If you’re like me, you’ve already started mentally preparing for the holiday season. You’re tying up loose ends, finishing end of year projects, and looking ahead to what 2022 will bring. As you prepare for the new year, you’re setting goals and thinking through how to get ahead of your competitors. So, to help you, we’ve put together a reading list to get you through the holiday season.

Grab a cup of coffee, snuggle up in a comfy chair, and get ahead in the customer service industry. Discover how you can continue to deliver the best customer experience and how you can better lead your call center.

Articles to Help you Deliver the Best Customer Experience:

Learn from the best in the customer service industry. Unlock the potential of your call center and invest in your customer experience.

The Secret to Unlocking Service Excellence Is Data: From this Contact Center Pipeline post, learn how to use the data in your call center to deliver a personalized customer experience and become an example of quality service.How to Run a Highly Effective Contact Center (Start Today): In this Sharpen blog post, we’ve compiled four ways to support your agents and your customers for a mutual benefit across the board. Learn how to understand and invest in your agents, so you can use data for a more efficient contact center.The Key to a Great Customer Experience is Collaboration: Learn from CX Journey CEO Annette Franz on how you can break down silos in your organization to shape a customer-centric culture and deliver great customer experience.3 Crucial Ways to Drive Customer Success in your Contact Center: Read about how to gather and use customer feedback and empower your agents. Plus, learn how to get ahead of your customer service industry competitors from contact center professional Sayo Afolayan.

Articles to Help you be a Stronger Customer Service Industry Leader:

Want to grow to be the best possible leader of your contact center? Gather insights from the following articles on how you can grow and develop.

Becoming an Emotionally Intelligent Contact Center Leader: Part I, Part II, and Part III: This three-part article series offers practical advice to become a stronger call center manager by setting intentions, practicing mindfulness, and practicing empathy. Read all three articles for a comprehensive guide to greater leadership success.15 Essential Habits of Amazing Contact Center Team Leaders: Invest in your own professional development and read through these 15 habits. In this article, collect ideas to grow as an amazing team leader and create a more effective call center.10 Ways to Go Above and Beyond for Your Employees: Boosting Call Center Motivation and Morale: Invest in your agents and invest in yourself by creating a positive workplace. Read through this blog post to learn how to motivate your agents and boost morale on your team.The Reimagined Contact Center is Taking Shape: Take a fresh look at the role of agents in your contact center. In this article, learn how to reimagine your data, integrate technology and free up your agents for complex customer issues.

Articles on the Future of the Customer Service Industry and Call Center Trends:

Read these articles to catch up on how to get ahead of your competition and prepare for the future.

Chatbots, AI and the Contact Center Worker: Finding the Right Machine and Human Balance: Following a pressure-filled and stressful year, businesses are exploring a new AI-powered workforce. Read up to see how the customer service industry uses automation to solve tough customer problems.  3 Cloud Technology Trends to Invest in for a Better Contact Center Future: Prepare your contact center for the future by learning about the most popular call center trends. Secure your contact center technology, support your remote employees, and expand your use of AI and automation for the future.Prediction: The future of CX: In this article, McKinsey Quarterly predicts the future of CX so you can use your data to make more accurate predictions and turn your data insights into actions.The vision for 2025: Hyperpersonalized care and ‘care of one’: Customers expect brands to connect with them and show them empathy. Read up on how to prepare for shifting customer expectations over the next three years. Then, you can deliver a vision of personalized care for each customer. Experts Say the ‘New Normal’ in 2025 Will Be Far More Tech-Driven, Presenting More Big Challenges: Prepare your team for the future and read up on the research and insights collected from a variety of experts from different research institutes and industries. Learn how you can anticipate the “New Normals” in technology coming in the next few years. Gartner Says Customer Service to Significantly Increase Investments in Chatbots, AI and Analytics Over Next Two Years: Keep up with the times by increasing your investments in new technology in the coming years. In this article, Gartner reports that data analytics tools and self-service tools will gain momentum in the customer service industry. Read more to see how they recommend you invest in your team further.

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