You don’t want to be on the bleeding edge of technology in a contact center.
“Fast followers” almost always get the best ROI.
Early adopters absorb costs from:
– Implementation mistakes
– Higher purchase prices
– Unclear best practices
– Integration problems
– Vendor immaturity
– Reliability issues
Later adopters typically benefit from:
– Lower prices
– Better quality products
– Proven implementation methods
The savings from being a first adopter just aren’t there.
But the bigger issue is this:
In a contact center, technology is rarely a primary competitive advantage.
Two centers running identical software can have dramatically different results.
The difference comes down to execution:
– Training your people
– Keeping them upskilled
– Making sure you have really good processes
– Building strong people management and leadership
That’s where you want to be on the cutting edge.
Be world-class at execution and performance.
Let others be first with the tools.
So the ideal position isn’t first adopter.
But it also isn’t the laggard.
It’s fast follower.
Wait until the technology is proven.
Let others learn the mistakes.
Adopt once the ROI is clear.
I’m Mark Danielson, and I help healthcare leaders reduce support costs while improving patient satisfaction.
Follow me for practical insights on cutting contact center costs, improving service quality, and modernizing operations without the tradeoffs.
