The document outlines strategies for transforming contact centers into agile and lean environments by focusing on an agile mindset, customer-centric systems thinking, and a culture of continuous improvement. It emphasizes key principles like the value of collaboration, self-organizing teams, and outcomes over processes, while also detailing changes in recruitment, training, and performance metrics to foster engagement and efficiency. Agile leadership is highlighted as crucial for driving this transformation, emphasizing trust, communication, and a commitment to fostering a collaborative culture.

1. TRANSFORMING YOUR CONTACT
CENTRE INTO A LEAN AND AGILE
ENVIRONMENT
Eduardo Nofuentes

2. ABOUT ME

3. IT IS NOT JUST AGILE…
AGILE
mindset &
prac3ces
SYSTEMS
THINKING
approach
LEAN
culture &
system of
work
Agile
LEADERSHIP

4. 1. AGILE MINDSET &
PRACTICES

5. WHAT IS AGILE?
"THE ABILITY TO MOVE QUICKLY AND
EASILY"

6. THE AGILE MANIFESTO (2001)
“We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping
others do it. Through this work we have come to value:
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the left more.”

7. AGILE TODAY
“We are uncovering better ways of working by doing it and helping others do it.
Through this work we have come to value:
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Outcomes over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the left more.”

8. • Respect for the worth of every person
• Truth in every communication
• Transparency of all data, actions and decisions
• Trust that each person will support the team
• Commitment to the team and to the team’s goals - Collaboration
KEY BEHAVIOURS THAT ENABLE THE AGILE
MINDSET
Agile Principles and Values – Jeff Sutherland

9. • Respect for the worth of every person
• Truth in every communication
• Transparency of all data, actions and decisions
• Trust that each person will support the team
• Commitment to the team and to the team’s goals - Collaboration
KEY BEHAVIOURS THAT ENABLE THE AGILE
MINDSET
Agile Principles and Values – Jeff Sutherland

10. THE PRINCIPLES BEHIND AGILE
• Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer.
• Deliver outcomes frequently.
• Business people must work together daily throughout the project.
• Build projects around motivated individuals.
• The most efficient and effective method of communication is face-to-face.
• Outcomes are the primary measure of progress.
• Agile processes promote sustainable development.
• Simplicity is essential.
• The best outcomes emerge from self-organizing teams.
• At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective,
then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

11. IN SUMMARY…
From the ar:cle “What is Agile “by Steve Denning – Image from Ahmed Sidky

12. EXAMPLES OF AGILE PRACTICES &
TOOLS

13. EXAMPLES OF AGILE PRACTICES &
TOOLS

14. EXAMPLES OF AGILE PRACTICES &
TOOLS

15. EXAMPLES OF AGILE PRACTICES &
TOOLS

16. 2. SYSTEMS THINKING
APPROACH

17. "OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY IS TO SATISFY THE
CUSTOMER"

18. TRUE CUSTOMER FOCUS
It’s important to shift focus away from
shareholder value and put our customers
back at the centre of everything we do.
Avoid building silos by understanding
how work flows from and to the
organisation’s customers and designing a
structure starting with the customer first.

19. A VANGUARD VIEW OF CONTACT
CENTRES
The Vanguard Guide to Transforming Contact Centres

20. CUSTOMER DEMAND
VALUE DEMAND
Value Demand is the reason why the
Contact Centre exists. This is the teams’
opportunity to deliver a product or service
that benefits the customer.
FAILURE DEMAND
Failure Demand is where we have failed
the customer by not doing something or
by not doing it right the first time. This can
either be at the Contact Centre or the
Organisation level.

21. VALUE DEMAND
What happens once the failure demand is removed?
0
LOW VALUE
10
HIGH VALUE
The focus then becomes about how much value is being added.

22. UNDERSTANDING THE SYSTEM
By understanding the importance of
identifying what is customer value
and customer failure demand, the
team members do more than
"answer calls and emails". Those
calls and emails become about the
system as a whole and each
customer interaction brings with it
an opportunity for improvement.

23. ADOPT A CULTURE OF CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
True agility means that teams are constantly
working to evolve their processes and to find
ways to deal with whatever obstacles they
encounter.
THE
DEMING
CYCLE
DO
CHECK
ACT
PLAN

24. 3. LEAN CULTURE &
SYSTEM OF WORK
STRUCTURE
RECRUITMENT
TRAINING & INDUCTION
QUALITY & COACHING
ROSTERING & WFM
REPORTING & METRICS
REWARD & RECOGNITION
TECHNOLOGY

25. LEAN CULTURE: WHAT IT ISN’T…

26. Build a culture in your
organisation or team where
the focus of everyone is on:
eliminating waste, adding
value for the customer and
improving the flow of work.
LEAN CULTURE: WASTE, FLOW AND VALUE

27. An agile contact centre structure supports a
collaborative learning culture. It no longer relies
on specialist teams as it looks to empower staff to
knowledge-share and provide first-call
resolutions.
”To manage an organisation as a system means understanding how
work flows from and to the organisation’s customers."
John Seddon
STRUCTURE

28. STRUCTURE
TRADITIONAL
CONTACT CENTRE
• Hierarchical structure where
the direc3ves come from
Leadership Team
• Specialist teams work in silos
• Complex call-rou3ng systems
result in lengthy transfers
between departments
• “Us” vs. “them” mentality
between team and
leadership
AGILE
CONTACT CENTRE
• Flat structure where team
members have input into the
direc3on of the Contact
Centre
• No specialist teams – One
queue when possible
• A simple call-rou3ng process
improves first-call resolu3on
• Clear career progression
inside Contact Centre and
organisa3on.

29. Hiring the right people with the right mindset and
behaviours is crucial for the agile contact centre’s
success. Recruitment becomes less about finding
skills and experience and more about building an
effective and engaged team.
"You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in
the world ... but it requires people to make the dream a reality."
W. Disney
RECRUITMENT

30. RECRUITMENT
TRADITIONAL
CONTACT CENTRE
• Recruitment is managed by
an external team
• Hiring is based off set criteria
and scripted interviews
• Candidates are
predominantly hired for skill
and experience
AGILE
CONTACT CENTRE
• Recruitment is managed
internally by the team
• Candidates are hired by
aYtude, personality and
team fit
• Skills and experience can be
gained on the job
• Always use Smaart
Recruitment!

31. In an agile contact centre the team recognises that
the success of each learner has a direct correlation
to the support and encouragement they receive.
Training and Induction while learner-led, is a group
effort proudly owned by all members of the team.
Learning becomes a celebration, not a chore.
"Under pressure you don't rise to the occasion but rather you sink to
the level of your training."
Unknown
TRAINING & INDUCTION

32. TRAINING & INDUCTION
TRADITIONAL
CONTACT CENTRE
• Training is developed,
designed and facilitated by a
specialized team
• Training is delivered in a
classroom environment
• Induc3on can take up to 6-8
weeks with a lengthy 3me to
competency
• Training is designed around
product por`olio
AGILE
CONTACT CENTRE
• Training is developed and
facilitated by experienced
members of the team
• Training is varied, it can be
mentorship, side-by-side, etc.
• Induc3on can take up to 2-3
weeks with an emphasis on
con3nual on-the-job coaching
• Training is designed around
customer demand

33. Agile promotes self-managing teams that look
after the daily operations of the contact centre.
This then creates space for Team Leads to focus
on other aspects such as quality, coaching and
development.
"Improve quality and you automatically improve productivity."
W. Edwards Deming
QUALITY & COACHING

34. QUALITY & COACHING
TRADITIONAL
CONTACT CENTRE
• Quality is monitored remotely
by a specialist team
• Complex criteria and
checklists are used to
determine a pass or fail mark
• Feedback with improvement
targets are emailed to team
members and their Team
Leads
• Quality is one of many
individual KPIs
AGILE
CONTACT CENTRE
• Team Leads sit side-by-side
with individuals to listen to
live calls
• Simple and easy to remember
criteria is used to guide
coaching conversa3on
• Team members are engaged
in the coaching process -
listening to and marking their
own calls
• Quality is a key focus at an
individual and team level

35. Giving teams control over what they do and how
they do it promotes engagement, ownership and
leadership. A purpose-led team will find creative
solutions for customers but they need trust in their
autonomy in order to feel empowered to do so.
"If you want your people to think, give intent - don’t give instructions."
D. Marquet
ROSTERING AND WFM

36. ROSTERING AND WFM
TRADITIONAL
CONTACT CENTRE
• Rosters are created by a
specialized team and given to
team members
• WFM teams determine leave
and team members follow a
set process to request 3me off
• Real-3me Analysts monitor
team members’ throughout
the day and report on various
"off-phone" statuses
AGILE
CONTACT CENTRE
• Team members understand
the customers needs and
allocate rosters and work
accordingly
• Team members work
collabora3vely to ensure all
shies are covered
• Team members have visibility
over everyone’s "off-phone"
status and work together to
ensure customers’ needs are
met

37. Agile contact centres ask the question "what is
meaningful to our customers". Once the team
understands what the customers care about they
can decide on goals and report on metrics that
resonate with them and inspire them.
“If you give a manager a numerical target, he'll make it even if he has
to destroy the company in the process.”
W. Edwards Deming
REPORTING & METRICS

38. REPORTING & METRICS
TRADITIONAL
CONTACT CENTRE
• Repor3ng and metrics are
based around outputs: AHT,
number of calls / emails
answered, etc.
• Targets and KPIs are set by
management and handed
down to teams
• There is a focus on lagging
indicators: Grade of Service,
etc.
• Repor3ng and metrics are
used to assess individuals
AGILE
CONTACT CENTRE
• Repor3ng and metrics are
based around outcomes:
Customer Sa3sfac3on,
Employee engagement, etc.
• Targets are set and owned
by the team
• There is a focus on leading
indicators: customer
demand, etc.
• Repor3ng and metrics are
used to understand the
system

39. In an agile contact centre, it is the team effort that
is recognised and rewarded above all else. With
everyone working collaboratively for the same end
goals, the reward is decided by the team and
becomes a celebration of everyone’s
achievements.
”At the end of the day, stuff gets done when people care to do it. I
know of no plan, method, incantation that changes that equation."
H. Owen
REWARD &
RECOGNITION

40. REWARD & RECOGNITION
TRADITIONAL
CONTACT CENTRE
• Reward and recogni3on is
based on individual results and
drives a culture of
compe33veness
• Reward and recogni3on is
based on quan3ty measures or
lagging indicators
• Rewards are decided by the
Leadership Team
• Bonus and incen3ves are
linked to individual
performance
AGILE
CONTACT CENTRE
• Reward and recogni3on is
based on team results and
drives a culture of
collabora3on.
• Reward and Recogni3on is
based on quality measures or
customer sa3sfac3on
• Rewards and the criteria are
decided by the team members
• Bonus and incen3ves are
linked to organisa3onal
performance

41. An agile contact centre designs and implements
systems and technology that is focused on the
customer rather than on internal processes.
Systems should add value and make life easier for
the users.
“A bad system will beat a good person every time."
W. Edward Deming
SYSTEMS &
TECHNOLOGY

42. SYSTEMS & TECHNOLOGY
TRADITIONAL
CONTACT CENTRE
• Systems and tools are built to
internal specifica3ons and
aligned to internal processes.
• Technology is seen as the
solu3on to improve customer
sa3sfac3on.
• Complicated and rigid systems
lead team members to find
workarounds and ways to
"cheat the system"
AGILE
CONTACT CENTRE
• Rapid experimenta3on with
systems and tools is
encouraged with the end goal
being to improve flow of work
and add value to the customer
• Technology is seen as an
enabler to improve customer
sa3sfac3on.
• Simple and flexible systems
allow team members to work
efficiently

43. 4. AGILE LEADERSHIP
The role of leaders is crucial to drive an agile
transformation of a team or organisation; but it
requires the courage to unlearn Command and
Control management practices and learn a new way
of leading teams based on a Servant Leadership
style.
“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets
the credit”
Henry Truman

44. Agile leaders have a clear vision of
where they want to go and are
comfortable having a vague plan on
how to get there.
Agile leaders use their strong
communication skills – storytelling and
listening – to inspire, motivate and
share the vision with others.
Agile leaders are willing to take risks and
imperfect actions, unafraid to admit
what they do not know.
SETTING THE VISION

45. The primary function of an agile leader is to
nurture culture through values and develop
other leaders.
An agile leader cultivates a culture of trust,
respect, honesty and transparency and
believes everyone is already doing their
best.
An agile leader fosters a safe environment
where people are willing to do the
unexpected and challenge the norm.
BUILDING THE CULTURE

46. An agile leader adopts and institutes
leadership aimed at helping people to do a
better job.
An agile leader has the ability to drive,
inspire and embrace change and
continuous improvement.
An agile leader uses lateral thinking and has
the ability to find innovative ideas and
solutions to problems.
IMPROVING THE SYSTEM

47. THANK YOU