1. A Glimpse Into the 2020 Contact Centre (It’s closer than you think!)
By Olimpia Mazza December 9, 2014
What a difference a decade makes, not only with the tools we use to remain productive, but also in how
we live our daily lives. Who could have imagined the profound changes of the past ten years? Do we
have any valid reason to believe that changes during the next ten years will not be just as profound?
All the major factors that will define this 2020 Contact Centre are already in motion. The Super Agent of
the future is now in their middle school years, the technologies that will define the 2020 Contact Centre
are on the drawing board today. The Contact Centre of tomorrow is being shaped today, driven
predominantly by globalisation, new ways of working, the shifting demographics of the workforce, and
growing customer expectations. The best organisations are already preparing their strategies to win the
quest for top talent, recruiting strategies, customisable employee development and benefits, agile
leadership, and L&D structures that are nimble, support the business, and are digitally compatible to
leverage their human resources in a cost-effective manner. These organisations understand that each
customer is unique and to give them the experience they deserve, it’s necessary to understand them, to
step into their shoes and feel what they feel.
Organisations nowadays have a challenge, they need to stand out to be competitive, survive. For many
years the prize was the most important part of a product, later it became the service and quality, but
now it’s about the experience. To do something different, so your customer remembers you and comes
back, and they will tell their friends and family
With this backdrop, the Contact Centre is potentially transforming from a transaction-processing factory
into a strategically important resource. The issue remains whether organisations actually realise this and
respond to it in time. We know that customers are more willing to help themselves as long as it’s easy to
do. However, it’s the human advisor that customers reach out to when self-service fails, when they are
angry or as a last resort. It’s also not just about taking “calls ” anymore either, rather about becoming a
“relationship hub” for omni-channel contact, it’s the hub for both customer insights and the guardian of
the “cus tomer experience”. So let’s take a fun, imaginary leap in time to see, hear and feel what it may
be like in the 2020 Contact Centre.

2. While at an annual Contact Centre Awards event I met a Contact Centre Manager from the year 2020.
Yes I too thought this was rather absurd, until I started chatting to him and it all seemed somewhat
familiar and above board. His name was Zen and he sounded very sincere and convincing, plus he had
a driver’s licens e with a 2020 is s ue date, and what looked like an ID chip implanted on his left ear.
Either Zen was actually from the near future, or he knew a great hypnotist, a fake ID guy and a persona
prototype engineer.
Unbeknownst to him, I recorded our entire conversation on my iPhone. I asked him al l sorts of questions
about his Contact Centre, the s tate of the “future” cus tomer care indus try in general, and where I could
get an ID chip.
Below is the transcript (minus the ID chip stuff) from that conversation:
Me: Why did you come back to 2014?
Zen: I like to vis it the pas t whenever I’m feeling a little depres s ed or frus trated at my job. When I come
back to 2014 or some earlier year and see how Contact Centres are putting so much emphasis on the
wrong metrics, using disconnected and disparate systems, treating agents like entry-level workers, and
not getting the respect they deserve from the rest of the organization, it makes me realise how good I
have it at home in 2020.
Me: So, the Contact Centre has moved on and is much better in 2020?
Zen: I don’t want to s ound pompous, and yes . Firs t of all, all that talk about the “cus tomer experience”
is n’t jus t talk in the future, organis ations are actually and authentically customer-centric. Those that
aren’t, aren’t around any more. Contact Centre metrics like First Contact Resolution, Customer
Experience, Retention and Employee Engagement rule the roost. In fact, you can actually go to prison
for obsessively measuring antiquated metrics like Average Handle Time at the Agent level.
Also, the average Agent makes about $35 per hour in 2020 and works from home so Contact Centres
are able to attract, and retain very talented and enthusiastic professionals who deeply care about
customers. E-learning and virtual training in the form of games are all the rage, so agents continue to
learn and develop throughout their long tenure. With such sharp and engaged agents in place,
customers receive the service and support they deserve, which leads to high customer advocacy and
revenues, and a lot of love from the Executive s uite. It’s not unus ual for executives to invite Contact
Centre agents and Team Supervisors out to lunch or to play a round of golf. The poor people over in
Sales and Marketing are always trying to get a job in the Contact Centre, but positions rarely open up.
Me: And what about multi-channel management, is the Contact Centre of the near future better at
handling the wide assortment of contact types?
Zen: Absolutely. And by the way, nobody s ays “m ulti-channel” any more, we say, “omni-channel.” Now
back to your question. Just about every Centre has a single unified system in place through which calls,
emails, chats, social media contacts and video calls are received and managed. These systems feature
advanced skills-based and personality-based routing, robust reporting capabilities and customer
experience management features like interaction analytics and customer survey/feedback applications
that enable the Centre to very quickly react to customer needs and issues.
Me: Wow, that’s pretty forward thinking.
Zen: Not really, just practical. Oh, one more thing I wanted to point out about multi -channel
management in the “future”: Becaus e we now have a clear view of the customer across all the various
channels, agents can quickly uncover needs and make relevant product and service offers, resulting in
lots of revenue. Executives often applaud the Contact Centre by saying, “when it rains it pours”. We’re
pretty much the rock stars of the organization.

3. Me: And so humble, too. So, tell me about what the typical 2020 Contact Centre looks like.
Zen: 2020 Centres are all located in outer space.
Me: What?
Zen: Just kidding. But they have advanced quite a lot. Most Centres today function as central command
posts where Managers, Team Supervisors and Workforce Management Specialists keep things running
smoothly while agents handle customer contacts from the comfort of their home. There are still some
onsite agents in most Centres, you know, thos e employees who’d feel too is olated and lonely working
remotely, and those who need to work close to their Supervisor. As for facility design, most contact
Centres in 2020 look pretty much like they do here and now, only with fewer agent workstations, as well
as fewer helium balloons and corporate motivational posters.
Now, I don’t mean to cut our convers ation s hort, but I mus t go and recharge in preparation for my trip
home tomorrow morning.
Me: I wish you a speedy journey and a safe re-entry. If I give you my email address, do you think you
could send me pictures of your Contact Centre?
Zen: I’ll be happy to s end you a picture of awesome Contact Centres!
Me: Gee, thanks.