Category: Podcasts

Delivering Outstanding KPIs in a Dynamic Active Learning Environment

In this episode of iQor’s CX Labs Digitally Irresistible podcast, Jason Miles, director of active learning design and development at iQor, sheds light on the transformative impact of active learning in training and development.

Jason shares his journey and the power of active learning in enhancing employee engagement and performance. iQor’s active learning strategies have revolutionized training experiences, leading to remarkable results like zero attrition, 100% certification, and soaring customer satisfaction scores. 

Read on to uncover how active learning can transform your organization. We dive deeper into the concept of active learning, its role in successfully training employees at iQor, and the remarkable results it has produced, including improved performance and customer satisfaction. Jason also previews upcoming active learning programs at iQor shaping the CX landscape and driving success for the brands we support by creating smiles for their customers.

From Frontline Agent to Training Innovator

Jason’s active learning expertise draws from his wealth of experience in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry and his in-depth knowledge of learning and development thought leadership. His journey began as a frontline agent and evolved into his career in training, facilitation, and instructional design, ultimately leading to his current role at iQor as director of active learning design and development.

What Is Active Learning?

Active learning is an instructional design approach that actively engages individuals in their own learning process. Shifting away from traditional training methods in which learners passively receive knowledge, active learning involves a variety of activities to encourage engagement, understanding, and retention. 

Jason explains how active learning strategies encourage employee participation, practice, and a real application of knowledge to foster a deeper understanding of the subject matter. 

Instead of listening to an instructor at the front of the room presenting PowerPoint slides, learners in active learning settings enjoy opportunities to engage with one another and discuss and apply the concepts they’ve learned. A large part of this process includes interactive tasks, reflection, and feedback to continually improve the experience.

Active Learning Strategies at iQor

At iQor, active learning forms the foundation of our employee training and development experiences. This pedagogical approach stems from active learning research showing that adults (and anyone, really!) learn most effectively when engaged in meaningful tasks. All aspects of the learning experience and its outcomes improve when learners receive the right resources to advance their understanding along with opportunities to practice, fail, learn, and improve in a supportive setting. 

This trial-and-error process enables employees to learn from experience. iQor also provides ample opportunities for questions and feedback from experts and peers, an experience that breaks from the norm and has proven essential in creating meaningful and productive traning experiences .  

In addition, iQor’s active learning approach emphasizes the importance of incorporating time for reflection, which is often overlooked in traditional training programs. By thinking about what they’re learning and assessing what they did well and what they can improve, trainees further advance their understanding and performance.

“Reflection is actually one of the most important things that we’re adding because very rarely do you get an opportunity in training to think about what you’re learning, and that’s where the actual learning happens.” – iQor Director of Active Learning Design and Development Jason Miles 

Active Learning Creates Success and Smiles 

The success story of active learning at iQor is exemplified in the transformative results it has produced. Jason’s team led a redesign of training for a major retail customer, incorporating active learning techniques.  

The impact was staggering, with zero attrition, 100% certification, and remarkable performance post-training. The group produced consistent improvements in key performance indicators (KPIs), including a surge in customer satisfaction scores (CSAT), net promoter scores (NPS), and first-call resolution rates.  

The tangible impact of active learning on business outcomes underscores its vital role in driving employee performance and elevating customer experiences. 

Expanding Active Learning Initiatives

Building on the success of active learning with training facilitators, iQor is poised to expand its active learning initiatives. In a forward-looking move, iQor plans to roll out a broader active learning design and development program to train new content developers and instructional designers in the art of crafting training content aligned with active learning principles. By fostering a culture of continuous learning and skill development, iQor is paving the way for sustained performance excellence.

Active Learning as a Catalyst for Organizational Growth and Excellence

The insights Jason brought to our conversation offer a compelling narrative of the power of active learning in transforming employee training and its undeniable impact on business success. Through a commitment to active learning, iQor exemplifies how innovative training methodologies can drive tangible results, boost employee engagement, and deliver irresistible customer experiences that create smiles.

Through our Symphony [AI]^TM ecosystem, iQor further drives excellent employee experiences by redefining the employee lifecycle, seamlessly blending automation and human capabilities. This innovative approach—spanning talent acquisition, training and development, and performance excellence—underscores iQor’s commitment to nurturing a highly efficient, compliant, and satisfied workforce. 

As BPOs seek to deliver an excellent customer experience in an evolving business landscape with constant AI innovations, embracing active learning is key to optimizing the employee experience to achieve consistently exceptional CX. iQor’s clients benefit from our commitment to active learning training for frontline employees serving the customers of the brands that entrust us to serve them.

 

Accelerating Talent Acquisition in the Digital Frontier Through Outstanding Leadership

Welcome to a new episode of CX Labs, our installment of the Digitally Irresistible podcast that brings you the latest CX practices, industry developments, and technology insights to inspire new heights of customer service success.   

In this episode, we feature Jan Rae Aguilos, a sourcing manager for iQor Philippines. Jan shares how iQor’s streamlined recruitment approach blends intelligent automation, digital technology, and human expertise to match candidates to job positions where they can excel.  

Under Jan’s outstanding leadership, iQor’s recruitment process leverages social media channels and chatbots to provide the quick, convenient application and interview processes today’s job seekers crave. This results in empowered employees who deliver customer service with a smile and create unparalleled advantage for iQor’s clients. 

Read on for an inside glimpse into iQor’s digital recruiting assistant, Qori, and the friendly and personalized touch Jan and his team bring to the hiring journey. 

Irresistible Benefits and Unlimited Career Opportunities in iQor Philippines

After eight years as a marketing professional, Jan shifted his career trajectory to join iQor at our site in Iloilo City in the Philippines.  

As a sourcing manager, Jan identifies hiring needs, develops effective recruitment strategies, and implements recruitment campaigns that inform his community about iQor’s career opportunities.  

Jan explains how iQor’s professional development and career growth potential provide an irresistible incentive to build his future with iQor. His teammates also inspire him to share these benefits with others through exceptional leadership and talent acquisition strategies that appeal to top-notch candidates. 

The Fusion of Automation, Digital Technology, and Human Expertise

Jan’s talent acquisition approach utilizes both intelligent automation and human insight to reach more potential applicants and expedite the hiring process. According to Jan, convenience is critical for effective recruitment. Jan’s approach meets candidates in the digital spaces they already use daily with user-friendly social media application and interview options. 

Introducing Qori, iQor’s Digital Recruiting Assistant 

When job seekers begin the application process on their social media channel of choice, they are assisted by Qori, iQor’s digital recruiting chatbot. Qori provides applicants information about required materials and helps them know what to expect from the process. 

Qori also plays a pivotal role in capturing relevant information from the candidates, effectively reducing the application time with AI capabilities tailored to the recruitment process. Once the initial interaction with Qori is complete, iQor’s friendly human recruiters step in to process the application, ensuring a swift and efficient experience for all applicants.

Powering Unparalleled Workforce Management With Symphony [AI]^TM

iQor is committed to leveraging AI throughout our business operations to streamline processes for employees, clients, and job candidates alike. Our Symphony [AI] ecosystem drives continuous optimization of the entire employee lifecycle through the power of generative AI in combination with human expertise.  

Qori is the first touchpoint for prospective employees in a holistic AI ecosystem that supports the entire employee lifecycle from recruitment through training and nesting to the production floor. Our unique combination of cutting-edge CX technology and skilled teams powers our industry-leading workforce management solutions, enabling us to provide the best people and processes to achieve our clients’ CX goals. 

Jan says that applicant feedback about Qori has been overwhelmingly positive, with the swiftness of the process being a standout feature. While many job seekers wait weeks or longer to receive updates about their application status, Qori notifies applicants within hours. 

Recruiters have also expressed their satisfaction with the assistance Qori provides, as it amplifies their abilities and enables them to process candidates more efficiently. This harmonious blend of digital augmentation and human talent creates an environment that benefits prospective job candidates, recruiters, and the businesses iQor supports with our BPO solutions.

Face-to-Face Interactions With Video Interviews

Video interviews held over Zoom are another part of iQor’s multichannel talent acquisition strategy. Jan explains that prospective candidates can expect a modern and easily accessible hiring process when using our Zoom recruiting channel to participate in virtual hiring sessions. iQor’s interviewers are on standby to provide immediate feedback through on-camera conversations with applicants. 

iQor values a warm and friendly welcome between current and prospective team members, highlighting the importance of the human touch as a leading priority from the first interview and throughout all customer communication. Jan’s top suggestion for applicants preparing to interview with iQor? A smile that places warmth and openness at the heart of every interaction.  

Building Expert Teams With Tech Excellence

The integration of digital technology and expert human teams facilitates a personable application and interview process for prospective iQorians. As iQor continues to set new benchmarks in tech-powered hiring practices, we ensure that the driving force behind our business operations is people whose unique expertise is strengthened by digital recruiting solutions like Qori.  

Jan’s leadership is a vital part of iQor’s commitment to providing a forward-thinking and supportive environment that prioritizes both digital innovation and genuine human interaction. 

To learn more about Jan, visit him on LinkedIn. 

Unpacking Irresistible Customer Experiences in the Catalog and E-Commerce Industry

This week we welcome Dave Richter to the Digitally Irresistible podcast. 

Dave is the vice president of operations at Silver Star Brands, a brand management company in the catalog and e-commerce industry that places exceptional customer experiences at the heart of their customer service strategy.  

Dave’s genuine love of people and extensive background in sales and customer service contribute to his outstanding leadership in the world of direct-to-consumer catalog sales for the six unique brands he manages under the Silver Star Brands umbrella.  

In this episode, Dave reveals Silver Star Brands’ purposeful approach to CX that builds lasting customer loyalty through personalized customer journeys that create smiles. You’ll also discover the visionary partnership with iQor that supports Silver Star Brands through flexible seasonal ramps and highly skilled agents. Join the discussion to unlock valuable insights for delivering irresistible CX in the catalog and e-commerce marketplace.

Understanding the Customer Is Paramount for Catalog CX

Dave’s journey to CX leadership begins with his personal love for building connections with other people. He developed this quality over a lifetime of playing team sports, particularly tennis, which he played throughout college. Dave credits these experiences with building his skill sets in discipline, teamwork, and working hard to bring out the best in other people. 

According to Dave, these qualities have been indispensable throughout his years of experience in sales and customer service. He advises anyone interested in the customer service industry to cultivate a solution-oriented mindset that strives to supply meaningful help to others. When this mindset is a personal value, it can also be a powerful success indicator for effective customer service.  

As an experienced operations leader at Silver Star Brands, Dave highlights the need to ask vital questions such as, “Why are we doing things that way?” and “Is there a better way we could be doing this?” when optimizing customer service operations.  

This is the approach that underlies Silver Star Brands’ reputation for exceptional catalog customer service. Under Dave’s leadership, the brand’s operations team invests in a 360° approach to CX that delivers personalized service at every stage of the customer journey.

Silver Star Brands Achieves Seasonal Staffing Success in Partnership With iQor

This holistic approach can be challenging in an industry defined by seasonal changes that require flexible staffing solutions. Dave shares how a partnership with iQor is vital to managing seasonal ramp-ups while sustaining high standards for customer service quality.  

With multiple locations and a combination of work-at-home and on-site sales and service delivery, iQor enables Silver Star Brands to maintain business continuity and ensure consistent service delivery during peak periods. 

iQor employs a dynamic and adaptable seasonal staffing strategy, seamlessly adjusting workforce levels to accommodate fluctuating demands for catalogs during steady state and peak periods such as holiday seasons, promotional campaigns, and coupon drops.  

This flexible approach ensures best-in-class operational efficiency by scaling up or down in real-time, effectively meeting Silver Star Brands’ evolving requirements while supporting high service standards. 

The partnership is a testament to iQor’s custom BPO solutions that contribute to Silver Star Brands’ continued success in an ever-evolving direct-to-consumer catalog marketplace.

The Impact of Technology and Human Performance on Catalog Customer Experience

Drawing from a rich well of insights developed over his 20-year career in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) and e-commerce sector, Dave shares observations on the evolution of CX, particularly with the advent of social media and new communication channels.  

Despite the proliferation of “shiny new tools,” Dave stresses that understanding the customer remains paramount. While technological advancements are valuable, they should always serve the primary goal of streamlining the customer experience. 

Dave emphasizes the importance of viewing CX holistically, from the first touchpoint to the final delivery of products, with the perpetual aim for repeat purchases. This encompasses accurate order fulfillment, transparent status updates, empathetic revenue recovery, and seamless customer support through various channels.  

Here are three ways Dave uses a combination of digital and human solutions to create seamless customer experiences. 

1. Leveraging data analytics to create personalized customer journeys. 

Dave says the personalization of customer service through the leveraging of customer personas is a leading priority for optimal customer service operations.  

By utilizing data effectively and empowering frontline teams with insights into different customer personas, agents can tailor their service delivery to meet individual customer needs and preferences.  

We leverage our in-house interaction analytics platform, VALDI, to maximize the value of every customer interaction. Armed with these valuable insights, catalog brands like Silver Star Brands can unlock actionable strategies that optimize coaching, guide script improvements, and increase customer satisfaction.

2. Optimizing channels to meet customer needs and preferences.  

One factor Dave highlights is the demographic Silver Star Brands primarily serves: individuals aged 50 and above. Despite the advancements in digital channels, the traditional voice channel remains important to their customer base.  

While other industries may draw significant benefit by prioritizing digital channels, effective voice support is the best choice for the direct-to-consumer brands Dave manages. This underscores the significance of an intelligent channel optimization strategy that meets customers where they’re most comfortable, aligning closely with their preferences to ensure a positive experience.

3. Embracing AI’s potential to reshape the landscape of catalog CX.  

Looking ahead, Dave hints at the potential integration of new AI tools and technologies to further elevate CX. This future-focused approach exemplifies the company’s commitment to continuous improvement and innovation in their customer service strategies. 

iQor’s years of experience leading the charge in digital transformation and industry-leading innovations offers Silver Star Brands and our other catalog clients a comprehensive digital strategy that harnesses AI across our operations. 

Harmonizing agent performance with Symphony [AI]^TM.

Our agents are augmented by Symphony [AI], iQor’s generative AI solution that harmonizes the employee experience to drive unparalleled performance. This next-generation ecosystem harmonizes the employee lifecycle from recruitment through training and nesting to the production floor.  

With Symphony [AI] and other advanced strategies, such as active learning, we deploy personalized training and coaching strategies that help our agents excel at meeting our client’s goals.

 For catalogs like Silver Star Brands, AI equips agents to excel at revenue generation through advanced upselling and cross-selling techniques. We impart our agents with the skills and support to balance KPI targets with empathy for the customer when delivering revenue recovery services. The result is customer service agents who are empowered to do what’s right for Silver Star Brands customers and for the business.  

A Visionary Partnership Forging the Future of Direct-to-Consumer Catalog CX

By focusing on the entire customer journey and partnering with iQor’s BPO solutions, Dave has created a coherent, consistent, and enjoyable experience for Silver Star Brands’ customers. 

Dave’s vision sets the tone for what technology and human expertise can accomplish at Silver Star Brands. Under our continued partnership, iQor is poised to support Silver Star Brands’ sales and customer service delivery, resulting in irresistible CX in the modern catalog and e-commerce landscape.

The Fun Question

Beyond his professional talents, Dave is also a skilled musician and vocalist. He considers himself fortunate that he has had opportunities to nurture this lifelong passion and perform across the Midwest for over 20 years. 

You can learn more about Dave’s inspiring leadership on his LinkedIn. To learn more about Silver Star Brands, check out their flagship brand at https://www.mileskimball.com/. 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

A Partnership Approach to Industry-Leading CX

This week we welcome Andy Traba and PJ Singh to the Digitally Irresistible podcast. 

Andy and PJ both hold key leadership roles that have helped forge a triumphant business partnership between iQor and NICE CXone, a comprehensive end-to-end customer experience technology provider that specializes in digital-first solutions.  

Andy, NICE CXone’s vice president of product marketing, contributes an impressive 20 years of CX expertise. He proudly labels himself as a “mutt” who leads his team with a diverse repertoire of skills and insight spanning product marketing, data science, and behavioral science. 

Throughout his 16-year journey with iQor, PJ has also held an array of roles and currently serves as chief digital officer. He is the visionary spearheading iQor’s digital transformation and artificial intelligence strategy. Under PJ’s leadership, iQor’s international team of experts in core infrastructure, application development, data science, and beyond are leveraging digital solutions that augment human service delivery. 

For example, Symphony [AI]^TM is iQor’s next-generation solution that elevates the employee experience. Our Symphony [AI] ecosystem enriches every stage of the employee lifecycle from recruitment through training and nesting to the production floor.  

The result is harmonious performance powered by generative AI, active learning training strategies, and other innovations developed under PJ’s leadership and informed by iQor’s years of accumulated process knowledge. 

In this episode, we explore the powerful business partnership that combines iQor’s world-class, single-source custom BPO offerings with NICE CXone’s advanced CX technology. Together, we deliver human and operational excellence for the next level of business process outsourcing services.  

Join us as we examine the innovative features of NICE CXone, discuss the advantages of the partnership for iQor’s clients, and plan the future of our collaboration. Get ready for an enlightening dialogue about the fusion of technology and human ingenuity that creates irresistible customer experiences.

NICE CXone’s 3-Step Roadmap for Mastering CX Technology

NICE CXone is a highly regarded, cloud-based CX technology company known for its innovative features and industry-leading capabilities. Andy highlights three game-changing aspects that set the business apart from its competitors.

1. Interaction-centric CX platform. 

The importance of the customer experience has increased significantly, leading companies to invest heavily in technology to ensure optimal customer interactions. NICE CXone, an interaction-centric platform, offers a wide range of features and capabilities that aid businesses in supplying exceptional customer experiences. 

By integrating robust customer experience capabilities into their current systems, companies can optimize their customer interactions. This comprehensive approach allows organizations to seamlessly manage customer interactions across multiple channels and provide personalized and holistic customer experiences. 

2. Convergence of best-of-breed applications into a single platform. 

NICE CXone is a powerhouse of innovation, combining years of expertise and top-notch applications into one platform. Now, users can effortlessly navigate a broad range of capabilities within a single, user-friendly interface. 

3. Purpose-built AI everywhere in Enlighten.

NICE CXone harnesses the power of customer data to create the world’s only purpose-built AI for customer experience. This artificial intelligence, called Enlighten, is designed to function across the entire platform and refine each application to make every customer interaction a smarter experience.

How NICE CXone and iQor Harness a Holistic and Collaborative Approach to AI

PJ delves into iQor’s rich history of delivering best-in-class CX services and the company’s commitment to embracing the ever-evolving CX technology landscape.  

Before the partnership began, iQor identified the need for a holistic ecosystem that addresses all aspects of CX including workforce management, intelligent self-service, RPA, data analytics, and omnichannel service support. NICE CXone’s comprehensive approach to CX and their relentless digital innovation drove iQor’s decision to commit to a business partnership. 

NICE CXone’s comprehensive approach to CX and their relentless digital innovation drove iQor’s decision to commit to a business partnership. 

NICE CXone’s transformative capabilities have helped iQor optimize our service offerings, create positive customer experiences, and provide valuable BPO solutions to clients by augmenting human performance with AI and meeting the customer wherever they want support.

Unlocking Business Process Optimization With the Winning Combination of CX Technology and Human Expertise 

Both PJ and Andy emphasize the importance of striking the right balance between technology and human ingenuity for effective CX delivery. 

According to Andy, as much as 85% of the customer experience with a brand occurs during customer service interactions. This directly correlates to customer satisfaction that results in lasting brand loyalty. 

Andy explains that customer interactions are complex and open-ended. When interactions expand from single-channel voice support to omnichannel support that includes non-voice chatbots, SMS, and social media, the volume of interactions to analyze for actionable insights increases, as does the difficulty level for businesses to accurately decode the information. 

With the ideal combination of human insights and AI—including machine learning and natural language processing—data science and CX experts can unlock the data’s full potential.

This is why the ability to consistently and accurately leverage customer insights represents a high value proposition for businesses. iQor’s strategic outsourcing solutions maximize these customer insights to drive continuous service improvements and generate strong returns for our clients.

iQor’s AI Strategy for Irresistible Customer and Employee Experiences

NICE CXone’s products complement iQor’s proprietary interaction analytics platform, VALDI, which uses AI to mine voice and non-voice customer interactions to monitor compliance, gauge customer sentiment, guide script improvements, and more. 

Another of iQor’s in-house tools is sQan, our coaching optimization platform. sQan increases the value of interaction insights by evaluating every session for coaching opportunities and recommending proactive strategies for frontline supervisors to support their teams.

AI That Augments Irresistible Human Ingenuity to Provide Optimal CX 

While AI plays a critical role in automating routine tasks and extracting valuable insights from large volumes of data, the human touch remains essential for customer service that builds genuine, heartfelt connections between brands and their customers.   

The partnership between iQor and NICE CXone serves to augment human capabilities with AI, not replace them. The augmentation paradigm offers agents real-time guidance and actionable insights to help them navigate complex interactions, improve performance, and guide more satisfying customer journeys with the empathy and service quality customers crave. 

The Road Ahead: An Enduring Partnership Leading to a Sustained Legacy of Operational Excellence

As Andy and PJ anticipate the future, they pledge to continue investing in the partnership and pushing the envelope for what iQor and NICE CXone can achieve together. 

Andy explains that NICE CXone is dedicated to maintaining its position as the top digital CX platform through ongoing innovation and investment in its technological offerings. Similarly, iQor’s commitment is to continue to deliver best-in-class, configurable, and flexible BPO solutions that create smiles for our clients and their customers. 

NICE CXone’s interaction-centric platform, enhanced by AI, empowers iQor to provide efficient and intelligent management of customer interactions. Andy describes iQor as a design partner whose ongoing collaboration with NICE CXone will continue to influence the future direction of their product portfolio.  

Fortified with this partnership approach, iQor and NICE CXone continue investing in digital and strategic CX innovations that sustain mutual reputations for CX excellence and keep clients and customers smiling.  

The Fun Question

In addition to keeping up to date with the latest in AI, Andy can be found cheering on his twin children at their various sports games. Andy’s passion for data science and sports merge in a hobby he undertakes with old college friends. Using an algorithm to predict NFL game outcomes, Andy and his team enjoy competing in the Westgate SuperContest, which they won in early 2018.  

PJ also enjoys supporting his two children at swim meets, soccer games, basketball games, or whatever new interests their hearts desire.  

You can learn more about these inspiring CX thought leaders by checking out Andy’s LinkedIn and PJ’s LinkedIn. Discover more about NICE CXone on their website at nice.com.

 

The Power of Change for Generating Profound Impacts on People and Organizations

This week we welcome Denise Gabel to the Digitally Irresistible podcast.  

Denise is an international bestselling author, professional speaker, and mentor on the power of change. She is now recognized as the world’s first can-do-ologist who has made it her life’s work to inspire others to embrace a can-do mindset.  

On this episode, we discuss how Denise’s can-do mindset helps teams, coaches, and business leaders create a profound impact on their organization by impacting its people. Read on for strategies on mastering stressful situations by “channeling your cheetah” for unparalleled performance enablement in the workplace and beyond. 

Leadership Experience Inspired by a Passion to Help Others Embrace Joy and Possibilities 

Denise’s instinctive talent developing roadmaps to success surfaced in high school. At the time, she and her family lived in a small town. She introduced the idea of moving to a bigger city with more opportunity to her mom, who agreed that this would open new doors for the family.  

For Denise, this experience was a revelation about the power of change to unlock new possibilities. 

Denise has a wealth of experience in business leadership. During her tenure as chief innovation officer of the Filene Research Institute, she led the prestigious i³ Program throughout the United States and Canada. She also served as chief operating officer at the Northwest Credit Union Association.  

Her internationally bestselling book, “The Can-Do Mindset: How to Make Things Happen … With Enthusiasm,” reflects her unshakeable passion for helping others achieve personal and professional growth.  

According to Denise, the key is a can-do mindset, which she defines as a choice to focus on joy and possibilities in life. According to academic research from Stanford, a growth mindset positively impacts people’s lives and health in powerful ways. The can-do mindset is central to Denise’s strategy for helping people and businesses free themselves from a fixed mindset and drive irresistible progress along their journey.

The Can-Do Mindset Supercharges Employee Engagement to Achieve the Impossible

Denise put her can-do mindset to work for a U.S.-based credit union with incredible results. The company set out to revise a complex lending system that serves members in the community. They established ambitious—maybe even impossible—goals while leveraging Denise’s can-do mindset strategy in their operations. 

Before the can-do mindset model was adopted, the project would have taken 18 months to complete. What was the impact on the duration after building a can-do foundation across the entire organization? Eighteen days from project beginning to project completion.  

That’s right: the can-do mindset reduced the project timeline by an astonishing 97%. 

The time reduction resulting from maximized employee performance cascaded into significant cost savings for the business. The company also generated $4 million in loans in the first month, proving that the can-do mindset can make the seemingly impossible possible.

Frontline leadership sets the expectation for can-do teamwork by modeling the can-do mindset for their employees.

The can-do mindset inspired employee engagement at unprecedented levels, generating success for the business and moving the bar for performance standards. They were able to achieve this because the company’s supervisors effectively coached team members to adopt a can-do attitude in their work. 

Denise explains that when it comes to the can-do mindset: 

• 85% is acquired through social learning. 
• 15% is acquired through structured training. 

In other words: the “monkey see, monkey do” model of behavior is a powerful tool. When frontline supervisors and coaches show employees what the can-do mindset looks like, it establishes clear expectations for team members to emulate that behavior.  

While corporate training is important for optimizing employee performance, leadership teams who model the can-do mindset for the workers they supervise are the principal actors in shaping an irresistible can-do culture in the workplace.

While corporate training is important for optimizing employee performance, leadership teams who model the can-do mindset for the workers they supervise are the principal actors in shaping an irresistible can-do culture in the workplace.

Channel Your Cheetah: A Four-Step Strategy for Thriving Through Difficulty

Difficult experiences are universal. This is why Denise advises developing effective coping mechanisms for stressful situations, especially workplace stress. She says everyone has the can-do mindset within them, even if it’s buried. Her four-step process helps bring it to the surface to empower people for success in both personal and professional contexts.  

The cheetah far outpaces any other land animal, accelerating from zero to 60 mph in just three seconds. This impressive cat’s speed and reflexes inspire Denise’s approach to helping others learn to adjust to difficulty.  

1. Feel it.

The first step is to name what you’re feeling and give yourself permission to feel it. Whether it’s embarrassment, guilt, frustration, or another uncomfortable feeling or combination of feelings, acknowledge it.  

2. Shift to neutral.

Even cheetahs can’t be in motion all the time. Neutral is a place where you feel safe. Begin taking time to collect your thoughts, regain your composure, and center yourself.  

This can be as simple as taking a few deep breaths at your desk and pausing notifications for five minutes. In other cases, you may need to take a walk, talk to someone you trust, meditate, or otherwise gain more distance from the situation.

3. Ask yourself, “What can I do?”

Depending on the situation, a cheetah on the savannah might roll over and relax, remain alert and watchful of its surroundings, or take off sprinting after an opportunity.  

At this stage, you decide what your best course of action is. No one has an unlimited budget of time, energy, or other resources. Look at the possibilities, and make a realistic estimate of your capacity before deciding your next move.

4. Go again.

Put your decision into action. This is the moment you take off like a cheetah and show the world how fast and how far you can go when all your energy is channeled into progress.

Channeling your cheetah is an actionable process for driving your personal and professional growth with a can-do attitude despite challenging circumstances. You can return to this simple but effective strategy whenever difficulty arises.

Attract and Retain High-Demand Talent With a Can-Do Company Culture

Employees with a can-do attitude present a high value proposition for businesses. High performers with irresistible talent have the potential to make great contributions, express ideas, and provide a fresh set of eyes.  

Team members and leaders should strive for a culture of collaboration and open communication that builds upon the company’s mission. According to Denise, employees should embrace the can-do message to confidently speak up as valuable members of the company to share ideas with leadership which could help improve something in the business. 

The can-do mindset creates a ripple effect of growth from the organization as a whole to the teams to the individuals. Businesses that position the can-do mindset as a core value of the organization succeed in attracting talented people who are enthusiastic about pushing the envelope of their performance potential. 

Talent recruitment is just the first step of the journey. A can-do core value can also boost retention by empowering employees to thrive with the company through personalized coaching and proactive intervention strategies.  

To achieve this, businesses can leverage a range of digital solutions such as machine learning, predictive analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI) to complement the skilled human teams who cultivate exceptional employee experiences.

Discover how iQor leverages a can-do mindset with AI solutions that empower agents. 

At iQor, our can-do strategy utilizes Symphony [AI]^TM to optimize the employee lifecycle from recruitment through onboarding, training, nesting, and deployment to the production floor. Our IT experts train this generative AI ecosystem on our proprietary large language models (LLMs) and accumulated process knowledge from years of experience in the BPO industry.  

Symphony [AI] boosts performance, builds confidence, and supports workplace wellness, reinforcing a can-do mindset for agents and supervisors by providing access to the tools they need to succeed. Our supervisors and coaches supplement our digital solutions by modeling the can-do mindset for their teams, creating smiles for all stakeholders from agent to end customer to client.   

A can-do culture that values progress, support, and positive outcomes for the more than 40,000 employees we employ globally is in iQor’s DNA as stated in our core values.

A can-do culture that values progress, support, and positive outcomes for the more than 40,000 employees we employ globally is in iQor’s DNA as stated in our core values.

Denise says that it all comes down to culture. With a can-do mindset guiding a culture of innovation, change, and growth, businesses can unlock unparalleled levels of success for the organization and its invaluable can-doer employees.

The Fun Question

Denise loves expressing her creativity through shopping and decorating. She is a naturally curious person who thrives when interacting with people and experiencing new possibilities.  

Her two rescue cats, Gizmo and Henry, are a constant source of joy and help inspire her can-do mindset in all areas of her life.  

 To learn more about Denise, visit her on LinkedIn and her website at can-do-ology.com/. 

  

  

  

 

  

 

  

  

 

The Expert Tech Leadership Driving Digital Transformation for the Age of AI

Welcome to the debut episode of CX Labs, a new installment of the Digitally Irresistible podcast where we cover the latest CX practices, including performance optimization, technology trends, employee experience, industry developments, and success factors to inspire great CX for your brand.

Our first guest is iQor’s Chief Digital Officer PJ Singh. PJ leads a team of technology professionals whose focus is harnessing technology, automation, and human expertise in the delivery of excellent CX for the brands that entrust us to service their customers. 

On this episode, PJ shares insights on Symphony [AI]^TM, iQor’s generative AI ecosystem designed to create a holistic employee experience by leveraging intelligent insights at every stage of the employee lifecycle. Read on to learn how PJ and his team leverage generative AI in the BPO industry to optimize the entire employee lifecycle to deliver winning CX.

Why iQor Is at the Forefront of Generative AI in the BPO Industry

At iQor, we recognize the transformative capacity of generative AI impacting every industry, including BPOs. Leveraging its capabilities is a top priority. According to PJ, a strong investment in AI takes a lot of engineering. Under his leadership, the company’s internal data experts are committed to high-capacity AI development across all CX processes.

While AI technology is always evolving, iQor has longstanding investments in its potential to optimize customer service. For example, our proprietary speech analytics engine, VALDI, utilizes AI to translate interaction signals into insights like customer sentiment and key topics. We have years of experience deploying commercial models to monitor for compliance defects in work-at-home (WAH) environments, using AI to improve security protocols with zero trust architecture that safeguards data from threats.

We identify pockets of potential attrition using our machine learning models to understand how we can better retain employees. Our predictive analytics capabilities increase retention by as much as 300% by deploying intervention strategies to support at-risk employees. At iQor, we possess a huge wealth of knowledge, engineering capacity, and the drive to continuously improve all our processes with AI, positioning us to succeed as a leader in AI innovations for BPOs.

The Science Behind iQor’s Symphony [AI]

PJ explains that Symphony [AI] is an ecosystem of proprietary tools and commercial technologies designed to optimize the employee lifecycle and unify iQor’s dedication to exceptional customer service. Harnessing the latest in AI capabilities and guided by human insight, Symphony [AI] synchronizes the relationship between agent, customer, and client by delivering seamless, smile-worthy experiences.

To this end, our data scientists utilize enormous amounts of data from iQor’s accumulated process knowledge as a BPO provider with decades of experience. This information trains our proprietary large language models (LLMs) to deliver outcomes that meet our high standards for CX.

Irresistible Innovations Powered by Decades of Accumulated Process Knowledge

iQor’s accumulated process knowledge is the ongoing aggregation of decades of combined experience, insights, and methodologies our customer service experts bring to the table every day. This combination unlocks expert innovations and unique organizational insights for maximizing performance potential at scale. Our accumulated process knowledge forms an invaluable data lake of information to train our LLMs for industry-leading customer service.

PJ offers a simple explanation for the complex LLMs that power Symphony [AI]. Like ChatGPT and other AI familiar to broader audiences, Symphony [AI] is trained on billions and billions of rows of data to understand and make logical sense of information. A well-trained LLM is able to respond to input using natural language, the same way a well-informed human being would respond.

Symphony [AI] uses this input to develop advanced conversational models and provide dynamic chat interactions, performance enablement technology, and automation opportunities that boost KPIs, improve employee retention, and more to shape the bright new future of customer service with AI.

Elevating the Employee Lifecycle With Intelligent Insights

PJ explains that iQor’s goal is to supercharge the employee lifecycle with Symphony [AI] by optimizing talent acquisition, accelerating the training process, and evaluating performance indicators to support employees throughout their employee journey. Here’s how Symphony [AI] cultivates exceptional experiences at every stage of the employee lifecycle.

1. Recruiting: Symphony [AI] begins impacting the employee experience before new agents are even hired. Frontline agents present a high value proposition for contact centers which is why we leverage Symphony [AI] to identify and shortlist candidates who meet the requirements. This creates a seamless hiring and onboarding process from the first interaction.
2. Training: Symphony [AI] enables employee training programs that improve knowledge and skill retention. We optimize training techniques with top instructional strategies in active learning and personalized career pathing to enable every agent to perform with excellence. This personalized ecosystem guides frontline workers through the training process and increases their familiarity with the systems and processes they will use after training.
3. Continuous Coaching: When agents reach the production floor, they still access that AI partner on their desktop to facilitate conversations and increase time to proficiency. As agents gain tenure with the company, Symphony [AI] provides insights to guide performance optimization, monitor compliance, and maximize employee well-being. The result is satisfied employees who perform at optimal levels and create smiles for customers.

How Harmonious Employee Experiences Create Happy Customers

When customers contact customer service, they want to explain their reason for seeking support and reach a resolution as quickly as possible. The more proficient an agent is, the higher the chance that the customer will be satisfied with the support they experience.

Achieving consistent customer satisfaction is always our goal. Understanding the customer’s needs and supporting those needs according to existing systems, processes, and policies is not always straightforward—which is exactly why Symphony [AI]’s ecosystem is a strategic enabler for optimizing agent potential and ensuring best-in-class customer care. With the power of AI augmenting our agents’ capabilities, iQor is unlocking the complexity of customer interactions and providing swift, effective resolutions for customers. Symphony [AI]’s impact on the employee lifecycle creates a ripple effect of satisfaction from frontline workers to our clients’ end customer that keeps our clients smiling.

To learn more about Symphony [AI] and iQor’s digital capabilities, visit iQor.com/symphony-ai.

To learn more about PJ, visit him on LinkedIn.

BPO Leadership Excellence in the Philippines

This week, we welcome Liz Cabrera to the Digitally Irresistible podcast. Liz is a human resources manager supporting close to 2,000 employees in one of iQor’s sites in the Philippines.  

Liz describes human resources as a multifaceted arena spanning hiring, employee relations, compliance, compensation and benefits, and more. As an HR professional, Liz oversees every stage of the employee life cycle to support her site’s iQorians, create career pathing opportunities, and facilitate irresistible employee experiences. To Liz, HR means more than the job description. It means investing in employees, the company’s most valuable asset.   

On this episode, Liz shares how she found her way to HR management at iQor, what she has learned along the way, and how these valuable lessons are reflected in her day-to-day experiences. Liz’s dedication to her team in the Philippines and willingness to embrace unexpected opportunities have defined her outstanding leadership career with iQor. 

The Winding Road to Human Resources Management 

Liz’s journey to human resources management in the contact center industry has had its share of twists and turns. Before joining iQor, Liz had experience working in the banking industry in tech support. The customer interactions she managed helped lay a foundation that would inspire her interest in the BPO industry.  

Liz quickly learned the importance of active listening. The best way to provide effective resolutions is to listen to what customers are saying, communicate with empathy, and then focus on the resolution. Whether interacting with customers, peers, or leadership, the ability to support other people with authenticity has been a cornerstone of Liz’s work ethic. 

In an unexpected unfolding of events, Liz accepted a position with iQor that gave her the opportunity to become a specialist with operations. She worked hard to master the skills she needed to live up to the role, setting a standard of continuous improvement for herself that culminated in other leadership opportunities. She supported her team as a subject matter expert (SME) and gained experience as a team lead and trainer for other potential SMEs. 

When there was an opening for an HR generalist position, Liz’s leadership team encouraged her to pursue the role. Initially, she was reluctant to apply. Her leadership team’s support and confidence in her abilities inspired her to apply, resulting in her being awarded the position.  

Ever since, Liz has continued to expand her repertoire as a human resources expert, fulfilling iQor’s commitment to best-in-class employee teams who contribute to exceptional CX.

Empowering Employees to Be More With iQor

When meeting employee candidates, Liz describes life at iQor as something that makes you better. iQor invests in career pathing to guide professional development and personal growth of employees throughout their lifecycle with the company. Thanks to the critical work of HR managers like Liz, iQor is committed to providing meaningful opportunities and support that make a difference in the lives of iQorians. That’s why 83% of employees in iQor Philippines say that it is a great place to work. 

At iQor, we know that employee experiences keep the wheels of exceptional CX turning. Liz’s role gives her the opportunity to recognize the potential of our current and prospective employees to enact ways of helping people succeed. This help goes beyond career development. As an HR manager, Liz is an essential part of giving back to the community through the support she provides for iQorians. 

Liz says her role with iQor has helped her learn to interact with people more effectively and bolstered her life outside of work. Her leadership serves as an inspiration to others. In turn, Liz says she is inspired by the thousands of employees her work supports to continue making a real impact in the lives of others.  

What Liz Does for Fun 

When Liz isn’t working, she enjoys traveling and spending time at the beach to swim or free dive.  

To learn more about Liz, visit her on LinkedIn. 

Transforming CX with Customer Journeys That Inspire Loyalty

This week we welcome Joseph Michelli, Ph.D., to the Digitally Irresistible podcast. Joseph is the founder and CEO of The Michelli Experience (TME), an award-winning author, and CX Hall of Fame inductee.   

As a certified CX professional, Joseph specializes in helping leaders attract and engage customers. The Michelli Experience (TME) offers leadership and management consulting, personalized training, customer journey mapping, agile design, customer retention solutions, and tailored keynote presentations and workshops. TME’s approach emphasizes adding value to the customer journey to differentiate brands from competitors and return value to the brand.     

On this episode, we discuss how Joseph’s LEAD framework harnesses the fusion of authentic human empathy and technological efficiency to deliver irresistible value propositions and generate unbreakable customer loyalty.

Emotional Engagement: The Key to Meaningful Human Experiences That Unlock Customer Satisfaction

Joseph’s story begins in unimaginable circumstances. As a newborn baby, he was rescued from abandonment in a trash can and raised by loving adoptive parents who instilled the belief that people best enrich their own lives by serving other people. This idea inspired him to earn his doctorate in clinical psychology and invest in making a difference in other people’s lives.  

Joseph’s unique personal experiences, people-first focus, and expertise in psychology provided him with the tools to excel at transforming the way brands attract, retain, and engage customers. As the founder and CEO of The Michelli Experience, Joseph embraces the challenge of delivering irresistible customer experience in an arena defined by evolving customer needs and rapidly advancing technologies. Top global brands from financial services to retail turn to Joseph and TME to reassess the timeless question of how to earn customer loyalty within the context of today’s digitally transformed marketplace.

In Joseph’s experience—both personal and as an expert in CX—emotional engagement is key to creating meaningful human connections that transcend circumstances. As needs and opportunities fluctuate, brands are tasked with striking a new balance that sustains satisfaction and loyalty. For instance, technological advancement has gained momentum at an exponential rate, imparting efficiency with less need for human interaction on certain tasks. However, efficiency does not necessarily correlate to satisfaction. With the American Customer Satisfaction Index for 2022 indicating a 17-year low, it’s clear that customers need more than efficiency to feel an emotional connection to a brand.  

For this reason, many business leaders of global organizations identify CX as a differentiator of success and strive to implement it as a strategic initiative. As a global consultant and prolific author on strategies for CX, Joseph has spent years helping brands succeed in their CX strategies by leveraging his people-first passion into customer-first policies. In this podcast, follow along on the customer journey with Joseph as he shares his LEAD framework for implementing the right mix of digital technology and human interaction at scale to add value to the customer experience and maximize brand success. 

The LEAD Framework for Shaping Success with Human Empathy, Digital Efficiency, and Delightful Experiences

For brands, the question of effective CX is about how to invest in it as a strategic initiative and leverage it to accomplish quantifiable objectives. Rather than answer this directly, Joseph goes straight to the subject: the customer. Prioritizing the customer’s perspective is a simple yet powerful reminder that the fundamental goal of CX is to create experiences that make people want to repeat them and share them with other people. Joseph developed his LEAD Framework to guide each brand’s approach to achieving this goal.  

At one point in his career, Joseph was working as a consultant for a brand in the automotive industry. This brand set an objective of improving their J.D. Power Customer Experience Index Model rating from a position in the twenties to the number one spot—an ambitious goal that Joseph helped achieve with a team of CX consultants 1 ½ years ahead of schedule. Here’s how Joseph leverages the LEAD framework to achieve remarkable success.

1. Listen. 

Joseph explains that the first step of the LEAD framework is not just about listening with the ears. It’s about utilizing every tool a brand has at their disposal to observe and gauge customer sentiment. By watching and appreciating the customer experience throughout the journey of engagement, brands can identify the most high-value moments as well as the pain points likely to lead to increased churn.  

Gaining this understanding requires a combination of human interaction and digital tools. This step takes a multidimensional and cross-platform approach to listening that includes social media monitoring and surveys that reveal what customers are saying about their experience in their own words. Speech analytics, machine learning, data mining, and other technologies are vital resources for deploying a multichannel approach to listening that reveals the whole story of what customers need. 

2. Empathize. 

Listening to the customer journey at a deeper level allows brands to respond to customer needs with empathy. It’s important to acknowledge customer sentiment, letting them know that the brand has listened to their needs and values the customer relationship. This requires a deft human touch to interactions that elevates the customer experience, leaving a lasting impression that inspires them to return for more.

3. Add Value.

With this information, brands can shift their focus to strategies aimed at adding value to the customer journey. In many cases, adding value is best facilitated by a culture of innovation that inspires out-of-the-box thinking. This is where technology plays a vital role. Technology such as chatbots and self-service options can predict and address potential simple inquiries without escalating to a live agent. Utilizing robotic process automation (RPA) is a proven way for brands and customers to enjoy the benefits of more efficient processes. Predictive analytics powered by AI tools can also alleviate pain points further along the customer journey. The objective is to continuously improve CX with proactive rather than reactive strategies. This approach encourages repurchase intent and fosters genuine human connections between the customer and the brand, setting them apart from competitors vying for the same customer base.  

 4. Delight.  

The last step is to create a distinctive, uplifting moment that makes the brand stand out to customers in a memorable way. In other words? Delight them. The goal of customer delight is to prioritize lasting customer satisfaction through operational consistency in three areas that matter the most to customers: meeting needs, reducing effort, and elevating the experience with a sense of delight. When executed consistently, customer delight functions as a powerful brand promise that engages your customers on a meaningful level, cultivating lasting satisfaction and loyalty.   

Additionally, when customers feel emotionally connected to a brand, they appoint themselves as brand promoters, spreading positive word of mouth and referrals. There is a correlation between people who report emotional connection to a brand and that brand’s achievement of high net promoter scores (NPS). Harnessing delight as a strategic tool has the potential to transform satisfied customers into the best members of your sales team. 

How Identifying Core Customer Segments Guides Effective Customer Journey Mapping

CX excellence can be achieved by identifying opportunities across the journeys of core customer segments and setting measurable metrics to track progress. For many brands, around 80% of customers can be represented by three or four core customer segments. By mapping their journey, brands can modify processes and technologies that create value over 3-5 years. To succeed over this span, Joseph suggests the following: 

• Gain support from C-suite executives who support CX initiatives. The support of top leadership that appreciates the value of CX as a strategic initiative is invaluable. Some organizations reflect this value by creating the role of “chief experience officer” to guide developments that support exceptional CX.  

• Invest in cross-functional teams who become CX champions. Leadership is only the beginning; a lasting CX revolution requires the involvement of the entire organization. This entails crafting a compelling vision that ingrains itself within the culture of the organization. Aligning the organization’s messaging to nurture a strong customer service culture results in engaged employees who are motivated and empowered to promote smile-worthy experiences. Cross-functional teams can be equipped to serve as customer experience champions who, without being titled leaders, nudge the organization forward and keep a finger on the pulse of customer needs.

• Give the customer a seat at the table. In every room of the organization, the customer should have a presence, joining the conversation and factoring into decisions. The key to sustained CX success is maintaining a customer-first focus that listens to, empathizes with, adds value to, and delights the brand’s customers.

Value Propositions That Elevate Engagement to Cultivate Customer Loyalty

By leveraging an effective value proposition that cultivates emotional engagement and creates smiles, brands can strategically influence customer loyalty. Processes and procedures that are applied with empathy and nuance have the power to transform customers into more satisfied individuals that return value to the brand. 

Customer satisfaction is born when brands successfully transform positive, memorable moments into a loyal relationship sustained by consistently delightful experiences. Joseph’s LEAD framework presents an irresistible opportunity for brands to boost customer loyalty through a simple, customizable approach that harnesses the right mix of empathetic human interactions and efficient digital solutions to cultivate exceptional customer journeys. Backed by a proven record of success, Joseph continues to deploy this method as part of The Michelli Experience, empowering brands to achieve KPIs and gain a reputation for CX that creates smiles with their customers.     

To learn more about Joseph, visit him on LinkedIn, Twitter, and his website at www.josephmichelli.com.

Breaking New Ground for the Early Success of iQor Colombia

This week, we welcome Fabian Garcia to the Digitally Irresistible podcast. Fabian is senior director of operations and country lead of iQor Colombia. With 15 years of experience in contact center operations and a passion for the BPO industry, Fabian’s leadership has been instrumental to iQor’s early success in expanding to our first nearshore location in South America.  

Fabian began his career as a lawyer before discovering new and exciting opportunities in the BPO industry. His excellent performance and dedication to the industry propelled him through leadership positions and inspired his passion for recruiting and developing successful agents. 

When approached by iQor about leading the launch of the company’s first South American call center in Medellín, Colombia, Fabian accepted the opportunity to build and grow a successful contact center operation from the ground up with great enthusiasm. 

On this episode, we highlight how Fabian’s leadership has delivered positive results in this nearshore location through his ability to manage a call center while investing in the career growth and development of the frontline employees on his team. Fabian’s devotion to spearheading a brand-new operation, responding flexibly to client needs, and delivering desirable business outcomes for clients has resulted in impressive growth. As our Medellín location continues to deliver favorable results, a number of iQor’s clients are placing their trust in the unique talent and irresistible CX that iQor Colombia offers.

Bilingual Talent and Cultural Compatibility Advance Medellín, Colombia’s Nearshoring Appeal

According to Fabian, the foundation of Medellín’s contact center success is the remarkable passion and strong work ethic of the city’s inhabitants. Employee engagement is high, with agents driven to be successful while receiving support from iQor’s dedication to retention through positive employee experiences that lead to smile-worthy customer engagement.   

Another key element of Medellín’s suitability for exceptional customer service is the availability of bilingual English-Spanish speaking population. The city boasts many universities and institutes that contribute to a highly educated English-speaking population. In recent decades, the city has prioritized its reinvention as a setting for business and technological innovation, making it an ideal location for many industries, including BPOs, to thrive.  

The city’s flourishing tourism industry is another factor that promotes competency with the English language. The influx of English-speaking visitors encourages intercultural communication that increases the local population’s knowledge of American culture. This awareness builds familiarity and cultivates a cultural compatibility between the local talent and iQor’s clients’ customer base, facilitating high customer satisfaction on a daily basis.

Leading With Flexibility to Accomplish Client Goals

Clients who have partnered with iQor’s outsourced BPO solutions in Medellín have noted the well-structured operations combined with a unique human touch that is essential for creating smile worthy CX. These qualities have contributed to the company’s remarkable growth in a new geolocation in a relatively short span of time and highlight Colombia’s growing appeal as a nearshoring destination. 

Fabian explains how, in a specific instance, a client requested to meet prospective new hires before the operational phase officially began. Fabian promptly advertised the positions, resulting in an impressive response from individuals eager to join the company and willing to be interviewed by the client, who collaborated favorably with the hiring process.  

iQor places a high priority on providing CX expertise that incorporates open communication with clients from the outset to meet all goals. Our nearshore outsourcing solutions utilize interaction analytics and strategies to identify new opportunities and provide the tailored support our clients need to succeed. In this situation, Fabian provided a responsive, flexible solution to the client’s request that satisfied their expectations. This proactive approach established trust in the local Colombian team and iQor as a provider of strategic outsourcing solutions and solidified a long-lasting client relationship that exists to this day.

Looking Ahead to New Horizons for Nearshoring in iQor Colombia

To accommodate the current growth rate, iQor plans to establish a second contact center facility in Medellín while exploring potential locations for a second city in Colombia to expand the company’s footprint in the country and increase the capacity of support for our clients.  

Fabian’s adept management of call center teams and savvy business strategies have been pivotal in driving operational success in Medellín. His willingness to innovate in uncharted territory has fueled impressive growth and garnered positive feedback from the clients we support, helping establish iQor as a trusted BPO partner with our nearshoring solutions in Colombia.

What Fabian Does for Fun

When not working, Fabian’s first priority is enjoying time with his family. He also has a passion for soccer and Formula One racing.  

To learn more about Fabian, visit him on LinkedIn. 

Paving a Path to Success in Frontline Contact Center Leadership

This week, we welcome Chevon Brathwaite to the Digitally Irresistible podcast. Chevon is senior manager of operations at iQor Trinidad and Tobago with over 15 years’ experience in contact center operations and a passion for customer service and professional development for frontline employees.  

Chevon began his career working in contact center operations, gaining additional responsibilities and shouldering new roles as he displayed an aptitude for developing himself and others to excel in the customer service business. His boots-on-the-ground experience as an agent and supervisor helped advance his career in the BPO industry with iQor Trinidad and Tobago, where he supports iQor’s clients through a diverse talent pool supported by a comprehensive infrastructure that delivers robust data security and performance for smile-worthy CX. 

On this episode, we discuss how Chevon paved the way for new client relationships with iQor in Trinidad and Tobago by maximizing the performance of his teams to exceed client KPIs while also investing in their personal and professional development.  

Earning Client Confidence Through Open Communication and Quality Customer Service

Chevon began his career as a call center agent at the frontlines of customer care. As he gained experience, his authentic passion for providing exceptional customer service propelled his advancement to supervisory roles. Chevon’s experience as a call center supervisor provided him with a new perspective on customer service. Investing directly in his team’s well-being and professional development to aid their achievement of department objectives resulted in a significant and lasting impact on customer service culture within the company. 

Upon initially expanding nearshoring services to Trinidad and Tobago, iQor gave Chevon the opportunity to join us as a critical operations resource. His years of hands-on experience fielding customer inquiries and managing teams in the region made him an ideal candidate. Chevon joined iQor, transitioning from a single-brand contact center environment to a BPO environment servicing multiple clients. Chevon embraced the opportunity with great enthusiasm, leveraging his extensive contact center management experience. He set out to listen to the needs of all his clients and harnessed iQor’s resources to achieve the best outcomes for all the clients that his team supports. 

To accomplish this, Chevon emphasized close, open communication with the client to achieve their KPIs, while maintaining his commitment to quality and security. The unique characteristics of the talent pool in Trinidad and Tobago combined with iQor’s high standards in client data privacy and protection empowered Chevon to support new clients and drive operations excellence at iQor.

Why Trinidad and Tobago Is an Attractive Location for Nearshore Customer Service 

Trinidad and Tobago features a combination of strategic advantages that position it as an attractive location in the global outsourcing landscape. Chevon describes how the country’s unique qualities combine with iQor’s CX operations expertise to create optimal outcomes for the clients he and his team support. 

Geographically positioned below the hurricane belt, the islands’ location ensures a level of operational stability and minimizes the risks associated with weather-related events, making the two-island nation a reliable hub for businesses seeking customer service operations. 

Trinidad and Tobago also boasts a population of young, college-educated, digitally savvy talent ready to delve into the world of customer service. This pool of skilled professionals offers a unique blend of technical aptitude and innovative thinking, paving the way for adaptable and creative solutions to customer interactions.  

The country’s population includes a large number of bilingual speakers, providing a competitive edge by enabling seamless communication with a diverse range of customers. While Trinidad and Tobago has its own distinct culture, it also shares many similarities with American culture, allowing for a seamless adaptation to the needs and expectations of American customers. This cultural compatibility fosters a sense of familiarity and understanding between agent and customer that drives higher customer satisfaction.   

Trinidad and Tobago is a nearshore customer service destination that blends geographic resilience, skilled talent, linguistic versatility, and American cultural synchronization to deliver top-tier customer experiences. Chevon’s leadership focuses on integrating these benefits into optimized teams and operations strategies that yield powerful returns on investment (ROI) for iQor’s strategic partners, many of whom begin with one line of business and expand to multiple LOBs due to their success.

The Positive Feedback Loop of Employee Experiences That Inspire Engagement and Deliver Exceptional CX

In his role as senior manager of operations at iQor Trinidad and Tobago, Chevon is most passionate about working with people to cultivate and strengthen bonds between team members and customers. Investing in the success of his employees through mentorship and other support practices gives his work a sense of purpose and drives his commitment to managing with excellence. iQor’s succession planning and career pathing programs ensure that when Chevon invests in the success of his teams, he is helping each agent cultivate opportunities for their own professional advancement and support within the company.  

In one case, an agent on Chevon’s team was experiencing a personal challenge. Chevon took the time to understand what iQor could do to provide support while the agent navigated their circumstances. This agent received support and has since advanced to a management position, exemplifying iQor’s investment in tenured employees who create value for our clients.  

Chevon’s contribution to this process is critical to creating positive employee experiences driven by evidence-backed retention strategies that boost engagement and build employees into leaders.  

3 Irresistible Benefits Driving Client Expansion Into Nearshoring With iQor Trinidad and Tobago

Chevon has been integral in maximizing Trinidad and Tobago as an attractive nearshoring geolocation to build and expand client relationships. One of iQor’s clients had not previously outsourced to a nearshore location and expressed an interest in learning more. Chevon met with the client, highlighting his team’s capabilities and the location’s benefits. Chevon emphasized three areas that ultimately inspired the client to expand their strategic outsourcing partnership with iQor to include nearshoring services in Trinidad and Tobago. 

1. Rapid, efficient onboarding.  

The client was impressed by iQor Trinidad and Tobago’s swift onboarding process, which seamlessly recruited and trained new talent, demonstrating remarkable efficiency and a commitment to delivering results from day one. 

2. Data security and protection.  

A top priority for the client was iQor’s unwavering commitment to stringent data protection protocols and maintaining top-tier security compliance, instilling confidence in the safety of sensitive information and fostering a trustworthy partnership. 

iQor provides this peace of mind for clients in all geos with best-in-class CX cloud infrastructure and multi-layer security protocols. We continuously invest in a dynamic zero trust approach to cybersecurity that leverages the most up-to-date trends in security awareness with multi-factor authentication, network security, data security, device authentication, and continuous monitoring of client and customer information.  

3. Bilingual talent.   

The availability of a bilingual talent pool in this geolocation helped solidify the client’s decision to nearshore their operations with iQor Trinidad and Tobago. Linguistic familiarity helps provide seamless customer service across a diverse array of inquiries, simplifying interactions and maintaining customer satisfaction. 

Investing in Leadership Is Key to Success in Every Geolocation

At iQor, we recognize that the cornerstone of success lies in a strategic investment in leadership. Chevon’s consistent excellence in contact center roles showcased his capability of providing the guidance, motivation, and direction to navigate diverse customer needs as a senior operations manager while keeping up with the ever-evolving BPO industry. 

Since taking on the responsibility of senior operations manager at iQor Trinidad and Tobago, Chevon’s coaching and support practices have consistently inspired optimal performance from the diverse talent pool he leads. His proven ability to oversee the onboarding process, along with the availability of a bilingual workforce and iQor’s commitment to data security, have inspired client confidence in nearshoring with iQor Trinidad and Tobago, driving successful client outcomes with exceptional customer service. 

What Chevon Does for Fun

Like many Trinidadians, Chevon enjoys soaking up the sun and surf on the beautiful local beaches. He also enjoys binge-watching movies and spending time with his family. 

To learn more about Chevon, visit him on LinkedIn.