There’s no shortage of predictions this time of year. From new technology to financial forecasts and labor statistics, ‘tis the season for keeping an eye on the trends. If you’re a contact center leader, in particular, you’ve likely been bombarded by newsletters, whitepapers, and webinars touting the top 2020 trends to watch. How can you make sense of it all in the midst of managing the day-to-day workload?

You probably feel overwhelmed. We get it. And we’re here to help.

Last week, I had the opportunity to chat with three industry thought leaders--Becky Roemen, a blogger, speaker, and community facilitator for CX Accelerator, and Patrick Russell and Jeremy Watkin, both 8x8 employees and ICMI Top 50 Thought Leaders. We had a lively discussion on four trends that we’re watching, but we went beyond the theoretical, discussing what these trends might mean, in practical terms, for the leaders and teams on serving on the frontlines of customer service.

Here’s what we covered:

  • How speech analytics will impact the contact center in the year ahead--and quick wins for teams who aren't sure where to begin
  • How Gen Z will impact the workplace in 2020 and beyond
  • How the convergence of customer experience and the contact center can foster better opportunities for collaboration, alignment, and improved strategic value 
  • What digital transformation will mean for both the employee and customer experience

Watch the video below, or give it a listen on your lunch break. You’re guaranteed to walk away with a few insights you can use to improve your contact center in the year ahead. Bonus: not only was this conversation informative, but the friendly banter and debate between Patrick, Becky, and Jeremy are just fun to witness.

If you’re ready to learn more and dive deeper, here are a few resources we recommend checking out:

Have a topic you’d like to see covered in a future fireside chat? A question you’d like answered? Drop us a tweet and let us know! @8x8.

About the panelists:

Becky Roemen

Becky Roemen is a Customer Experience enthusiast & evangelist with an enduring love for digital transformation and CX strategy. As a Minnesota native, she enjoys the lakes, hiking, and breweries. Find her work on the Tin Cans & String blog!

Connect with Becky: @beckyroemen

Patrick Russell

Patrick Russell is a contact center expert with 17 years in the industry and is the Director of Product Marketing at 8x8. Patrick has held nearly every role within a contact center to include managing operations of several thousand agents and has been recognized as an industry thought leader by several contact center organizations. With a passion for technology and finding new ways to help businesses improve, Patrick is an optimistic, creative thinking problem solver with an employee-first approach to improving the customer experience. When he’s not working you can find Patrick working on carpentry projects or traveling the world.

Connect with Patrick: @Patrick_SaaS

Jeremy Watkin

Jeremy Watkin is a Product Marketing Manager at 8x8. He has more than 19 years of experience as a customer service professional leading high performing teams in the contact center. Jeremy has been recognized numerous times as a thought leader for his writing and speaking on a variety of topics including quality management, outsourcing, customer experience, contact center technology, and more. When not working you can typically find him spending quality time with his wife Alicia and their three boys, running with his dog, or dreaming of native trout rising for a size 16 elk hair caddis.

Connect with Jeremy: @jtwatkin