Live from ICMI Conference - HR as a Contact Center with Bianca cover art

Live from ICMI Conference - HR as a Contact Center with Bianca

Live from ICMI Conference - HR as a Contact Center with Bianca

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 Episode Summary Broadcasting live from the ICMI conference in Orlando, Amas and Bob discuss the evolving role of AI in contact centers, the ongoing struggle for strategic recognition, and welcome special guest Bianca, who shares her unique perspective on running HR as a contact center at Michigan State University. Key Topics & Timestamps 00:00 - Opening & Conference Impressions Podcast introduction (running since 2020, available on all platforms)Day 2 reflections from ICMI conferenceThe shift in AI messaging: less prominent on vendor backdrops than previous year 03:00 - The Strategic Positioning Problem Why contact centers remain viewed as cost centers despite being more strategic than everThe CFO's perspective and the "drive to zero" mentalityAHT obsession vs. strategic value creation 05:21 - The Power of Storytelling Bob's insights on communicating with executivesThe binder story: metrics vs. narrativeMarketing's lesson: taking credit for soft impactGetting CFOs to sit with agents (the "three clicks vs. 19 clicks" story) 10:01 - Guest Interview: Bianca Pryson Background: retail, waitressing, Urban Outfitters merchandiserHow she "fell into" HR customer service at MSUManaging a 3-person contact center handling 10,000+ calls and 10,000+ emails annually 14:35 - Putting the Human Back in Human Resources Training team on de-escalation and service basicsPhilosophy: servant leadership + customer-centric approachTreating unit HR as primary customersThe "useless in email" turnaround story 21:24 - The Tips Debate Amas's controversial proposal: tips for contact center agentsBianca's counter: extra PTO as tipsUnder $50 purchase discussion (travel charger vs. Neti pot) 23:38 - When HR IS the Contact Center "Who polices the police?"Zero complaints or escalations since taking the roleUsing Genesys (not yet using AI capabilities) 26:00 - Technology & Generational Preferences Gen Z wants chatbots and modern techContact center as talent pipelineHR chatbot pilot program coming 28:15 - Final Advice Help HR understand the contact center's roleInternal customer service = external customer serviceContact centers should be talent funnels for the organization Guest Bio Bianca is the HR Customer Service Experience Manager at Michigan State University, where she leads a team serving over 50,000 students, 6,000 faculty/staff, and 10,000+ retirees. With a background in retail management and customer service, she transformed MSU's HR service delivery by implementing contact center best practices and achieving zero escalations since taking the role. Key Takeaways AI isn't going away - it's just not the flashy selling point it was; companies are focusing on service improvement outcomes insteadStories > Metrics - National Speakers Association wisdom: spend 80% of time on stories, 20% on data when communicating with executivesContact centers remain undervalued - despite increased strategic importance, most still lack a "seat at the table" and are viewed as cost centersInternal service = External service - Research shows poor internal customer service directly leads to poor external customer serviceThe contact center talent pipeline - Smart organizations use contact centers as funnels to develop and promote talent throughout the organizationSmall contact centers face unique challenges - With only 3 people handling 20,000+ annual interactions, operational efficiency becomes criticalGen Z wants technology - Modern contact center tech is a competitive advantage for attracting younger talent Notable Quotes "I believe the contact center is even more important today than it was pre-AI." - Amas Tenumah "My team and I put the human back in human resources." - Bianca "If you want to grow, the way you're going to grow is you're going to invest in us." - On marketing's successful narrative (and what contact centers should emulate) "Whether it's three people or 25 people, they're just as important." - Bianca on not canceling orientation "When you have poor internal customer service, you have poor external customer service." - Bianca Connect Find the Contact Center Show: Available on all major podcast platforms Frequency: 2-3 episodes per month since 2020 This episode was recorded live with a studio audience at the ICMI Conference in Orlando, Florida.
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