A premier resort destination in the Bahamas sought to enhance its contact center operations to support its vision of becoming the most remarkable destination resort in the world. Their existing call center software, which was 25 years old and premise-based, presented significant challenges.

The system's limitations prevented the contact center from embracing the growing trend toward home-based or remote agents. Additionally, supervisors could not listen to calls for coaching, reporting was inflexible and limited, and the system couldn't interface with the customer database or the reservations system. These limitations resulted in operational inefficiencies and hindered customer satisfaction.

However, despite careful planning and selection of the vendor, the implementation phase introduced new challenges. Some modules did not perform as expected or lacked the features initially presented by the vendor's sales team. This misalignment between expectations and the vendor's capabilities created obstacles during implementation.

Additionally, the vendor's project management and implementation team experienced frequent changes, leading to inconsistencies and delays. I extended my involvement to provide continuity and maintain progress despite these disruptions to ensure the project stayed on track.

Finding qualified staff was another significant challenge. The team was already using a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) provider for overflow calls, but the quality of service from BPO agents did not match that of the client's employees. To address this, I identified a hybrid solution in Jamaica. A local company hired employees for the resort, provided them with workspace, and offered general oversight. Meanwhile, the resort contact center trained and managed these agents as if they were in a satellite office. This approach allowed the client to significantly increase its headcount, contributing to reducing call abandonment.

Recognizing the urgency to address these limitations, we initiated a Request for Proposal (RFP) process to select a suitable solution. After careful evaluation, Five9 was selected as the platform that best aligned with the client's needs.

Given the broad capabilities of the chosen solution, we opted to implement it in phases:

• Phase 1: Focused on the Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) system, which included advanced call routing, robust reporting features, and the ability for supervisors to listen to calls for coaching purposes.
• Phase 2: Integrated chat and email channels, enabling the client to consistently manage and measure all customer interactions across multiple channels.
• Phase 3: Implemented a Workforce Management (WFM) system that introduced forecasting and dynamic scheduling capabilities, greatly enhancing operational efficiency and agent performance.

Implementing the new systems significantly improved key performance metrics:

• Abandonment rates reduced by 45%
• Conversion rates increased by ten percentage points
• Agents greeted repeat guests with personalized service, thanks to the new integration with the customer database.

The client's senior leadership feedback affirmed the project's success. As a Senior Vice President noted: "Susan's deep experience within Reservation Sales provided us with some much-needed stability as we embarked on a couple of important technology implementations. Susan's depth of experience across several property types and her proactive approach helped us adopt several new initiatives. Her calming influence was very helpful during the busiest of times."

One of the key takeaways from this project was the importance of aligning the organizational structure with the new capabilities provided by modern technology. Additionally, this experience underscored the need for clear communication and thorough vetting during vendor selection. Ensuring that vendor capabilities align with project expectations is critical to a smooth implementation. In this case, maintaining consistency in project leadership was essential to overcoming these challenges and achieving the desired outcomes.

Organizations embarking on similar transformations should ensure that they have a dedicated, technology-savvy team member who can bridge the gap between technical and operational needs. This role is essential for ensuring the successful adoption of new systems.

Ultimately, the successful implementation of the new contact center solution not only improved operational efficiency but also helped solidify the resort's reputation as a premier destination focused on delivering exceptional guest experiences and increased revenues.