the employee experience for both in-office and work-at-home (WAH) team members. This optimization ensures you have the right number of agents available at the right time, leading to reduced wait times and improved customer satisfaction. It also guides opportunities to improve training and coaching strategies. 

Intelligent Call Routing and Prioritization Using AI Algorithms 

AI algorithms are transforming call routing and prioritization. By understanding the context of customer inquiries, AI can intelligently route calls to the most appropriate agents based on their expertise, reducing the need for customers to be transferred between departments. Additionally, AI can prioritize urgent inquiries, ensuring that critical issues are addressed promptly and effectively. 

Chatbots and Virtual Assistants for Self-Service Support 

Chatbots and virtual assistants have become indispensable tools for providing self-service support to customers. AI-powered chatbots can handle routine inquiries, offer product recommendations, and process orders, freeing up human agents to handle more complex issues. These virtual assistants are available 24/7, providing instant assistance to customers at their convenience. 

Natural Language Processing, Sentiment Analysis, and Emotion Detection 

AI’s natural language processing (NLP) capabilities enable retailers to understand and interpret what customers need despite the many ambiguities and nuances of human language. Sentiment analysis allows retailers to gauge customer satisfaction levels and identify potential pain points, while emotion detection helps agents tailor their responses and provide empathetic support. 

Predictive Analytics for Proactive Customer Service Strategies 

AI-driven predictive analytics empower retailers to adopt proactive customer service strategies. By analyzing customer behavior and historical data, retailers can anticipate customer needs and preferences. This foresight enables you to proactively reach out to customers with personalized offers, recommendations, or assistance. 

As AI continues to evolve, it will become increasingly essential for contact center optimization, driving retail success and ensuring lasting customer loyalty. The future is now, and the possibilities are endless with AI at the forefront of retail customer service transformation. 

4 Essential Indicators That Prove the Success of AI-Powered Customer Service for Retailers 

As many retailers embrace the power of AI in their contact center operations, they are witnessing significant transformations that directly impact key performance indicators (KPIs). Here are four essential indicators that prove the success of integrating AI tools into call center operations. 

1. Productivity 

AI-powered customer service solutions have a direct impact on KPIs like call resolution time (CRT) and average handle time (AHT). By leveraging AI, retailers can automate routine inquiries, enabling faster issue resolution and reducing the time human agents spend on repetitive tasks. This leads to improved CRT and AHT metrics, boosting employee productivity. Moreover, AI has the potential to redefine retailers’ most prioritized KPIs by introducing new metrics that align with the personalized and efficient nature of AI-driven interactions. 

2. Performance 

Maximizing the employee experience is a crucial aspect of successful AI-powered customer service. By automating repetitive tasks, AI software frees up agents to focus on more complex inquiries that require human touch and expertise. This performance optimization results in improved job satisfaction among agents, as they can now spend more time addressing customers’ unique needs and concerns. Reduced redundancy leads to increased efficiency and concurrency, ensuring that agents can handle multiple interactions simultaneously, further boosting performance. 

3. Personalization 

AI-driven customer service is all about providing personalized experiences to customers. Through advanced natural language processing and sentiment analysis, AI can understand each individual customer’s needs and preferences. This enables retailers to tailor interactions and resolutions based on the specific requirements of each customer, making them feel valued and understood. Personalization fosters stronger connections with customers, driving brand loyalty and repeat business. 

4. Profitability 

AI’s impact on customer service extends beyond customer satisfaction; it also leads to increased operational efficiency and cost savings. By automating routine tasks and streamlining workflows, retailers can optimize their resources, ensuring that agents are utilized efficiently. This leads to cost savings and boosts profitability. Additionally, by delivering exceptional personalized experiences, AI-powered customer service drives customer loyalty and retention, translating to higher customer lifetime value and increased revenue over the long term. 

AI Tools in Empowered Employee Hands: Best Practices for Success in Your Retail Brand’s Contact Center Optimization Strategy 

As the retail industry continues to embrace the transformative potential of AI in customer service, a successful contact center optimization strategy is crucial for delivering exceptional customer experiences. Empowering your employees with the right tools and practices ensures that AI becomes a catalyst for improved performance and customer satisfaction that yields the best return on investment (ROI). Here are some best practices to guide your retail brand’s journey toward an AI-driven contact center optimization strategy. 

Invest in the Right Tools. 

Choosing the right AI tools requires a crystal-clear understanding of your retail brand’s needs and objectives. For some brands, point solutions are suitable to address specific tasks or processes, offering streamlined implementations at a lower initial cost and with quicker results. For others, enterprise platform solutions are best suited for offering scalability, centralized control, and adaptability through a comprehensive ecosystem that integrates multiple automation functionalities under one roof. Consider beginning your search with your incumbent enterprise platform solution providers to explore their current capabilities and gain insight into their product roadmap. While investing in new AI solutions always involves an initial cost, the return on investment for integrations tailored to your retail brand will be significant as streamlined operations elevate your level of customer service and contribute to customer lifetime value. 

Empower Your Teams Through Training. 

Empowering your employees to effectively utilize AI tools goes beyond investing in software and equipment. It’s essential to provide comprehensive training to your teams, enabling them to harness the full potential of AI platforms. Ongoing training ensures that your staff stays updated with the latest functionalities, allowing them to provide exceptional service and support to customers. 

You can also harness AI to help inform and power employee training and coaching sessions. AmplifAI is an AI-driven software as a service (SaaS) platform that enables iQor to improve the performance of frontline associates for a number of our clients by optimizing coaching strategies. It saves supervisors significant time by analyzing data and providing actionable insights, empowering them to manage agent performance at scale through personalized recommendations for coaching for individual agents as well as leadership. With AmplifAI’s intelligent automation, our teams can focus on creating human-to-human interactions that drive irresistible customer service. 

Integrate AI Into Existing Processes. 

A successful implementation of AI in your contact center requires a balanced approach. Instead of reinventing the wheel, focus on integrating AI into your existing processes and operations. Foster open communication between teams, allowing IT and operations to provide valuable input on the optimal implementation of AI technology that provides a seamless customer experience. 

Update Your Customer Service Strategy. 

AI technology offers the opportunity to evolve your customer service strategy to align with the expectations of today’s digital age shoppers. Consider personalization, omnichannel support, and quick issue resolution as key components of your updated strategy. Tailor your approach to cater to the preferences and needs of your target consumer, strengthening your brand-customer relationship. 

Monitor Performance and Results. 

To continually improve your AI-powered customer service, monitoring performance and results is crucial. Regularly evaluate key performance indicators to assess the effectiveness of your AI software. Analyze customer feedback and interactions to gain valuable insights and identify areas for improvement. By doing so, you can refine your AI strategy to remain relevant and impactful. 

Follow AI Into the Future to Unlock the Secrets of Customer Satisfaction and Drive Your Retail Brand’s Success 

As we forge ahead into the future, the fusion of AI and contact center optimization promises to deliver exceptional customer experiences, foster brand loyalty, and drive revenue growth for retailers. Investing in AI-enabled tools and training is the key to transforming your retail brand’s contact center operations to meet the demands of digital shoppers and guide continuous improvements. Embrace the power of AI to unlock the full potential of your contact center, and let it be the cornerstone of your journey toward unparalleled customer satisfaction. 

Connect With Us at This Year’s CX Retail Exchange 

Discover more insights on cracking the code to customer satisfaction and other hot topics in the experiential, hybrid age of retail with top industry thought leaders at this year’s CX Retail Exchange. Book time with us on our events page to learn how iQor is creating smiles in the retail industry.  

Experience the iQor Difference    

iQor’s omnichannel support experience helps retailers connect with customers on their terms. Our CX experts partner with retailers to design intelligent channel optimization strategies to ensure they align with customer needs. From AI-powered agents to in-app messaging, we apply automation where it matters most to exceed customer expectations for hyper-personalized, seamless omnichannel support.  

iQor is a business process outsourcing company (BPO) ideally suited to help retailers create amazing customer experiences. iQor provides a comprehensive suite of full-service and self-service scalable offerings that are purpose-built to deliver enterprise-quality CX.   

Our award-winning CX services include:    

• A global presence with 40+ contact centers across 10 countries.    
• A CX private cloud that maximizes performance and scales rapidly across multiple geographies on short notice.    
• A partnership approach where we deploy agents and C-level executives to help maximize your ROI.    
• The perfect blend of intelligent automation for scale and performance coupled with an irresistible culture comprised of people who love to delight your customers.    
• Virtual and hybrid customer support options to connect with customers seamlessly, when and where they want.    
• The ability to launch a customer support program quickly, even when you need thousands of agents ready to support your customers.    
• A best-in-class workforce management team and supporting technology to create a centralized organization that can better serve your entire business. 

iQor helps brands deliver the world’s most sought-after customer experiences. Interested in learning more about the iQor difference? If you’re ready to start a conversation with a customer experience expert, contact us to learn about how we can help you create more smiles.    

Susan Halvorsen is vice president of business development at iQor. Connect with Susan on LinkedIn.  

Today’s Online Shoppers Crave Authentic Connections With the eTail Brands They Support 

The retail landscape has undergone a remarkable transformation in the digital age. With the convenience of online shopping, customers can purchase almost everything with the click of a mouse or a tap on a screen. Customer expectations have evolved along with their online shopping habits. In today’s hyper-connected digital world, consumers seek more than just a transaction; they crave personalized interactions and a human touch even in their online experiences. For exclusively online eTail brands, this places humanized customer service at the forefront of their CX strategy.  

Brand storytelling plays a pivotal role in humanizing eTail to maximize online customer engagement. By crafting a compelling narrative that resonates with their audience and is consistent across all channels, retailers can humanize their online presence and establish a deep emotional connection with their customers, boosting customer loyalty.  

In this ever-evolving frontier of online retail, contact center agents emerge as an often-underutilized resource for elevating a brand’s storytelling efforts as they engage with online shoppers at each touchpoint of the customer journey. Empowered frontline agents can become compelling enablers of eTail brand storytelling, harnessing the tools of authenticity, empathy, active listening, and emotional connections to boost customer engagement and loyalty. 

Empowered frontline agents can become compelling enablers of eTail brand storytelling, harnessing the tools of authenticity, empathy, active listening, and emotional connections to boost customer engagement and loyalty.

In this blog post, we explore the key elements that contribute to humanizing the customer support experience in online retail. From leveraging brand storytelling for consistent and authentic interactions to empowering customer service agents as frontline ambassadors of the brand’s narrative, we delve into strategies for fostering long-lasting customer loyalty in the eTail industry. 

Crafting a Compelling Brand Story to Forge Stronger Customer Relationships  

Brand storytelling is a powerful strategy for your modern eTail business to succeed in establishing meaningful connections with your customers. An effective brand story encapsulates the essence of your company’s history, mission, purpose, and core values, weaving them together into a compelling narrative that resonates with your audience. By aligning brand stories with their business objectives, eTailers can inspire action and foster a sense of loyalty among their customer base. 

Today’s customers are increasingly conscious of the brands they support, viewing their purchases as reflections of their own identities and values. By bringing the brand story to life online, eTailers can reinforce shared values with their customer base to encourage support of their brand.   

As e-commerce continues to grow and online interactions become central to customer experiences, you have a unique opportunity to leverage your eTail brand’s digital presence to craft narratives that leave a lasting impression. With a well-crafted brand story, you can forge genuine connections, tap into the values of your audience, and ultimately stand out in a crowded market. By using the internet as the canvas for your storytelling efforts, your eTail brand can meet customers where they already spend much of their time, ensuring that your stories resonate and leave a lasting impact, strengthening the bond between brand and consumer. 

“Brand storytelling is a popular term, but it misses the mark. Brand conversation is more accurate. Retail is a relationship between a brand and the customer, not a monologue from one side or the other. Contact center agents are the human face of that conversation. When they are able to feel and communicate a brand’s purpose, they make that conversation positive for everyone.” 

Dan Hoffman 
Digital creative director
Five Below   

Empowering Call Center Agents as Enablers of Brand Storytelling  

An essential aspect of brand storytelling lies in the art of crafting personalized experiences for customers. Customer service agents are well-positioned to accomplish this. Through their interactions, they have the chance to understand the customer’s journey, preferences, and pain points. By tailoring their responses to address these specific aspects, agents can weave a narrative that aligns seamlessly with the customer’s needs and aspirations. This personalized approach fosters a sense of individual attention and showcases the eTailer’s commitment to cultivating customer satisfaction (CSAT).  

Moreover, customer service agents can turn challenging situations into powerful opportunities for brand storytelling. When faced with complaints or issues, agents who handle these scenarios with empathy and resolve can transform negative experiences into positive ones. By taking ownership of problems and finding creative solutions, agents can leave customers with a lasting impression of the brand’s dedication to an exceptional customer experience (CX).  

These anecdotes of exceptional service become part of your brand’s larger narrative, solidifying your reputation as a brand that genuinely cares about its customers. In this way, customer service agents become indispensable enablers of brand storytelling, leaving a trail of satisfied customers who, in turn, become brand advocates, sharing their positive experiences online and amplifying your brand’s message. 

Best Practices for Integrating Storytelling Into Call Center Operations

Prioritize open communication and consistent messaging in all channels. 

Breaking down the silo mentality and fostering collaboration between internal teams and call center agents is key to delivering exceptional customer support and building a cohesive brand narrative. By encouraging open communication and knowledge-sharing between departments, your eTail brand can leverage valuable insights from all sides to craft a holistic approach to customer service. Ensuring consistent brand messages and sentiment across all customer touchpoints reinforces your brand identity and fosters a sense of reliability and familiarity. From website content to social media posts to contact center interactions, a unified brand narrative improves the customer’s perception of your eTail brand and reinforces your values and mission at every turn. 

Leverage the value of agent feedback for success stories to guide storytelling strategies.  

Call center agents, being at the forefront of customer interactions, possess a treasure trove of customer anecdotes and success stories. By incorporating these anecdotes into training materials and support protocols, eTailers can equip customer service agents with the ability to provide tailored and empathetic support and truly connect with customers. These stories also serve as powerful social proof, a critical asset for today’s eTailers, providing testimonials that strengthen the eTailer’s reputation and influence customer purchasing decisions. Furthermore, success stories offer retail brands an opportunity to engage with customers through two-way communication in customer service interactions. This interactive approach fosters a sense of community and belonging, creating brand advocates who are more likely to share their positive experiences and promote your brand organically.  

Leverage AI to optimize and personalize agent coaching to align with your brand story. 

AI-enabled coaching can further optimize and personalize the employee and customer experience. At iQor, we utilize AmplifiAI’s AI-driven software as a service (SaaS) platform to direct coaching and training strategies for a number of clients. AmplifiAI’s intelligent automation analyzes data to provide actionable insights that empower supervisors to more effectively coach agents at scale through personalized recommendations for each individual agent. This empowers our teams to focus on creating human-to-human interactions that drive irresistible customer service.  

From Scripts to Stories: Humanizing the Customer Experience With a 6-Step Approach to Employee Training 

In today’s customer-centric landscape, many eTail businesses are moving away from traditional scripted interactions and embracing a more humanized approach to customer service. This six-step approach to employee training fosters more storytelling and personal connections with customers. 

1. Provide ongoing brand education through training and coaching. 

Effective customer service starts with a deep understanding of your eTail brand’s values, mission, and culture. By providing ongoing brand education through training and coaching strategies, employees stay informed about the latest developments and changes, ensuring they can confidently represent your brand story in every customer interaction. 

2. Embrace active learning strategies. 

Active learning strategies, such as role-playing and practice sessions, play a crucial role in developing essential customer service skills. By immersing employees in real-life scenarios, they gain practical experience, strengthening their ability to think on their feet and adapt to various customer needs. 

3. Create engaging opening statements. 

The first moments of a customer interaction are crucial in setting the tone for the entire experience. Crafting engaging and personalized opening statements helps create an immediate connection with customers, making them feel valued and heard. 

4. Recognize and reward exceptional storytelling efforts. 

Recognizing and rewarding exceptional storytelling by employees reinforces the importance of the human touch in customer interactions. By acknowledging these efforts, eTailers inspire employees to build authentic connections and provide meaningful customer experiences. 

Recognizing and rewarding exceptional storytelling by employees reinforces the importance of the human touch in customer interactions. By acknowledging these efforts, eTailers inspire employees to build authentic connections and provide meaningful customer experiences. 

5. Address challenges and provide solutions. 

Employee training should also address challenges that might arise when humanizing the customer experience. These challenges may include overcoming resistance to change, addressing language barriers and cultural nuances, and creating opportunities for customers to provide feedback for continuous improvement. 

6. Offer resources for storytelling techniques. 

To empower employees beyond rote scripts, eTailers can offer resources and training on effective storytelling techniques. By encouraging creativity and individuality in customer interactions, employees can shape their narratives to resonate with customers and leave a lasting impact. 

By embracing this six-step approach to employee training, you can humanize the customer experience for your eTail brand, foster genuine connections, and set your company apart in the competitive market by integrating brand storytelling into the delivery of exceptional customer service. 

Measuring Your eTail Brand’s Storytelling Success 

In the world of e-commerce, where brands strive to connect with their customers on a deeper level, mastering the art of storytelling is essential. How can you effectively measure the success of your eTail brand’s storytelling efforts? The answer lies in a combination of data-driven insights and qualitative feedback. 

Harness interaction analytics for valuable insights. 

To gauge the effectiveness of your eTail brand’s storytelling through call center interactions, leverage interaction analytics. Monitor call center performance metrics, customer queries, and sentiment to gain valuable insights into how customers respond to your brand’s narrative. Are they engaged and emotionally connected? Are their inquiries resolved quickly and effectively? Analyzing this data helps identify areas of improvement and highlights the impact of storytelling on customer experiences. 

At iQor, we leverage our proprietary interaction analytics platform VALDI across a number of industries that we support to help our clients mine every customer interaction for this type of valuable data. VALDI uses cloud computing, machine learning, and AI to provide fully customizable real-time analytics guided by each client’s individual and evolving needs. This data is essential for guiding brand storytelling efforts that succeed with your eTail customer base. 

Gather qualitative customer feedback and analyze loyalty metrics. 

Direct customer feedback is a goldmine for understanding how your brand’s storytelling resonates with its audience. Conduct surveys and pay attention to reviews to gather insights into how customers perceive your eTail narrative. Additionally, closely analyze customer loyalty and retention rates. Are customers returning to your eTail website or social media pages, demonstrating a sense of loyalty to your brand? Positive trends in these metrics may indicate that your storytelling efforts are striking a chord with your target audience. 

Lastly, monitor social media engagement to gauge customer sentiment and identify potential storytelling opportunities. Are customers sharing their positive experiences and stories related to your eTail brand? Social media platforms provide a rich environment for organic storytelling, and creating opportunities for engagement can give you a sense of how customers are receiving your brand’s narrative. 

Social media platforms provide a rich environment for organic storytelling, and creating opportunities for engagement can give you a sense of how customers are receiving your brand’s narrative.

Reassess KPIs to align with your target customer base. 

As your brand’s narrative evolves, so should your key performance indicators (KPIs). Reassess and fine-tune your KPIs to align with your target customer base and the desired emotional responses you aim to evoke through storytelling. Adjusting KPIs ensures that your metrics align with your brand’s narrative goals and provides a more accurate reflection of storytelling success. 

The Human Connection: Why Call Center Agents Are Crucial Characters in the Customer Journey 

Looking ahead, brand storytelling and customer engagement are forecasted to continue evolving in eTail. As technology advances, we can expect more immersive and interactive online storytelling experiences that leverage augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and artificial intelligence (AI) to create personalized journeys for customers. Social media will remain a critical platform for organic brand storytelling, where customers share their experiences and eTail brands curate narratives to align with the evolving interests and values of their target audience. As the e-commerce landscape becomes more saturated, eTailers will likely rely more heavily on human connections and authentic storytelling to stand out and create a lasting impact on the customer journey. 

In the fast-paced digital world of eTail, now is the time to unleash the potential of brand storytelling in call center operations. Empower your call center agents with the tools to tell compelling stories that align with your brand’s narrative and elevate routine customer interactions into memorable experiences. Though your customers will always be the main character in your eTail brand story, your frontline employees play a mission-critical supporting role for customer service that can set you apart from the competition.

Though your customers will always be the main character in your eTail brand story, your frontline employees play a mission-critical supporting role for customer service that can set you apart from the competition.

By equipping them to excel in this role, you can create an authentic and emotionally resonant customer experience that fosters loyalty and builds lasting relationships with your audience.  

Moreover, these meaningful connections enable your frontline agents to turn customers into brand ambassadors as well. Exceptional CX can inspire these customers to share their positive experiences, acting as brand storytellers. This word-of-mouth promotion not only boosts sales but also strengthens customer retention. Embrace the power of human connection in call center operations to unlock your potential for brand storytelling success and pave the way for a compelling and customer-centric eTail future. 

Book Time With Us at eTail East 

For more on the power of brand storytelling in eTail, join in the discussion with leading industry executives and thought leaders at eTail East 2023. Book time with us on our events page to learn how iQor is creating smiles in the eTail industry.  

Experience the iQor Difference   

iQor’s omnichannel support experience helps retailers and eTailers connect with customers on their terms. Our CX experts partner with brands in the retail and e-commerce industry to design intelligent channel optimization strategies to ensure they align with customer needs. From AI-powered agents to in-app messaging, we apply automation where it matters most to exceed customer expectations for hyper-personalized, seamless omnichannel support. 

iQor is a business process outsourcing company (BPO) ideally suited to help retailers create amazing customer experiences. iQor provides a comprehensive suite of full-service and self-service scalable offerings that are purpose-built to deliver enterprise-quality CX.  

Our award-winning CX services include:   

• A global presence with 40+ contact centers across 10 countries.   
• A CX private cloud that maximizes performance and scales rapidly across multiple geographies on short notice.   
• A partnership approach where we deploy agents and C-level executives to help maximize your ROI.   
• The perfect blend of intelligent automation for scale and performance coupled with an irresistible culture comprised of people who love to delight your customers.   
• Virtual and hybrid customer support options to connect with customers seamlessly, when and where they want.   
• The ability to launch a customer support program quickly, even when you need thousands of agents ready to support your customers.   
• A best-in-class workforce management team and supporting technology to create a centralized organization that can better serve your entire business.  

iQor helps brands deliver the world’s most sought-after customer experiences. Interested in learning more about the iQor difference? If you’re ready to start a conversation with a customer experience expert, contact us to learn about how we can help you create more smiles.   

John Swain is vice president of account management at iQor. Connect with John on LinkedIn. 

The Changing Face of Retail: How the Digital Era Has Transformed an Entire Industry 

The COVID-19 pandemic uprooted the retail industry at every juncture, from supply chains to inventory management to staffing. With fewer in-person shopping experiences, retailers turned to digital for creative strategies to meet customer demand. The cultural shift of the pandemic converged with the Digital Era to forever change the face of retail and create opportunities for retailers to thrive in a new world. 

Though eTail is far from new to consumers, the digital transformation has merged traditional brick-and-mortar with digital eTail in groundbreaking ways. As new advances in technology continually redefine what is possible, retailers benefit from considering how their brand can integrate digital solutions to meet shifting customer expectations. 

Customer Service Is Key for Retailers to Stand Out in a Competitive Market 

Customers expect the convenience, speed, and efficiency of digitally empowered customer service–and brands across all industries are paying attention. According to research by Metrigy, customer experience (CX) is the number one priority for companies increasing their technology spending in 2023.  

The retail industry is no exception. To stand out in a competitive market, retailers are turning to digital tools to provide experiences that keep customers coming back. Though digital integration is critical at every step of the customer journey, customer service has significant power to boost customer confidence and encourage loyalty over competitors. For 92% of customers, a positive customer service experience factors into their decision to make future purchases with a brand. In other words, delivering on expectations for exceptional customer service will create smile-worthy experiences for customers and generate strong returns for your bottom line.

For 92% of customers, a positive customer service experience factors into their decision to make future purchases with a brand. In other words, delivering on expectations for exceptional customer service will create smile-worthy experiences for customers and generate strong returns for your bottom line.  

The Secret to Delivering Exceptional Retail Customer Experiences: Understand Your Customers’ Needs 

Retailers that excel at understanding their customers’ unique needs and expectations can go beyond a one-size-fits-all approach to customer service that delivers share-of-wallet results. Though data mining can provide brand-specific insights, there are broad trends that define the behaviors and preferences of today’s shoppers. These trends form the foundation for a customer service strategy that meets customer needs at every touchpoint. 

High-Tech, Hyper-Personalized, and Hands-On: How Evolving Customer Expectations Ignited the Phygital Retail Revolution  

Customer behaviors and preferences have always changed over time. Technology has accelerated the speed and frequency of trend-shifting to an unprecedented degree. Providing a quality product isn’t enough. Today’s customers expect retailers to provide an experience that makes their brand selection stand out from the crowd. From the moment they walk through the door or open an app to the quality of the service they receive when seeking resolutions, here’s how modern customers differ from customers of days past:  

The Top 5 Things Customers Value Most in a Retail Experience 

1. Blurred lines between digital and brick-and-mortar.  

It’s time to get phygital: today’s customers don’t want digital shopping to replace physical brick-and-mortar storefronts; they want the best of both worlds. “Phygital” retail strives to provide a seamless shopping journey across online and offline channels. Some phygital experiences that retailers have adopted to blur the lines between digital and brick-and-mortar include: 

• Curbside pickup. 
• Scan-to-pay app features. 
• Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).  
• Metaverse platforms. 
• Experiential retail concept stores. 

These innovations in the retail industry offer customers the flexibility and convenience to engage with stores on their terms. Tech enablement shifts the focus from product to experience, generating high levels of customer engagement that create tangible returns in sales and customer loyalty.  

2. Hyper-personalized service.  

According to Kiran Mani, managing director of retail at Google, “Personalization is nothing but translating information into assistance.” Big Data is a cornerstone of the Digital Age and can be leveraged to provide customers with the best assistance possible. Data about customer demographics, behaviors, preferences, and needs empowers retailers to provide hyper-personalized service and relatable experiences to customers. Hyper-personalization sends the message that retailers value each customer and significantly improves the convenience, accuracy, and efficiency of the retail experience. 

3. Effective automation and technology.  

Though human employees are essential for resolving many complex customer service issues, most customers prefer automation for simple tasks such as tracking an order, checking order status or balance, modifying an order, returning and exchanging items, and more. In-store robots, intelligent virtual assistants, and intuitively navigable websites and apps are tech enablement options that can increase customer interactions and grow revenue. The caveat? It’s not enough to provide options for automation and tech enablement; these options need to work effectively and consistently. Inconsistent experiences across channels lead to churn for 60% of retail customers. When exploring new technological capabilities, retailers who set a high standard for quality will reap the most rewards.  

4. Brand integrity and transparency.  

Customers value brand integrity and transparency more than ever, with 81% of buyers saying they need to trust a brand to buy from them. Continuity, identity, and community define core values of the post-pandemic customer experience. From honest advertising and pricing to transparent conversations about businesses and their history–including sourcing, product development, diversity hiring, and more–customers choose to buy from credible retailers.  

5. Shared values.  

Conscious consumerism is the name of the game for shoppers in the modern marketplace, a trend that has fueled the rise of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Today’s customers expect retailers to take a stance on social responsibility, sustainability, and other issues that matter to customers on a personal level. From making statements of solidarity on social media to revamping operations and sourcing to be more ethical and sustainable, customers hold retailers accountable and leverage their purchasing power to support brands whose values align with their own.  

Understanding Customer Experience Trends Can Help You Reduce Friction and Boost Your Bottom Line 

As retailers strive to remain competitive in today’s digital landscape, understanding customer experience trends is crucial for success. By paying attention to the changing needs and preferences of customers, retailers can reduce and even prevent friction in their customer interactions and ultimately boost their bottom line.  

Effective customer service strategies play a critical role in eliminating friction by reducing gaps and inconsistency throughout the customer experience. Here are five ways you can leverage customer expectations to build a customer service strategy that delivers a seamless omnichannel customer journey, builds stronger customer relationships, and drives long-term growth.  

5 Proven Ways Retailers Can Optimize Their Customer Service Strategy for the Modern Era 

1. Start with the data. 

Using data analytics to identify your customers’ expectations and behaviors can help you predict the most common issues that could lead them to contact customer service. This data can guide the development of proactive solutions to reduce the volume of inquiries and improve customer satisfaction (CSAT). By accurately gauging customer intent, retailers can provide the type of personalized support that creates smiles for shoppers in the Digital Age.

Data analytics can also guide the development of machine learning models that inform specific operational improvements based on your brand’s needs. At iQor, we provide our proprietary interaction analytics platform VALDI as a service to help our clients mine every customer interaction for this type of valuable data. VALDI uses cloud computing, machine learning, and AI to provide fully customizable analytics guided by each client’s individual and evolving needs. Our tailored approach makes VALDI powerfully effective in meeting the needs of the modern-day retailer for flexibility, personalization, effectiveness, and consistency. 

2. Leverage a full suite of omnichannel support with self-service options. 

Today’s customers are independent, with 69% saying they prefer to solve simple issues on their own rather than relying on traditional customer support channels. The most successful retailers offer comprehensive omnichannel support with self-service options such as chatbots, virtual assistants, FAQs, and other knowledge base resources. These options enable customers to quickly find solutions to their problems without having to wait for a support representative to respond. Effective omnichannel customer service improves customer satisfaction, reduces support costs, and improves the overall customer experience. 

Today’s customers are independent, with 69% saying they prefer to solve simple issues on their own rather than relying on traditional customer support channels. 

3. Prioritize data privacy and security. 

While Big Data and cloud computing are important for providing personalized service, this data must be kept secure. Here are some reasons why security is especially important for the retail industry:  

• 44% of retailers were attacked globally by ransomware in 2021, the hardest hit of any industry. 
• 74% of consumers say data privacy influences their decision to do business with a brand. 
• The rapid evolution of new financial technology (FinTech) such as third-party peer-to-peer (P2P) payment options enables brands to provide flexible, convenient payment alternatives. Customers expect retailers to verify the legitimacy and security of these platforms before offering their services to guarantee that their money and data are transferred securely. 

At iQor, we leverage a multi-layered security approach to guarantee that our client’s data is always thoroughly insulated from security risks. Our dynamic approach to zero trust allows for unparalleled control and real-time endpoint protection. We leverage endpoint security that ensures compliance with all regulatory requirements and provides comprehensive safeguards to secure client data.  

4. Empower frontline agents to resolve customer service requests without escalations. 

Empowering customer service agents to resolve customer requests without escalations can bring multiple benefits to retailers. Empowered frontline agents can: 

• Build trust and loyalty with customers by providing a consistent, convenient, and satisfactory experience. 
• Reduce the workload of management and escalation teams so they can focus on other important tasks. 
• Demonstrate that retailers value their employees by trusting them to handle customer inquiries professionally. 
• Boost agent job satisfaction, increasing the pool of tenured employees who provide the best quality service. 
• Improve customer resolution times (CRT) and other key performance indicators (KPIs).  

The rewards of equipping your agents with the tools to succeed are plentiful when the risks are well managed. In addition to creating a better experience for both your employees and your customers, the investment can result in quantifiable growth for your bottom line. 

5. End with the data. 

Trends and data are continually evolving. Retailers can gain a better understanding of what customers need over time by leveraging data analytics and asking customers directly what they want in a customer service experience. Regular surveys provide data to help inform strategic email marketing campaigns that offer additional opportunities for cultivating deeper customer relationships. By understanding the broader consumer culture and trends to gauge customer behaviors relevant to a brand, retailers can add more smiles to their customer service experience.  

Unlock the Potential of the Digital Age by Harnessing Cutting-Edge Tech and Human Solutions That Represent the Future of Retail 

The digital age has transformed the way people shop and interact with retail brands. Those retailers who responded to these transformations with adaptability and innovation are thriving. By embracing cutting-edge CX technology, retailers can provide a seamless and personalized experience that meets the needs and preferences of their customers. Additionally, excellent customer service and employee training can make a significant impact on the success of retail businesses. Engaging these new opportunities with a flexible, strategic approach provides retailers unlimited potential for unlocking future growth.  

Experience the iQor Difference   

iQor’s omnichannel support experience helps retailers connect with customers on their terms. Our CX experts partner with retailers to design intelligent channel optimization strategies to ensure they align with customer needs. From AI-powered agents to in-app messaging, we apply automation where it matters most to exceed customer expectations for hyper-personalized, seamless omnichannel support. 

iQor is a business process outsourcing company (BPO) ideally suited to help retailers create amazing customer experiences. iQor provides a comprehensive suite of full-service and self-service scalable offerings that are purpose-built to deliver enterprise-quality CX.  

Our award-winning CX services include:   

• A global presence with 40+ contact centers across 10 countries.   
• A CX private cloud that maximizes performance and scales rapidly across multiple geographies on short notice.   
• A partnership approach where we deploy agents and C-level executives to help maximize your ROI.   
• The perfect blend of intelligent automation for scale and performance coupled with an irresistible culture comprised of people who love to delight your customers.   
• Virtual and hybrid customer support options to connect with customers seamlessly, when and where they want.   
• The ability to launch a customer support program quickly, even when you need thousands of agents ready to support your customers.   
• A best-in-class workforce management team and supporting technology to create a centralized organization that can better serve your entire business.  

iQor helps brands deliver the world’s most sought-after customer experiences. Interested in learning more about the iQor difference? If you’re ready to start a conversation with a customer experience expert, contact us to learn about how we can help you create more smiles.  

John Swain is vice president of account management at iQor. Connect with John on LinkedIn. 

Leveraging Machine Learning to Predict Employee Attrition Risks and Guide Retention Interventions  

How Machine Learning Can Help You Reduce Employee Turnover is a free webinar available on demand, presented by iQor’s Vice President of Operations Terri Robertson, Senior Vice President of IT Joe Przybylowski, and Data Scientist Andrew Reilly. Here’s an overview of what they discussed.  

Why Retention Strategies Are Critical to Your Business Success 

Employee attrition is a more pressing concern for organizations than ever, as evidenced by cultural dialogue like “The Great Resignation” and “quiet quitting.” Attrition is even more significant for BPOs like iQor whose business is to deliver outsourced customer service to the brands that entrust us. 

The cost of employee attrition is significant in both direct and indirect ways. For example: 

• The average cost to hire and train a replacement employee can be up to 200% of that employee’s salary. 
• Replacing an experienced employee with a new hire can lead to a decrease in productivity and efficiency, which can affect revenue. 
• A high turnover rate can lead to discontinuity in customer service, which can result in loss of business. 
• High turnover can impact morale among other employees and cause a snowball effect of attrition, incurring further costs.  

The value of investing in employees speaks for itself. At iQor, employee experience is a cornerstone of our business model. Creating a work environment that promotes job satisfaction, recognition, and growth opportunities is critical to retaining valuable tenured employees.

Using Predictive Analytics to Help Prevent Attrition With Proactive Retention Strategies at iQor 

For over 15 years, iQor has used cutting-edge technology to provide an irresistible employee and customer experience (CX). Our team of expert data scientists has developed models for predictive analytics to guide our strategies for revenue recovery, customer satisfaction (CSAT), net promoter scores (NPS), and more. So, why not leverage our data analytics expertise to predict attrition before it has a chance to materialize?

Using the power of predictive analytics, we asked the fundamental question of attrition: How do you know when an employee is thinking about leaving?

To answer this question, our team of expert data scientists developed a machine learning model to identify variables that correlate with attrition and predict which employees might be at risk of leaving the company. Our goal was to play offense rather than defense to the problem of employee attrition by developing proactive retention strategies for at-risk employees. The model successfully:  

• Analyzes which variables influence employee attrition. 
• Identifies employees at risk of attrition. 
• Guides our operations team’s retention strategies. 
• Contributes to the retention of thousands of at-risk employees. 
• Informs an improved employee experience through a culture of empathy and professional development opportunities. 

Using the power of predictive analytics, we asked the fundamental question of attrition: How do you know when an employee is thinking about leaving?

Customized Employee Retention Processes Guided by Predictive Analytics 

Predictive analytics placed the ball in our court to proactively shape a positive employee experience that improves retention. The foundation of machine learning and predictive analytics is data. To begin, iQor’s data scientists needed to know what data they required to build their “crystal ball” for proactive employee attrition prediction. 

Their approach to data modeling consists of three stages: 

1. What data is available?  

The existing body of structured data could include tenure, compensation and benefits, workforce management data, interaction analytics, coaching outcomes, performance reviews, bonus history, training data, and other information that iQor already gathered about our employees.  

2. What are we missing?  

After conducting an inventory of existing data, we could identify data gaps. Gaps often include unstructured data, which is more difficult to gather and too subjective to easily evaluate, such as employee feedback.  

3. What can we create?  

Identification of data gaps can then drive strategies for gathering that data. For example, annual surveys for employee feedback are an option, but that doesn’t provide enough data for accurate analytics. Filling in this gap requires a high-frequency method of employee surveying for gathering reliable and timely feedback regarding their outlook on the job.  

The answers to these questions create a broader data pool of structured and unstructured data to begin identifying which data points correlate to attrition risks. 

Transforming Raw Data Into Usable Variables  

Data is just raw material; it needs to be refined to be useful, as described by Gartner’s Four Phase Data Maturity Model. iQor’s data scientists had to decide how to categorize the data into variables that could be computed by their algorithms. They then validated each data feature using a process called variable importance testing to determine what to include and exclude from the production model. This process assesses how much influence a particular variable or feature has historically impacted our attrition. Those that rank high are selected while those that rank low are rejected. 

Using these variables and a combination of five main algorithms, our data scientists deployed a five-fold cross-validated Stacked Ensemble Meta learner with auto-tuned hyperparameters—or, in layman’s terms, they created a customized employee retention model that could assess the probability of employee attrition within the next 60 days. 

From Data Science to Pragmatic Action: The Plan for Proactive Frontline Employee Retention 

At iQor, we place a high value on providing exceptional employee experiences. As our data scientists and operations teams collaborated to develop a practical, specific, repeatable process for proactive retention, they kept the employee experience top of mind. The process needed to be simple for employees and managers in terms of time and effort expended; it needed to be standardized yet flexible; and it needed to be embeddable into our feedback culture. The result was a Measurable Skip-Level Meeting, also known as “The Touch Base.” 

“The Touch Base” Strategy for Employee Retention  

Every week, iQor runs our machine learning model for all 40,000 employees company-wide. We analyze each individual’s probability of attrition between 0% and 100%. At-risk employees are identified at a threshold of 65%. Employees who meet or exceed this threshold for attrition risks will automatically engage the company’s proactive retention strategy enacted by the operations teams. 

As a result of these analytics, our operations teams are informed of at-risk employees every week. They receive the employees’ names, the names of their direct supervisors, and the skip-level managers responsible for scheduling the Touch Base. These managers have a structured guide with clear, consistent guidelines, a system of record, and a method for feeding results back into the analytics model. 

The Touch Base is standardized enough to provide data points that can guide improvements to the machine learning model but also conversational and customized to each employee’s needs.  

It’s important to note that the Touch Base is not focused on the employee’s performance. Rather, it is about encouraging open communication to identify and support the employee’s needs. The anatomy of the Touch Base is as follows:  

• Before the Touch Base 
  • The manager reviews the employee’s information to approach the conversation with an informed and empathetic mindset. 
  • The manager schedules the 30-minute session with the employee through our workforce management system.  

• During the Touch Base 
  • The manager asks open-ended questions in an effort to identify what the employee may be experiencing that makes them at risk.  
  • The manager lets the employee guide the conversation to help the employee feel listened to, valued, and supported.  
  • The manager thanks the employee for their time and willingness to share. 

• After the Touch Base 
  • We use the same module that guides our coaching to measure the effectiveness of each Touch Base. The Touch Base checklist includes a summary with the following priorities: 
    • Clarify timelines, deliverables, and expected outcomes. 
    • Agree on next steps. 
    • Schedule a follow-up meeting with the employee. 
    • Escalate to the next level of management, if needed. 
  • Lastly, the manager documents the meeting in the system with as many details as possible. 

The manager also rates the Touch Base for their impression of the employee’s overall state of being. In some cases, just having the conversation with the manager can make the employee feel valued and clear up the risk of attrition. In other cases, the situation is not something the manager can easily address, and escalation may be necessary.  

Combining Clinical Trial Methodology and Human Storytelling to Gauge the Effectiveness of the Touch Base Process and Guide Next Steps 

For iQor’s machine learning model to be effective, it has to be able to measure the effectiveness of our interventions and the results of these Touch Base meetings. We performed a controlled study, much like a clinical trial, to go beyond the manager ratings to use a scientific approach to our evaluations.  

Comparing Retention Outcomes Between Control and Experimental Groups Showed a 2.6x Increase in Retention for Touch Base Employees 

Out of 100 at-risk agents, we withheld a small sample of at-risk agents to serve as a control group. They received no Touch Base interventions. The other 95% served as the experimental group and proceeded through our Touch Base intervention process. The results were clear. After 60 days, the control group experienced 18.3% attrition while the experimental group experienced 7% attrition.  

This led to two main findings:  

1. The model appropriately identifies employees at risk of attrition. 

2. The intervention is meaningful.  

At-risk employees who go through the Touch Base process are 2.6 times more likely to stay with the company than employees who do not receive proactive retention strategies. We refer to this as our Attrition Mitigation Factor. The takeaway? Our Touch Base strategy worked to effectively retain at-risk employees and embody our commitment to providing an outstanding employee experience.

Stories Shared by Agents and Managers Through a Culture of Feedback Relate Positive Outcomes Beyond the Science 

What steps actually work to retain at-risk employees? The answer to this can help us implement a repeatable process and create a culture of feedback. Feedback and storylines from our operations teams about their experiences with the Touch Base process guides continuous improvement to the model.  

Using the Touch Base process, managers now get to talk directly to frontline employees instead of just hearing from their direct managers. This makes it much easier to find resolutions and improve relationships to encourage retention. When managers listen, they can facilitate adjustments that lead to employee retention. Sometimes, preventing employee attrition is as simple as adjusting schedules. 

Putting the “Active” in “Proactive:” How the Machine Learning Model Constantly Self-Improves 

iQor’s machine learning model is dynamic. Future improvements are guided by the data science team, the operations team, and stakeholders, who have the opportunity to provide feedback and ask questions during quarterly reviews. The key is data. Each time the machine learning model processes new information, it improves its own ability to fulfill its intended purpose.  

Best Practices for a Machine Learning Approach to a Proactive Retention Strategy 

iQor’s machine learning model is successful because our data science, operations, and frontline teams collaborated to define, implement, and improve the process. Embodying our iQorian Value of open communication helped our teams develop an effective machine learning model that kept the human experience at the forefront of the process. 

Here are some best practices our teams followed: 

• Define the problem in as much detail as possible through collaboration, data discovery, and analysis.  
• Acquire high-quality data by asking three main questions: what data do we have, what data can we create, and what data can we enrich by joining it to another data source? 
• Name the project to give it its own brand. Our Touch Base system makes the project memorable to stakeholders and builds value.  
• Create a control group like a clinical trial to evaluate results for an accurate indication of effectiveness.  
• List all KPIs to specifically define the model’s parameters.  
• Start with a quick win to motivate involvement and maximize collaboration potential.  
• Fail small and fast to allow the data science methodology to break the project into bite-sized pieces that are not overwhelming.  
• Communicate between teams so they can seek support across the organization. Establishing a regular cadence for communication keeps channels open that we can use as potential input sources for continually improving the model. 

Investing in Employees to Retain Tenured, High-Performing Teams 

Employee attrition can be a significant issue for any company. Our proactive retention strategies help us stay ahead of the curve through processes that incentivize valuable employees to stay on board. iQor’s machine learning model successfully predicts attrition and guides effective intervention strategies, empowering us to transform at-risk employees into tenured career professionals that provide irresistible customer service.  

Experience the Best in CX  

iQor offers analytics as a service to enhance employee, customer, and client outcomes. Our proprietary speech analytics platform, cloud computing, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and data analysis enable us to provide effective workforce management solutions, flexible work environments, and improved coaching processes. We prioritize our employee experience and aim to cultivate a culture of success that fosters loyalty and high performance. 

As a managed services provider of customer engagement and technology-enabled business process outsourcing (BPO) solutions, iQor provides a comprehensive suite of full-service and self-service scalable offerings that are purpose-built to deliver enterprise-quality CX.  

Our award-winning CX services include:  

• A global presence with 40+ contact centers across 10 countries.  
• A CX private cloud that maximizes performance and scales rapidly across multiple geographies on short notice.  
• A partnership approach where we deploy agents and C-level executives to help maximize your ROI.  
• The perfect blend of intelligent automation for scale and performance coupled with an irresistible culture comprised of people who love to delight your customers.  
• Virtual and hybrid customer support options to connect with customers seamlessly, when and where they want.  
• The ability to launch a customer support program quickly, even when you need thousands of agents ready to support your customers.  
• A best-in-class workforce management team and supporting technology to create a centralized organization that can better serve your entire business.  

iQor helps brands deliver the world’s most sought-after customer experiences. Interested in learning more about the iQor difference? If you’re ready to start a conversation with a customer experience expert, contact us to learn about how we can help you create more smiles. 

Joe Przybylowski is senior vice president of IT at iQor. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
Andrew Reilly is a data scientist at iQor. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
Terri Robertson is vice president of operations at iQor. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Why BPOs Need to Continuously Invest in Zero Trust

The threat landscape is constantly changing, and a static security model is not an option. Zero trust is a dynamic approach to security that enables BPOs to stay ahead of the curve. By continuously investing in zero trust, BPOs can protect their data and systems from the latest threats and ensure a secure environment for the mountains of client data they store, handle, and analyze. 

What Is Zero Trust? 

Zero trust is a security concept created by cybersecurity expert John Kindervag. The phrase he coined, “Never trust, always verify,” has become the watchword of zero trust advocates and practitioners. 

Kindervag broke new ground when he recognized that every instance of trust in a network represented a vulnerability. As he saw it, every user and every device needed to be authenticated and authorized before it could access any part of a network. With zero trust, no activity on the network, no matter where it originates, is presumed to be trustworthy. 

Zero trust was a major departure from the status quo, which built security on the idea that a secure perimeter around a network would keep the network safe—much like a moat around a castle. Security experts presumed activities inside the perimeter to be trustworthy because an actor had to pass through perimeter security to get inside. But as with a castle, once a bad actor penetrated the perimeter and was inside, they could wreak havoc. 

The Castle-and-Moat Approach No Longer Provides Enough Protection

The castle-and-moat approach was fine when everyone worked from the office and the network server was on premises. Today, businesses have data in data centers, in the cloud, in branch locations, and on endpoint devices. Employees work at home, a hotel, or their neighborhood coffee shop.  

This is the era of the distributed network, and cybercriminals have more ways than ever to penetrate a network.  

How much havoc are bad actors causing? Every 11 seconds a business is hit by a cyberattack. According to Cybercrime Magazine, if Cybercrime were a country, it would have the third largest economy in the world, behind only the U.S. and China.  

Fortunately, zero trust is catching on.  

Standards Help Business Process Outsourcers (BPOs) Transition to Zero Trust 

Zero trust is a concept, not a product. You can’t set it and forget it. For years, zero trust experts often described it in different ways, which could be confusing for BPOs that wanted to implement zero trust and build a zero trust architecture (ZTA).  

That changed when, after a series of data breaches in various agencies, the U.S. government made a strong commitment to zero trust. The National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) published NIST 800–207, “Zero Trust Architecture,” to help organizations transition from legacy security systems to zero trust. In 2021 and 2022, the president issued executive orders requiring all U.S. federal agencies to adhere to NIST 800–207 and to ensure the responsible development of digital assets. 

Now vetted and validated by many commercial customers, vendors, and government agency stakeholders, private organizations and enterprises widely recognize NIST 800–207 as the reigning zero trust standard. By providing helpful guidance—especially for organizations with no experience in zero trust—NIST 800–207 has provided clarity for BPOs and all organizations that want to phase in zero trust.  

3 Principles of Zero Trust 

CrowdStrike cites the three principles of zero trust as: 

• Continuous verification. Verify all users and their permitted level of access before granting access to any resources. Only “least-privileged access” should be granted to any user, meaning users have access to only the resources they need. 
• Limit the “blast radius.” In case a breach does occur, minimize the damage it could cause. 
• Automate context collection and response. Automatically analyze behavioral data against the entire IT stack to develop the most accurate response to an access request or perceived threat. 

Zero Trust Needs of BPOs 

When a BPO manages an omnichannel customer experience (CX) program, massive amounts of data (Big Data) are collected. Every customer interaction—phone, text, chat, email—is recorded and analyzed. Various applications are used to analyze the data produced from these interactions. Automation makes processes more efficient.  

Hundreds or thousands of customer service agents and supervisors, many of whom work at home (WAH), have access to the data. Agents providing back office services handle thousands of personally identifiable records.  

These activities are repeated for every client, every day.  

And these 5 pillars of zero trust protect them from bad actors. 

5 Pillars of Zero Trust for BPOs 

Regardless of the scope of a dynamic zero trust implementation, these five pillars are must-haves for BPOs. 

1. Multifactor Authentication

Multifactor authentication hardens security access to networks by requiring users to confirm their identity through two or more factors. Authentication factors are things you… 

• Know: username/password, PIN, security questions. 
• Have: RSA key, fast identity online (FIDO) key, phone, registered endpoint, certificate. 
• Are: biometric scan – fingerprint, palm, eye, voice, facial. 
• Locate: source IP, known device location, GPS. 

Organizations can use multifactor authentication in numerous ways, including: 

• OTP: After entering your user ID and password, the system asks you how you’d like to receive a one-time password (OTP), via SMS, chat, or email. After you select your preferred method, the system sends you the OTP and provides a form field for you to fill in after you’ve received it. 
• Third-Party Sync: At the login screen, the system asks for your password and an OTP provided by a third-party application that syncs the OTP it sends to your smartphone with the login page. 
• Biometric Scan: Login includes a user ID, an OTP, and a fingerprint scan. 
• Hardware Token: To log in, press the button on your hardware token device to generate a new passcode and enter it into the first or second password field on the login screen. 
• FIDO2: Open-standard FIDO2 delivers hardware-based authentication through your existing FIDO2-enabled device such as a smartphone, security key, or hardware token enabling you to simply enter your biometric or pin-based authentication to log in. 

Multifactor authentication emerged as an important line of defense against bad actors as they became more adept at stealing user IDs and passwords through brute force (trial and error) and social engineering (convincing people to divulge their login credentials) attacks, such as: 

• Phishing: Using fraudulent emails and websites to deceive users into revealing personal information or inadvertently installing malware. 
• Smishing: Using text messages or messaging apps to obtain sensitive information from unsuspecting individuals. 
• Spear Phishing: More personalized than phishing, spear phishing targets a specific person or group with a personalized message seemingly coming from a known sender. 
• Keyloggers: Often installed through vulnerable browsers that fall prey to bad actors, a keylogger records every keystroke made by the user to gain access to confidential information. 
• Credential Stuffing: Attackers use lists of credentials obtained through a data breach in one system to gain access to another system. 
• Brute Force and Reverse Brute Force Attacks: Bad actors obtain the username or account number (brute force) or password (reverse brute force) and use automation tools to determine the missing key to gain access. 
• Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attacks: Bad actors intercept messages between two parties to obtain and/or alter data with malicious intent. 

While multifactor authentication may add a minute to the login time, it adds an important layer of protection to the network by making it much harder for bad actors to get in. 

2. Network Security and Microsegmentation 

Multifactor authentication provides protection against bad actors trying to breach the network’s perimeter. 

Microsegmentation protects the network from bad actors who somehow make it into the network and then attempt to cause damage throughout the network. 

Microsegmentation employs software to virtually isolate parts of the network where applications can run—known as a workload—from each other.  

With each workload isolated and every attempt to move from one workload to another requiring authentication and approval, microsegmentation limits any damage done in one workload from reaching another. It also ensures that any user in one workload who attempts to access sensitive data in another workload has the appropriate permissions. This is an area of continued investment for iQor into 2024 and beyond.  

3. Data Security 

Multifactor authentication and microsegmentation protect areas and resources of the network from bad actors. Zero trust data protection (ZTDP) protects the data itself by applying the principles of zero trust (detailed above) to data. In other words, ZTDP is an extension of zero trust. Instead of being network and resource centric, ZTDP is data centric. 

Even with data, never trust, always verify.  

With ZTDP, both structured and unstructured data—whether in a database, in a protected file store, or on the move (in use)—are protected by requiring that users be authenticated and granted only least-privileged access. This necessitates access policies at the most granular levels. 

In granting access, the context of the access request is considered. Contexts to be considered might include: 

• Is the request coming from a user or an application?  
• Is it known how the requestor will use the data? 

Automation is used to evaluate and enforce access policies. All data requests are logged, regardless of the outcome of the request. 

4. Device Authentication and Authorization

Authentication and authorization are two steps that sound similar but have different meanings. 

Authentication is the process by which a user or device is confirmed to be who they claim to be. Typically, the network authenticates users by their user ID, password, and another required authentication factor.  

Devices are often authenticated by IP address. If the authenticated user’s IP address is what’s expected, the device is authenticated for that user. If the authenticated user’s IP address isn’t what’s expected, the network may ask for further proof that they are who they claim to be. Also, a notification may be sent to the user that someone has logged in with their credentials from an unrecognized device, instructing them to contact the network administrator if it wasn’t them. 

Much of the communication in complex networks is between devices that work autonomously, such as routers and switches. To make sure bad actors don’t mimic these devices, security teams use encryption to protect and send data between devices.  

Authorization is the process of providing least-privileged access to the authenticated device for areas and resources requested.  

This principle of least privilege (PoLP) is a foundational aspect of zero trust to help improve an organization’s security posture by reducing their attack surface. The process of authorization involves verifying the user’s or device’s identity and then assigning access privileges that correspond to the user’s role, responsibilities, and need-to-know. This is typically done by assigning the user or device a set of permissions that dictate the applications, data, and resources they can and cannot access. 

5. Continuous Monitoring of All Actors 

The transition from traditional unified networks with castle-and-moat security models to zero trust raises three important topics for IT: visibility, automation, and analytics. 

Visibility 

IT maintains a high level of resource visibility in a traditional network. With zero trust and network microsegmentation, resources are segmented into small pieces. Traditional monitoring and network management were developed to provide visibility to one network, not to many small segments that comprise a network.  

Lack of visibility can lead to a network with unpatched devices, unmonitored systems, and shadow IT, where IT-related hardware and software are used without the knowledge and consent of IT or security. 

Meanwhile, zero trust depends on continuous monitoring of all actors. Automation and analytics make up for the visibility deficit. 

Automation and Analytics 

Zero trust relies on software that automatically and consistently monitors all network segments, data correlations (how strongly sets of data are linked together), and logs to form a baseline of user behavior.  

When analysis of the monitored data indicates there are anomalies in user behavior, they are reported to IT and security stakeholders as potential threats in real time. Real-time notification gives stakeholders their best chance to mitigate a threat before it does any damage. 

Benefits to BPO Clients 

When BPOs implement the five pillars of zero trust to protect their networks, their clients can feel confident that the BPO is taking every step to limit access to their data to users with the proper access privileges.  

They can also feel confident that their BPO takes strong measures to protect their own operations against bad actors, so the business processes the client outsources to them have less chance of being compromised by cyberattacks. 

These practices offer BPO clients peace of mind that their outsourced business processes are protected so they can focus on achieving desired KPIs.

Zero Trust Is the Future of Security for BPOs 

Brands in all sectors are evaluating and in some stage of their planning a zero-trust security implementation.  

BPOs use Big Data to find new agent-coaching opportunities to predict employee attrition and much more. They save, manage, and analyze massive amounts of data and can’t afford to have that data breached, stolen, or corrupted. Zero trust is the standard that provides maximum cyber protection for BPOs and their clients. 

Zero trust requires considerable know-how and time to implement. There’s no such thing as a “finished” zero trust program. Technology keeps changing, and cybercriminals keep finding more ways to breach systems to deny service, steal secrets, or demand ransom. As circumstances change, organizations that employ zero trust need to change with them. 

As more BPOs implement zero trust, brands in search of a BPO may well start asking, “How are you coming along on your zero trust security roadmap?” 

As BPOs continue to invest in and implement zero trust practices, brands in search of a BPO partner can discuss current and planned zero trust initiatives.  

Experience the iQor Difference 

At iQor, we partner with clients to design the optimal mix of CX automation and people where security is always top of mind. As a managed services provider of customer engagement and technology-enabled business process outsourcing (BPO) solutions, iQor provides a comprehensive suite of full-service and self-service scalable offerings that are purpose-built to deliver amazing customer experiences. 

Our award-winning CX services include: 

• A global presence with 40+ contact centers across 10 countries. 
• A CX private cloud that maximizes performance and scales rapidly across multiple geographies on short notice. 
• A partnership approach where we deploy agents and C-level executives to help maximize your ROI. 
• The perfect blend of intelligent automation for scale and performance coupled with an irresistible culture comprised of people who love to delight your customers. 
• Virtual and hybrid customer support options to connect with customers seamlessly, when and where they want. 
• The ability to launch a customer support program quickly, even when you need thousands of agents ready to support your customers. 
• A best-in-class workforce management team and supporting technology to create a centralized organization that can better serve your entire business. 

iQor helps brands deliver the world’s most sought-after customer experiences. Interested in learning more about the iQor difference? If you’re ready to start a conversation with a customer experience expert, contact us to learn about how we can help you create more smiles.

John O’Malley is SVP, Chief Information Security Officer at iQor. Connect with John on LinkedIn. 

Improve the Employee Experience for Customer Service Agents and Supervisors Through Conversations Informed by Predictive Analytics   

Creating rewarding employee experiences and retaining employees is key to running any business. Using machine learning as a retention enabler is the focus of this blog post. 

While appearing on CNBC in 2019 to announce a new tool IBM had created—with AI, machine learning, and predictive analytics—to identify employee flight risk candidates, former IBM CEO Ginni Rometty said, “The best time to get to an employee is before they go.”  

By harnessing digital technology innovation, forward-thinking business process outsourcers (BPOs) can take action to reduce employee churn—especially among frontline workers.  

In this blog post, we’ll explore how BPOs can use machine learning and predictive analytics to retain more contact center employees by assessing frontline employee attrition risk and leveraging that knowledge to create an employee experience that often addresses their unique needs.  

We’ll cover: 

• Employee retention in the 2020s. 
• Costs of replacing contact center employees who leave. 
• Modeling data to identify employee attrition risk patterns. 
• Predicting and reporting employee attrition risks. 
• Intervening to retain employees. 
• Measuring intervention outcomes. 
• Calculating the impact of intervention on P&L. 
• A real-world example.

Employee Retention in the 2020s  

Since the onset of the pandemic, employee retention has become an even greater challenge than it was when Ginni Rometty appeared on CNBC in 2019.  

A global survey by PwC revealed that, across all lines of work, one in five employees expected to find a new opportunity in 2022.  

Digitally savvy BPOs use every tool at their disposal in an attempt to retain their frontline customer experience team members. 

Costs of Replacing Contact Center Employees Who Leave  

Direct and indirect costs add up quickly when replacing contact center employees who leave voluntarily. 

Direct costs include recruiting, onboarding, and training each new employee. It can take months to hire a new employee and train them to become fully versed in a new customer experience position. 

Indirect costs become factors the moment an employee departs. That’s when the employer loses the employee’s skillset, everything the employee learned about the company and the CX program they supported, as well as internal processes when working with their team and stakeholders.  

Moreover, teams have to cover the gap left by the departing employee until a new employee is onboarded and up to speed.  

When a team member departs, their loss can also lower morale. When an experienced worker leaves—especially one in a supervisory role—indirect costs rise even higher.

Watch Our Webinar

iQor SVP IT Joe Przybylowski, Data Scientist Andrew Reilly, and VP Operations Terri Robertson explain how iQor uses machine learning to help reduce employee turnover.  

Modeling Data to Identify Employee Attrition Risk Patterns

Organizations have long used annual surveys to measure employee sentiment. Surveys can provide a limited sense of how employees feel about working for an organization to help guide general improvements. Annual surveys are limited in their ability to identify individual employee sentiment and predict which specific employees are likely to leave, for several reasons: 

• Many workers don’t complete the survey. 
• Some workers might respond with what they think is the “right” answer instead of how they really feel. 
• Some organizations only use anonymous surveys, so the organization doesn’t know which employees fit the profile of a flight risk. 

For a more accurate snapshot of individual employee sentiment, quick surveys conducted at regular intervals that identify employees are often more effective.  

Training the Machine Learning Model 

Data Scientists can use machine learning to analyze harvested data from former employees’ surveys and create profiles of employee sentiment that suggest when a worker is likely to voluntarily separate from the BPO. With these profiles, data scientists can create an employee attrition risk training model for a machine learning algorithm. As new data is compiled from existing workers and as more workers depart, machine learning automatically updates the algorithm to make it more accurate. 

Adding More Data Sources for Modeling Accuracy 

While using a single source of data may provide some guidance, there’s always a risk that the model is biased in some way, or that the sample size is too small. Using multiple data sources makes the model more accurate.  

Data scientists follow a formal process to identify and validate potential data sources based on elements of a worker’s environment, including how they interact with coworkers and supervisors. 

Environmental data sources might include: 

• Schedule. 
• Login and logout times. 
• Frequency of breaks. 
• Compensation. 
• Complexity of the tasks assigned. 
• Coaching interactions. 

Data scientists diligently explore other data sources through cross-functional analysis of processes.  

Predicting and Reporting Employee Attrition Risks 

Using multiple data sources minimizes bias built into a single data source. With enough data, predictive analytics (a subset of machine learning) can forecast which employees are the most likely flight risks and why they are at risk of leaving. 

Once data analysts have an accurate view of which employees are likely to voluntarily separate—and the probable causes for their separations—they share their findings with the employees’ managers. These reports get to the heart of who’s at risk and why, and spare managers the tedious task of having to decipher the data.  

The manager then determines the next step to take with each employee. Knowing the likely reasons an employee is an attrition risk gives managers a relevant starting point when they intervene proactively in their attempt to retain the employee. 

Intervening to Retain Employees 

Knowing why an employee is considering leaving can enable a manager to determine the best approach to resolve the employee’s concern, create a better experience for them, and help them remain on the team. 

When the manager is empowered to take an empathetic approach to intervening with the employee, they help the employee understand their commitment to resolving the concern. 

For example, if predictive analytics identifies an employee encountering scheduling concerns that make their job logistically challenging, the manager can work with the employee to design a more flexible schedule that better meets the employee’s needs. 

If, for instance, predictive analytics identifies an employee seeking additional career growth opportunities, the manager and employee can develop a plan to support the employee’s aspirations to learn and grow within the organization. 

With these and many other examples, when a manager knows the likely reasons an employee might voluntarily separate, they can tailor their approach to address the employee’s individual needs and create a better employee experience that recognizes their value to the organization and keeps them on the team.

More Real-World Examples

Learn How Machine Learning Can Help You Reduce Employee Turnover
Check out our webinar featuring iQor SVP IT Joe Przybylowski, iQor Data Scientist Andrew Reilly, and iQor VP Operations Terri Roberts to discover how to harness technology to engage employees and reduce turnover. Get the details directly from the experts responsible for this program. 
Watch Now

Measuring Intervention Effectiveness 

To determine the efficacy of interventions, companies run tests. Among a group of employee churn candidates, a portion is placed in a control group to measure the differences in outcomes between those who receive interventions and those who don’t.   

Calculations over time have proven how much more effective intervening is than not intervening to retain employees predicted to be at risk of voluntarily separating through the intelligent model explained in this blog post. This can result in significant boosts in contact center employee retention as well as improved overall employee experiences, including career advancement for retained employees.  

Bottom Line: Retaining Customer Experience Agents Improves CX 

Experienced customer service agents build relationships with their teammates, serve as mentors to newer agents, treat their customers with the care and respect they deserve, and champion the brand they represent. 

With machine learning and predictive analytics, BPOs can positively affect frontline employee retention and keep their employees and customers smiling. 

Experience the Best in Data Analytics   

iQor’s analytics as a service offering uses a combination of iQor’s proprietary speech analytics platform, cloud computing, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and data analysis to develop custom interventions for identified areas in need of improvement along the customer journey. The results produce targeted improvements for the employee, customer, and client. 

iQor is a business process outsourcing company ideally suited to help brands create amazing customer experiences. iQor provides a comprehensive suite of full-service and self-service scalable offerings that are purpose-built to deliver enterprise-quality CX. 

Our award-winning CX services include:   

• A global presence with 40+ contact centers across 10 countries.   
• A CX private cloud that maximizes performance and scales rapidly across multiple geographies on short notice.   
• A partnership approach where we deploy agents and C-level executives to help maximize your ROI.   
• The perfect blend of intelligent automation for scale and performance coupled with an irresistible culture comprised of people who love to delight your customers.   
• Virtual and hybrid customer support options to connect with customers seamlessly, when and where they want.   
• The ability to launch a customer support program quickly, even when you need thousands of agents ready to support your customers.   
• A best-in-class workforce management team and supporting technology to create a centralized organization that can better serve your entire business. 

iQor helps brands deliver the world’s most sought-after customer experiences. Interested in learning more about the iQor difference? If you’re ready to start a conversation with a customer experience expert, contact us to learn about how we can help you create more smiles.   

Joe Przybylowski is SVP of IT at iQor. Connect with Joe on LinkedIn.
Andrew Reilly is a data scientist on the AI & Data Science Team at iQor. Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn.