24th Annual Call Center CX Conference Agenda
May 16 - 18, 2023
Executive Track
Registration
12:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Lobby Lounge
SQM cordially welcomes guests to the beautiful Coeur d'Alene Resort. Conference attendees can pick up a welcome package, sign up for the mySQM demonstration, and get information on the events.
Networking Reception
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Lakeview Terrace
Mingle on the terrace after you arrive and enjoy the views while having food and drinks.
Breakfast
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
Conference Center — Casco / Kidd Island Bay
Keynote #1: Aftereffects of COVID-19 On Call Centers
Mike Desmarais
Founder and CEO — SQM Group
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Conference Center — Bay 5
The Aftereffects of COVID-19 on Call Centers — How Much Damage is the Agent Great Resignation and Quiet Quitting Having on SQM Clients:
- Operating Costs
- First Call Resolution
- Customer Satisfaction
- Agent Satisfaction and Engagement
- Agent Turnover and Working From Home
- Average Handle Time
- Call Center State of the Industry Research Topics:
- Customer Service
- Agent Retention
- Quality Assurance
What to do to Reduce, or How to Operate with, High Agent Turnover and Quiet Quitting to Improve Costs, FCR & Csat: 6 Strategies That Work to Improve the Top Issues:
- Address the Undesirable Work Schedule
- Provide a Clear Career Path for Agents
- Dealing With Dissatisfied Customers
- Not Feeling Appreciated or Valued
- Personality Conflict With Supervisor
- Right-Sizing Training and Coaching
Break
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Conference Center — Casco / Kidd Island Bay
Quick CX Improvement Turnaround
Jesse Epting
Vice President of State Operations — BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina
10:30 AM - 11:15 AM
Lake View Tower — Floor 7 — Boardroom 5ABC
Discover how BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina State Health Plan business line improved First Call Resolution and Customer Satisfaction performance and made a quick FCR and Csat improvement turnaround. They will share some of their great customer service results and insights on how they achieved their success, such as:
- How they improved FCR and Csat quickly
- Conducting 10 post-call surveys per agent per month
- How they create employee engagement
- How they handle escalated calls positively
- Training and staff development
CX Journey Mapping to Improve FCR
Lynn Boucher
Assistant Director of Operations — Regence BlueCross BlueShield Plans
11:15 AM - 12:00 PM
Lake View Tower — Floor 7 — Boardroom 5ABC
Learn how Regence BlueCross BlueShield achieved world-class First Call Resolution and Customer Satisfaction performance with the help of their CX Journey Mapping efforts. In addition, they will share some of their great customer service results and insights on how they achieved their success, such as:
- How they achieved high FCR and Csat
- How they landed on journey mapping
- How customer journey mapping (JM) helps them improve FCR
- Incorporating JM into the agent experience to influence agent retention
- CX journey mapping pros and cons
Lunch
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Club Coeur d'Alene
Hiring the Right Agents to Improve FCR, Csat, and Esat
Dave Difelice
Former SVP — Canadian Tire
Dhushan Thevarajah
1:00 PM - 1:45 PM
Lake View Tower — Floor 7 — Boardroom 5ABC
The number one business challenge that call centers have is agent retention. Hiring the right call center agents for the job can be challenging if you don’t have the right profile, ask the right questions and use technology to your advantage. Learn from these experts about a new approach to hiring the right agents such as:
- The challenges with traditional hiring methods
- The powerful insights that AI can bring to assessing candidates
- How to develop useful candidate profiles
- How to use technology to your advantage in assessing people and in hiring
Customer Quality Assurance to Improve FCR and Lower Cost
John Galibert
Vice President of Customer Operations — 407 ETR
1:45 PM - 2:30 PM
Lake View Tower — Floor 7 — Boardroom 5ABC
407 ETR will discuss how they achieved world-class First Call Resolution and Customer Satisfaction performance with the help of their Customer Quality Assurance efforts. In addition, they will share some of their great customer service results and insights on how they achieved their success, such as:
- How they achieved high FCR and Csat
- What is customer quality assurance?
- Sharing the customer quality assurance opportunities
- How does customer quality assurance work?
- Customer quality assurance pros and cons
Break
2:30 PM - 2:45 PM
Lake View Tower — Floor 7 — Boardroom 5ABC
Self-Service Customer Containment to Reduce Cost
Lindsey Goodall
Manager, Contact Centre — FortisBC
Kira Bennett
Manager, Customer Experience, Contact Centre — FortisBC
2:45 PM - 3:30 PM
Lake View Tower — Floor 7 — Boardroom 5ABC
Discover how this company achieved high self-service customer containment by improving its one-contact resolution for self-service touchpoints while reducing contact center call volume. In addition, they will share some of their great customer service and cost savings results and insights on how they achieved their success, such as:
- One contact resolution for self-service improvement results
- Diverting contact center calls to self-service touchpoints
- How they achieved self-service touchpoint containment
- Maintaining good Csat and call resolution while handling more complex calls
- Balancing efficiency with effectiveness KPIs for customer touchpoints
Agent Coaching & Training to Maintain High FCR and Lower Cost
Mindy Rubio & Chris Cline
Directors of Customer Service — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City
3:30 PM - 4:15 PM
Lake View Tower — Floor 7 — Boardroom 5ABC
Learn how Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City maintained high FCR and Csat while dealing with high agent turnover. In addition, they will share some of their great customer service and insights on how they achieved their success, such as:
- How they maintained good FCR and Csat with all the aftereffects of COVID-19
- Achieving world-class agent satisfaction but high turnover challenge
- How they provide call resolution delivery coaching and training
- Training supervisors to coach agents to deliver high FCR
- Surviving in a post-COVID-19 environment
Dinner
5:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Coeur d'Alene and Spirit Boats
Meet at the lakefront boardwalk of the Coeur d'Alene Resort to board the Coeur d'Alene and Spirit boats between 5:00 and 5:30 PM to cruise the lake and listen to the sounds of Kosh. The boat departs at 5:30 PM.
Breakfast
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM
Conference Center — Casco / Kidd Island Bay
Keynote #2: 2022 Call Center of the Year Winner
Laurie Stratton
Director of Customer Service — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas
8:00 AM - 8:45 AM
Conference Center — Bay 5
Discover how Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas provide world-class First Call Resolution, Customer and Agent Satisfaction performance while experiencing high agent turnover. They will share some of their great customer service results and insights on how they achieved their success, such as:
- How they achieved high FCR, Csat, and Esat
- Customer Service, the Kansas Way
- How we approach serving our customers
- Career Path, Hiring Strategies, and Retention
- How we approach gaining and retaining talent
Keynote #3: 2022 Best Performing Small-to-Mid-Sized Call Center Winner
Ken Baur
Director of Member Experience & Contact Center — Security Health Plan
8:45 AM - 9:30 AM
Conference Center — Bay 5
Learn how Security Health Plan provides world-class First Call Resolution, Customer and Agent Satisfaction performance. They will share some of the great customer service results and insights on how they achieved their success, such as:
- How they achieved high FCR, Csat, and Esat
- How they achieved low agent turnover
- Increasing the # of agents working at the call center vs. WFH
- Handling more complex calls and channel containment
mySQM™ Customer Service QA Software Special Announcement
9:30 AM - 9:45 AM
Conference Center — Bay 5
Break
9:45 AM - 10:15 AM
Conference Center — Casco / Kidd Island Bay
mySQM™ Customer Service QA Software Demonstration
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Conference Center — Bay 6
The new mySQM™ Customer Service QA software is here! Come to the demo booth for a short presentation on how clients are improving CX with the new mySQM™. Watch a demonstration and speak with SQM's experts on how you can migrate to the new tool.
Lunch
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Conference Center — Casco / Kidd Island Bay
Wine Reception
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Lakeview Terrace
Mingle on the terrace and enjoy the views while having a few drinks before the main event.
Call Center CX Industry Awards and Gala Dinner
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Conference Center — Bay 3-4
Be dazzled at SQM's 24th Annual CX Gala Industry Awards celebration recognizing world-class performing organizations and individuals who provide great CX as judged by the customers they serve and employees who work in the contact center.
Post-Gala Extravaganza
9:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Conference Center — Bay 3-5
After the awards gala, join the casino to spin the roulette wheel, try your hand at Texas Hold 'em, and place your bets on having a jackpot experience with your team and peers! Prizes will be raffled off at 11:30 PM. We will also have live music with SuperChrome after the awards ceremony and a DJ later in the evening until midnight.
Management Track
Registration
12:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Lobby Lounge
SQM cordially welcomes guests to the beautiful Coeur d'Alene Resort. Conference attendees can pick up a welcome package, sign up for the mySQM demonstration, and get information on the events.
Networking Reception
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Lakeview Terrace
Mingle on the terrace after you arrive and enjoy the views while having food and drinks.
Breakfast
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
Conference Center — Casco / Kidd Island Bay
Keynote #1: Aftereffects of COVID-19 On Call Centers
Mike Desmarais
Founder and CEO — SQM Group
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Conference Center — Bay 5
The Aftereffects of COVID-19 on Call Centers — How Much Damage is the Agent Great Resignation and Quiet Quitting Having on SQM Clients:
- Operating Costs
- First Call Resolution
- Customer Satisfaction
- Agent Satisfaction and Engagement
- Agent Turnover and Working From Home
- Average Handle Time
- Call Center State of the Industry Research Topics:
- Customer Service
- Agent Retention
- Quality Assurance
What to do to Reduce, or How to Operate with, High Agent Turnover and Quiet Quitting to Improve Costs, FCR & Csat: 6 Strategies That Work to Improve the Top Issues:
- Address the Undesirable Work Schedule
- Provide a Clear Career Path for Agents
- Dealing With Dissatisfied Customers
- Not Feeling Appreciated or Valued
- Personality Conflict With Supervisor
- Right-Sizing Training and Coaching
Break
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Conference Center — Casco / Kidd Island Bay
Customer Quality Assurance to Improve FCR and Lower Cost
John Galibert
Vice President of Customer Operations — 407 ETR
10:30 AM - 11:15 AM
Conference Center — Bay 5
407 ETR will discuss how they achieved world-class First Call Resolution and Customer Satisfaction performance with the help of their Customer Quality Assurance efforts. In addition, they will share some of their great customer service results and insights on how they achieved their success, such as:
- How they achieved high FCR and Csat
- What is customer quality assurance?
- Sharing the customer quality assurance opportunities
- How does customer quality assurance work?
- Customer quality assurance pros and cons
Self-Service Customer Containment to Reduce Cost
Lindsey Goodall
Manager, Contact Centre — FortisBC
Kira Bennett
Manager, Customer Experience, Contact Centre — FortisBC
11:15 AM - 12:00 PM
Conference Center — Bay 5
Discover how this company achieved high self-service customer containment by improving its one-contact resolution for self-service touchpoints while reducing contact center call volume. In addition, they will share some of their great customer service and cost savings results and insights on how they achieved their success, such as:
- One contact resolution for self-service improvement results
- Diverting contact center calls to self-service touchpoints
- How they achieved self-service touchpoint containment
- Maintaining good Csat and call resolution while handling more complex calls
- Balancing efficiency with effectiveness KPIs for customer touchpoints
Lunch
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Conference Center — Casco / Kidd Island Bay
Agent Coaching & Training to Maintain High FCR and Lower Cost
Mindy Rubio & Chris Cline
Directors of Customer Service — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City
1:00 PM - 1:45 PM
Conference Center — Bay 5
Learn how Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City maintained high FCR and Csat while dealing with high agent turnover. In addition, they will share some of their great customer service and insights on how they achieved their success, such as:
- How they maintained good FCR and Csat with all the aftereffects of COVID-19
- Achieving world-class agent satisfaction but high turnover challenge
- How they provide call resolution delivery coaching and training
- Training supervisors to coach agents to deliver high FCR
- Surviving in a post-COVID-19 environment
Quick CX Improvement Turnaround
Jesse Epting
Vice President of State Operations — BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina
1:45 PM - 2:30 PM
Conference Center — Bay 5
Discover how BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina State Health Plan business line improved First Call Resolution and Customer Satisfaction performance and made a quick FCR and Csat improvement turnaround. They will share some of their great customer service results and insights on how they achieved their success, such as:
- How they improved FCR and Csat quickly
- Conducting 10 post-call surveys per agent per month
- How they create employee engagement
- How they handle escalated calls positively
- Training and staff development
Break
2:30 PM - 2:45 PM
Conference Center — Casco / Kidd Island Bay
CX Journey Mapping to Improve FCR
Lynn Boucher
Assistant Director of Operations — Regence BlueCross BlueShield Plans
2:45 PM - 3:30 PM
Conference Center — Bay 5
Learn how Regence BlueCross BlueShield achieved world-class First Call Resolution and Customer Satisfaction performance with the help of their CX Journey Mapping efforts. In addition, they will share some of their great customer service results and insights on how they achieved their success, such as:
- How they achieved high FCR and Csat
- How they landed on journey mapping
- How customer journey mapping (JM) helps them improve FCR
- Incorporating JM into the agent experience to influence agent retention
- CX journey mapping pros and cons
Hiring the Right Agents to Improve FCR, Csat, and Esat
Dave Difelice
Former SVP — Canadian Tire
Dhushan Thevarajah
3:30 PM - 4:15 PM
Conference Center — Bay 5
The number one business challenge that call centers have is agent retention. Hiring the right call center agents for the job can be challenging if you don't have the right profile, ask the right questions and use technology to your advantage. Learn from these experts about a new approach to hiring the right agents such as:
- The challenges with traditional hiring methods
- The powerful insights that AI can bring to assessing candidates
- How to develop useful candidate profiles
- How to use technology to your advantage in assessing people and in hiring
Dinner
5:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Coeur d'Alene and Spirit Boats
Meet at the lakefront boardwalk of the Coeur d'Alene Resort to board the Coeur d'Alene and Spirit boats between 5:00 and 5:30 PM to cruise the lake and listen to the sounds of Kosh. The boat departs at 5:30 PM.
Breakfast
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM
Conference Center — Casco / Kidd Island Bay
Keynote #2: 2022 Call Center of the Year Winner
Laurie Stratton
Director of Customer Service — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas
8:00 AM - 8:45 AM
Conference Center — Bay 5
Discover how Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas provide world-class First Call Resolution, Customer and Agent Satisfaction performance while experiencing high agent turnover. They will share some of their great customer service results and insights on how they achieved their success, such as:
- How they achieved high FCR, Csat, and Esat
- Customer Service, the Kansas Way
- How we approach serving our customers
- Career Path, Hiring Strategies, and Retention
- How we approach gaining and retaining talent
Keynote #3: 2022 Best Performing Small-to-Mid-Sized Call Center Winner
Ken Baur
Director of Member Experience & Contact Center — Security Health Plan
8:45 AM - 9:30 AM
Conference Center — Bay 5
Learn how Security Health Plan provides world-class First Call Resolution, Customer and Agent Satisfaction performance. They will share some of the great customer service results and insights on how they achieved their success, such as:
- How they achieved high FCR, Csat, and Esat
- How they achieved low agent turnover
- Increasing the # of agents working at the call center vs. WFH
- Handling more complex calls and channel containment
mySQM™ Customer Service QA Software Special Announcement
9:30 AM - 9:45 AM
Conference Center — Bay 5
Break
9:45 AM - 10:15 AM
Conference Center — Casco / Kidd Island Bay
mySQM™ Customer Service QA Software Demonstration
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Conference Center — Bay 6
The new mySQM™ Customer Service QA software is here! Come to the demo booth for a short presentation on how clients are improving CX with the new mySQM™. Watch a demonstration and speak with SQM's experts on how you can migrate to the new tool.
Lunch
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Conference Center — Casco / Kidd Island Bay
Wine Reception
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Lakeview Terrace
Mingle on the terrace and enjoy the views while having a few drinks before the main event.
Call Center CX Industry Awards and Gala Dinner
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Conference Center — Bay 3-4
Be dazzled at SQM's 24th Annual CX Gala Industry Awards celebration recognizing world-class performing organizations and individuals who provide great CX as judged by the customers they serve and employees who work in the contact center.
Post-Gala Extravaganza
9:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Conference Center — Bay 3-5
After the awards gala, join the casino to spin the roulette wheel, try your hand at Texas Hold 'em, and place your bets on having a jackpot experience with your team and peers! Prizes will be raffled off at 11:30 PM. We will also have live music with SuperChrome after the awards ceremony and a DJ later in the evening until midnight.
Appreciation Day
Registration
7:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Conference Center — Registration Room
SQM cordially welcomes guests to the beautiful Coeur d'Alene Resort. Conference attendees can pick up a welcome package and get information on the events.
Dinner
5:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Coeur d'Alene and Spirit Boats
Meet at the lakefront boardwalk of the Coeur d'Alene Resort to board the Coeur d'Alene and Spirit boats between 5:00 and 5:30 PM to cruise the lake and listen to the sounds of Kosh. The boat departs at 5:30 PM.
Breakfast
7:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Conference Center — Casco / Kidd Island Bay
Appreciation Day Activities / Lunch
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Activities are in various locations, please see your itinerary.
Wine Reception
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Lakeview Terrace
Mingle on the terrace and enjoy the views while having a few drinks before the main event.
Call Center CX Industry Awards and Gala Dinner
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Conference Center — Bay 3-4
Be dazzled at SQM's 24th Annual CX Gala Industry Awards celebration recognizing world-class performing organizations and individuals who provide great CX as judged by the customers they serve and employees who work in the contact center.
Post-Gala Extravaganza
9:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Conference Center — Bay 3-5
After the awards gala, join the casino to spin the roulette wheel, try your hand at Texas Hold 'em, and place your bets on having a jackpot experience with your team and peers! Prizes will be raffled off at 11:30 PM. We will also have live music with SuperChrome after the awards ceremony and a DJ later in the evening until midnight.
Registration Not Yet Available
Registration is not yet open for our upcoming annual CX conference and awards. We'll announce conference and registration dates when they are available.