Leaders set the direction in contact centers. They know where their operations must go to, see the seas and feel the winds and the currents and can effectively command their crews to reach the distant shores.

To get to where senior management wants contact centers to go requires skill and experience: and training. To that end The RCCSP Professional Education Alliance has a new and executive-level two-day-long contact center training and certification course, Contact Center Strategy: How Leaders Drive Performance to guide contact center managers and directors. This class, it says, will “help contact center leaders chart a course to more productive, effective and admired operations that generates high levels of satisfaction and customer loyalty through each interaction.” It offers “actionable, strategic content that can re-shape the future of your operation.”

Attendees will explore the multitude of strategic options that drive contact center value.

The class integrates fundamental issues such as setting objectives and optimizing technology with current themes like utilizing social media and implementing non-traditional outsourcing and home-worker options. It uses participative approach that combines expert content, in-class discussion, networking and idea-sharing and case study exercises.

The takeaways include:

--How to identify untapped value in a contact center 
--Six factors that define a high-performance contact center culture 
--Benefits and risks associated with outsourcing and how to make sourcing decisions
--Metric targets that make the best operational objectives
--Common funding obstacles and how to address them
--Strategies for keeping technologies fresh and practical for your business
--Where to find and how to interpret customer feedback data
--The key business factors that drive a successful strategy
--Best practices for generating sustainable high levels of performance

The Contact Center Strategy class is ideal for professionals responsible for support center planning, funding, performance management, reporting, operations or implementation of performance improvement strategies. Participants that will benefit most from the course include operations executives, directors, designers, and senior managers. They should possess a strong understanding of business concepts and a solid understanding of contact center functions and direction.  

The new class is an accredited prep course for the Contact Center Director (CCCD) certification exam. The cost, which includes the test, is $1,995.

Here is the schedule for 2011:

--August 1-2 Chicago, Ill. (Hyatt Lodge)
--Nov. 7-8 Dallas, Texas (The Adolphus)
--Dec.5-6 Las Vegas, Nev. (The Platinum Hotel)

On-site delivery is also available.

“Along with the insight and networking relationships, participants will also walk away with templates and tools that transform thoughts into action,” says RCCSP Professional Education Alliance CEO Nina Kawalek. “[They] will return to the office with new ideas and a clear path for instituting positive changes.”