Tag: Contact Center

Leaders Talk: Improve Yourself and Follow the Changes

August 27, 2021 – Contact Center Associations of Asia Pacific (CC-APAC) present Leaders Talk discussion with the theme “A Leader’s Roadmap to Contact Center Success.” CC-APAC invited professional speakers to the Asia Pacific contact center.

One of the speakers is Raymond Devadass, Chairman of CCAM Malaysia, Founder & CEO Day Three. Raymond explained that today’s gameplay is play for a change. In the contact center industry, change is nothing new. They accept and experience many changes, just like the internet. We’re turning mobile because all millennials are now using their phones to reach out on social media and other things like that. Then the contact center industry has also gone through and followed this change very quickly and rapidly.

He also agrees with other speakers that it is a dynamic process that moves very quickly and adapts. And he thinks the organization has a great roadmap to say, “Okay, we will embrace machine learning for two years or AI for three years.” 

Raymond thinks as leaders that are the most important thing to keep abreast of what’s going on with the different technologies. How does it apply to your business? Not just to take a new technology and imitate it. They should see that implement technology works for the contact center and make a better customer experience.

Raymond also shared some tips in this digital era in contact center. Today, technology has grown so fast. There will be more sophisticated tools that will emerge over time and will change the industry moving forward. Therefore, as a leader, we must learn and adapt quickly to these changes. We must not be out of date or allow ourselves to become obsolete. He had heard the expression, “Machines will not make us obsolete. But our complacency will make us obsolete.”

As a leader, we must learn how to co-exist with technology. If you don’t improve yourself, don’t upgrade or re-skill yourself, then you will become obsolete. Therefore, the leader roadmap in this era is not only to implement some technological advances but also to improve our knowledge. We must always follow the flow or various changes that appear then we do not become obsolete. (ANF)

Leaders Talk: The Questions That Leaders Must Answer Before Create Roadmap in Contact Center

August 27, 2021 – In this Leaders Talk, the Contact Center Associations of Asia Pacific (CC-APAC) discussed “A Leader’s Roadmap to Contact Center Success.” We invited three speakers who are professionals in the Asia Pacific contact center industry. 

One of the speakers is Byron J. Fernandez, Former Chairman of CCAM Malaysia Group CIO, Country Director Teledirect Malaysia. Byron said that in the beginning, especially people from the BPO industry disagreed and said, “No” if do work from home. At first, they were worried about how can we know they were working or not, how the data was secure, and other issues. But when the pandemic hit, they had no choice. In Malaysia, because the technology is sufficient, they finally decided to transition more than 95% of organizations to work from home. 

The next discussion is talking about technology in the contact center. Byron said that technology is not important in the past. But in this current situation, technology is important and very useful. Some of the advanced tools we use can monitor the screen of a particular agent. In addition, there are also very interesting technologies, such as using facial recognition. With this technology, we can see people’s facial features, whether they are smiling, whether they are happy or not based on what they are doing. Also, the company can make it possible for agents to work from home in the long term and with good results.

At the end of the discussion, Byron gives his opinion about how to create a roadmap in the next five years. He thinks five years is a very long timeline. We never know whether there will be another pandemic in the next five years or not. Therefore, it is better to plan work in 18 months. What is your 12 to 18-month plan? Then make a roadmap by seeing what problems you face today. Then, what has changed and what will develop in the next 12 months.

That is where you must start thinking about where you invest. Do we invest in change management ratios? Do we invest in online tools to monitor people’s well-being? Do we invest more in insight and big data analytics to see where people are spending their time and what they do? Or invest in HR to see employee engagement? Those are the questions that leaders must answer that they can give excellent employee experience.

Byron thinks that the roadmap for the next 12 to 18 months is to figure out how we bring normality to our workforce. Therefore, we can provide our workforce with an employee experience that will make them want to stay. (ANF)

Leaders Talk CC-APAC: How a Leader’s Roadmap to Contact Center Success

August 27, 2021 – The third Leaders Talk organized by Contact Center Associations of Asia Pacific (CC-APAC) discussed “A Leader’s Roadmap to Contact Center Success” by inviting three professional speakers in the Asia Pacific contact center.

This discussion was presented by Andi Anugrah, as Chairman of ICCA Indonesia. First panellist is Byron J. Fernandez, Former Chairman of CCAM Malaysia Group CIO, Country Director Teledirect Malaysia. The second is Raymond Devadass, Chairman of CCAM Malaysia, Founder & CEO Day Three. Then the last one is Ts. Saravanan Belusami, CEO VADS Indonesia.

The first discussion is related to the leader’s roadmap in the contact center, especially during the pandemic. Byron said that in the beginning, especially people from the BPO industry disagreed and said, “No” if do work from home. At first, they were worried about how can we know they were working or not, how the data was secure, and other issues. But when the pandemic hit, they had no choice. In Malaysia, because the technology is sufficient, they finally decided to transition more than 95% of organizations to work from home. 

But in reality, Byron said that working from home is going well because the people in the contact center have good competence, are responsible, and care about others. Therefore, in this situation he is 100% more focused on taking care of everyone who works for his company, making sure they are successful, and that they continue to do well in their home environment that they adapt to this change.

Raymond also explained these changes. He explained that today’s gameplay is play for a change. In the contact center industry, change is nothing new. They accept and experience many changes, just like the internet. We’re turning mobile because all millennials are now using their phones to reach out on social media and other things like that. Then the contact center industry has also gone through and followed this change very quickly and rapidly.

He also agrees with Byron that it is a dynamic process that moves very quickly and adapts. And he thinks the organization has a good roadmap to say, “Okay, we will embrace machine learning for two years or AI for three years.”

Raymond thinks as leaders that are the most important thing to keep abreast of what’s going on with the different technologies. How does it apply to your business? Not just to take a new technology and just imitate it. They should see that implement technology works for the contact center and make a better customer experience.

Saravanan also agrees with Byron and Raymond that the contact center faces many transformations. It strengthens us to be more agile in accepting change. If we talk about working from home, there is always the question of whether this is possible or not. Then the pandemic happened and made us agree that this is possible, and we can’t deny it anymore.

To face this change, he is talking from the perspective of a leader. He always looks from two angles, such as internal factors and external factors. The internal factor here, he sees how the role of the leader manages the organization from a perspective that requires their involvement as a leader, not only looking at your well-being.

Then external factors, such as from clients. In the BPO industry, they are very important. We have to be able to merge them in a situation like this. Also, how you can convince them and make your company a trusted BPO for them.

The next discussion is talking about technology in the contact center. Byron said that technology is not important in the past. But in this current situation, technology is important and very useful. Some of the advanced tools we use can monitor the screen of a particular agent. In addition, there are also very interesting technologies, such as using facial recognition. With this technology, we can see people’s facial features, whether they are smiling, whether they are happy or not based on what they are doing. Also, the company can make it possible for agents to work from home in the long term and with good results.

What about training? Byron also explained that we are in a pandemic and cannot hold training. Therefore, they take advantage of the learning platform with concepts that are important for developing their people and then launch this course using the electronic platform. With this technology, he thinks in the coming months, all this thing will be done to support human development and the ability to work in the current situation.

Then, another perspective from leaders about technology. Raymond said that leaders must adapt and build the culture of digital internally. It means, if you want to create a great digital experience for your customers, you have to start with the employees. Therefore, everything you do internally needs to be more efficient through digital processes.

He also shared that people in the contact center are very energetic and thrive the social interaction. Raymond said that it is different today that we are restricted to do physical interactions, it is the challenge. Now, we have a hybrid model. Some of the agents work from home, some from the office.

Saravanan has a different perspective to other speakers. He said that the only important element that we cannot deny in dealing with this particular situation is communication. When referring to what’s going on in technology that Raymond said before, technology can easily be bought and incorporated into organizational structures. But what matters now is communication, how we can translate something using the right delivery for our people during work from home.

Therefore, this is where the role of a leader is so important to bring them to have a substantial understanding and make it happen, not only from the internal stakeholder perspective but also from they are external.

At the end of the discussion, all panelists give their final opinion and tips about the roadmap for leaders to succeed in the contact center. Want to know more about their opinion? For details, stay tuned for another article on the CC-APAC website. (ANF)

Leaders Talk: 3 Skills That a Leader in Contact Center Must Have

June 25, 2021 – Interactive discussion initiated by Contact Center Associations of Asia Pacific (CC-APAC), Leaders Talk: Role of Leader in Contact Center Change, which invited four professional speakers in the Asia Pacific contact center.

One of the speakers who is invited to this discussion is Riri Amalas Yulita. She is the Director Solution & Business Development of Infomedia Nusantara. The company is engaged in the BPO industry. Riri said that a pandemic is an opportunity to care more about contact center services. BPO is here to support the contact center operations and contribute by standing with the agent to face the changes.

Riri said that adaptation is important in this digital era. More than 70% of employees in her company are younger millennials then all leaders must adapt to them and try to understand their work. She also gives them a mission on how to grow in this situation. And every Wednesday, leaders also have an agenda to make them stay informed by sharing to update and distribute new information.

Riri states that Infomedia has a new normal work system because they think that work from home is not a big deal. Maybe in the future, they want to continue this WFH and WFO system. They will divide that which people who can work from home and who is not. Which technology will apply and so on. They also have to protect their team, because it is important to make sure their health condition.

In the contact center during this pandemic situation, she said that we need to create competent and adaptive because their industry has very dynamic. Then as a leader, they have to capability to empower their team. Then the other thing is utilizing the system and technology.

Riri also shared three tips for the leaders based on her experience. The first one is analytics skills. It is also important to have the analytical skill to know the real situation and provide a solution. The second tip is they also have to be consultative. We push our team to has that capability to make sure our client is confident that the transformation can be running well. And the last one is collaboration. She thinks that collaboration is very important, especially in this situation. With that collaboration, we can share, we can go hand in hand to solve the problems. (ANF)

Leaders Talk: Attitude is the Key for Being a Leader

June 25, 2021 – Contact Center Associations of Asia Pacific (CC-APAC) present Leaders Talk discussion by the theme “Role of Leader in Contact Center Change”. CC-APAC invited professional speakers to the Asia Pacific contact center.

One of the speakers is Lisa Widodo, Executive Vice President Operations from BLIBLI.COM. Lisa states that the e-commerce industry faces public behavior which wants everything fast and gets instant solutions.  When the pandemic has happened in 2020, especially in Indonesia, everyone’s needs are increasing so we must particularly move and adapt with interactions. Lisa said that managing communications and the right agent to handle customers is the key to today’s contact center service.

Lisa shared that BLIBLI has a policy of following government regulation during this pandemic. Around 25% of customer care agents in BLIBLI still need to work from the office. According to that, the safety and health of agents are becoming their priority now. 

Leaders in BLIBLI do management in millennial ways which concern connecting each other by communicating agents’ language and open mindset. Lisa said, do not think the way that leaders used to do things is the best, even though the company has 20+ years of experience. They should have an open mindset as a leader and listen to what agents think. To make it more fun and relevant to millennial generations, they optimize social media as the media to stay connect and give appreciation. In BLIBLI, social media such as Instagram is used for creating a monthly magazine just to share achievements over the other’s agent.

Lisa also shared that what is key to being a leader. She quotes a word from John Maxwell which relates to this current situation. The words are, “People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.” Then, Lisa concludes that attitude is key. As a leader, it doesn’t matter what you say, the matter is what you do and what your action is. She thinks that it is a privilege to be a leader, lead a team, manage a team, and have a responsibility. (ANF)

Leaders Talk: 3E as a Key for Leader in Contact Center

June 25, 2021 – The first Leaders Talk organized by Contact Center Associations of Asia Pacific (CC-APAC) discussed “Role of Leader in Contact Center Change.” We invited four speakers, who are professionals from contact centers in the Asia Pacific region.

One of the speakers is Kenneth Chong, Chairman of CCAS Singapore & Amazon Web Services Head of Sales of Amazon Connect (ASEAN). Kenneth said that one of the challenges now is workforce because we are in a limited condition as the COVID-19 pandemic is still going on.

In this pandemic situation, the leaders start building management of a virtual workforce. Kenneth said that their team or other team had not met each other in the last 18 months. How we work as a virtual team, we have seen this skill as different. The way we communicate over a video call is no longer involves physical touch. Kenneth states that make sure business still running and well-managed.

Kenneth also shared that contact centers in Singapore have evolved, such as training or engagement in these conditions has also become online. All the training sessions for agents are delivered online. Therefore, it takes different skills when operating or managing a team in person compared to a virtual team. The level of communication or empathy can be different.

Kenneth gave three tips for leaders in the contact center. The first is empathy. Be empathetic to your people and staff. The second is, engage. All critical engagement is vital during this period because your team may not be just in front of you, but they may be virtually anywhere. It is how you stay connected with the key members right now through virtual chat or other means to communicate.

The last key is empowerment. In the team, earning trust and empowering is probably the next area you will be looking for. Leaders are operated to move up the chains, so they can be the next successor. You need to empower someone around you to train them out, and then you can move for a new adventure. (ANF)

Leaders Talk: Tips from Chapman Lam How Leaders Face the Changes in Contact Center

June 25, 2021 – In this Leaders Talk, the Contact Center Associations of Asia Pacific (CC-APAC) discussed “Role of Leader in Contact Center Change.” We invited four speakers who are professionals in the Asia Pacific contact center industry. 

One of the speakers is Chapman Lam, Former Chairman of HKCCA Hong Kong. Chapman said that the contact center now faces changes every year. From omnichannel, workforce, and care more about customer value. Also, people and technology management are needed to be utilized optimally.

For example, Chapman also shares the changes that happened in the Hong Kong contact center insurance industry. He said optimizing applications and other technologies are the recent projects to make better customer service. In Hong Kong, his insurance company operation is 20% handled by their live agents. Therefore, his channel optimization mission is fulfilled. He moved more towards how to enable the chatbot to enhance that structural processing. The customer can get many instant responses, such as for claim approval or a chatbot answer instantly.

Further discussion about what is the leader’s key roles or what they must do. Chapman said that the contact center is full of talented people. As a leader, we need to push them to take advantage of another role in the organization. It’s not about age or educational background. If they have the passion for making a new customer experience through different channels, they are the best candidates. Let them know that we are supporting them. The more bravely to take on new challenges and push them to take advantage of another role in the organization, the more they can deliver a benefit to their company.

This contact center operation has many university graduates who may not be graduated from the top-tier university. Still, Chapman thinks this industry is one of the best environments for them to grow. Academic will be beneficial, but the staff has many opportunities to demonstrate other qualities to the top management.

Chapman also shared some tips for a leader to face all the changes in the contact center. He is concern more on “why” to move forward in a few directions. You should walk the talk. Whether you are genuine or not, we need leaders’ credibility and motivation to lead the people. It would be best if you drove your staff more towards the purpose of the company. Then, be creative, innovative, inspire your team, and make sure they know the purpose. (ANF)

National Contact Centre Conference 2021

Customer Experience, Operational Excellence, Digital Innovation, and Business Continuity are in focus. The lessons of the past 18 months have been valuable, but how would these “Now Norms” shape up the future of the contact centers?

Contact Center Association of Malaysia (CCAM) presents the 10th National Contact Centre Conference (NCCC) 2021, to be held from 6 – 10 September 2021.

Registrations will open next week, so stay tuned!

Leaders Talk: Saravanan Belusami

Saravanan Belusami, Chief Executive Officer PT VADS Indonesia. With 30 years of experience under his belt in business, technical and management, Saravanan has served in the full spectrum of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Telco’s and Customer Experience (CX).

Saravanan is no stranger to BPO industry. He has expertise in various field such as sales related activities, Customer Experience Management and Transformation, people management and daily Operations. He has managed outsourcing services of over 3000 seats in Malaysia and currently heading the BPO business in Indonesia with more than 6000 employees.

He is a Certified Professional Technologist received from the Malaysia Board of Technologists (MBOT), COPC Certified Professional Manager and a member of board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM). In his current capacity he is focusing on the transformation journey that is looking at the customer experience end to end delivery and not to compromise on quality. His blended experience from the Managed Services in Telco environment together with next wave of outsourcing services is an area he is working on right now.

He has participated in many awards from different type of Contact Centre associations such as Contact Centre Association Malaysia (CCAM), Outsourcing Malaysia (OM), Contact Centre Association Singapore (CCAS) and also Contact Centre World Association (CCWA).

Saravanan has won many awards in the individual and team categories as listed below:

  • Industry Award for Contact Centre by CCWA – 2016
  • Talent Corp – Best CSR project – People with Different Abilities (PWDA) – 2016
  • Contact Center Association of Malaysia (CCAM) – Best CSR Project – 2016
  • Industry Award for Contact Centre by CCWA – 2015
  • Gold Winner – Best Customer Service – Mega Contact Centre in CCWA –   2015
  • Gold Winner – Best Mega Contact Centre in Contact Centre World Association (CCWA) –   2015
  • Silver Winner – Best Contact Centre Leader in the World (CCWA) – 2015
  • Gold Winner – Best Contact Centre Leader in Asia Pac (CCWA) – 2015
  • Telekom Malaysia Group CEO award – July 2014
  • Gold Winner – Best Mega Contact Centre in Contact Centre World Association (CCWA) –   2014
  • Silver Winner – Best Outsourced Contact Centre (CCAS) – 2014
  • Best outsourcing Project of the year by Outsourcing Malaysia – 2013
  • Best Contact Centre above 100 seats by Contact Centre Association Malaysia (CCAM) – 2013

Leaders Talk: Dato’ Munirah Looi

Munirah is an MBA graduate from UK, majoring in Human Resource Management. She is a member of International Who’s Who of Professionals and Life Member of International Business Leaders.  She has a total of 25 years working experience. 

An experienced personnel in the areas of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Customer Experience Management (CEM), Human Performance Management, Strategic Management, Business Process Redesign, Sales & Marketing and Project Management.  Her exposure includes both local and foreign assignments with 15 years’ experience in the Banking Sector and has worked and consulted with include BPO, insurance, telecommunication, property development and leisure vacation & hospitality.

She is the Founder/President & CEO of Brandt International, which specializes in the areas of Business Transformation Consulting and Outsourcing with offices in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta and Manila. She is an experienced Facilitator, Human Performance Strategist, Service Quality Management & Change Management practitioner for the past 25 years having conducted numerous training and consulting assignments in CRM, Customer Service Management, Customer Experience Management and Organization Development assignments, both locally and overseas. She is currently a sought-after Speaker and Advisor to various Contact Centre & BPO Associations/Industries in the region, namely Singapore, Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia.  

Her contribution has been recognized by numerous awards organizations:

  • Master Entrepreneur Award 2021
  • APEA Asia Pacific Enterprise Award (Regional Edition)
  • 10 Best Aspiring CEOs in 2020  by Industry Era •
  • Top 3 Nominee for the prestigious “EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2018 (Malaysia)”.
  • “Women Leadership Award” for Business Process Outsourcing Sector in 2018.
  • “Top 30 Women Achievers & Leaders-Malaysia” 2017.
  • The “Women Leadership Achievement Award” at the WWLCA-World Women Leadership Congress & Award 2015
  • Inaugural “Malaysian Women of Excellence Award 2014”