Rising Customer Expectations, Technology and Employee Retention Will Shape the Year Ahead for the Customer Contact Industry

"Change in the way companies do business, in the way they interface with customers, in the way they manage customer relationships, in the way they staff their service centers, and in the way they manage their staffs."

In his annual "Looking Ahead" article, Keenan also identifies the following three challenges and provides advice on how to deal with them.

1. Rising Customer Expectations. Customers' expectations continue to rise as every business strives to surprise and delight their customers. In the New Year managers must continually monitor customers' expectations and then adapt to try to meet them.

2. Self-Service Options. Technology is rapidly changing the face of customer service, and head and shoulders above everything else right now is self-service technology.

Done properly, self-service will benefit the whole organization, and every aspect of performance.

3. Employee Retention. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, among others, is predicting a major skilled labor shortage by the end of the decade. Talented people at every level will have increasing options and they will be increasingly vulnerable to the lure of higher wages offered by other companies. To stem the tide, managers will have to focus on intangible rewards such as positive environments, challenging work, and career paths.