The challenge

When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, a global entertainment company canceled all performances and the customer support teams, which shifted to working from home, were one of the few divisions to continue operating. The virtual contact center was quickly flooded with requests for refunds or rescheduling of dates. Associates missed opportunities to interact in person and employee morale rapidly declined. It was critical that associates received more support as they adjusted to a new work environment and handled a significant increase in customer inquiries.

Our solution

As an experienced partner, TTEC recognized the challenge and quickly addressed the situation. In addition to shifting associates and leaders to a work-from-home environment, new engagement activities and protocols were developed to help associates stay connected and maintain service levels.

Daily team communications through Zoom and email internally and with the client enabled the team to provide strong leadership and guidance and reinforce the “Always Positive” approach required to sustain the spirit of the team under the challenging conditions. Teammates participated in role-playing contests and games, such as “what would be the best call for you?”

In this activity, associates teamed up in pairs and acted out their ideal customer interaction. The teams evaluated one another and the top scoring team won monetary prizes. The contest lightened everyone’s mood in addition to being constructive. Online trivia games were also helpful in building camaraderie and employee engagement.

The results

Overall performance remained strong through uncertain times. Although the service level was impacted at the start of the pandemic due to the significant influx of volume, the target was nonetheless exceeded and quickly returned to pre-COVID levels by within a month. Additionally, thanks to their strength and commitment throughout the transition to working from home, the team has maintained their long-standing monthly track record of achieving 100% customer performance indicators (CPIs). Between May 2019 and May 2021, the Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) also rose by 42 points, a significant increase.

TTEC’s innovative approach to problem-solving and prioritizing the employee experience enabled the client to maintain strong customer relationships during unprecedented and difficult times. Our partnership was also key to helping the client rebuild and expand when customer volume rose again as the company reopened with new shows and events.