HfS Research Says ‘Get Ready For Gig CX!’

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I have been arguing here in my articles for months, maybe even longer, that Gig CX is about more than just BPO or contact centers. Gig CX is not replacing BPO, it is offering captive contact centers and BPOs the opportunity to create a genuinely flexible work environment.

This is a fundamental change in how people work.

Some of the international analysts that cover customer service and CX are listening. Take a look at this summary of Gig CX by Melissa O’Brien of HfS Research.

Let’s consider come of the key points that Melissa raises here:

• Gig work has been around for a long time. We don’t need to keep looking at services like Uber to explain what the gig economy is when gig platforms like Upwork have been around for decades.

• Gig CX is flexible and allows existing BPOs to augment what they are doing – that’s right. It doesn’t have to be the end of the line for contact centers and BPOs. It can be layered on top to make your services more flexible.

• Gig CX allows brands to tap into their fans – you can find highly specialized expertise in gig workers – people who would never go for a job in a contact center. Think how powerful it could be for a gamer to ask for in-game help and then to be guided by an agent who also loves the game – or a fashion brand that seeks out fans on Instagram and asks if they want to help represent the brand.

Melissa’s article summarizes Gig CX this way: “Operations leaders worth their salt must absolutely be exploring the potential for gig to augment their workforce.” She added: “The pandemic has fueled a cultural shift. The idea of working from anywhere means you don’t have to be tied to a desk, and gig is just the next phase of that shift. Enterprise operations leaders must examine this delivery option if they haven’t already as a lever to pull for staff augmentation and improved CX.”

Must absolutely be exploring… that’s a strong statement. The team at HfS Research believes that the pandemic has changed how people work and what employees expect from employers. Gig CX can tap into a home-based labor pool that works flexible hours because that’s exactly what they want from their job.

At last! Someone in the analyst community can see that Gig CX is actually good for the workers – they get the flexibility they are demanding. It’s good for the employer – they also get the flexibility to scale their customer service operation up and down as required. It’s also great for the customer because we don’t want to hear all those excuses about Covid or Black Friday – we just want to be served efficiently.

Do take a few minutes to read Melissa’s article because I believe we are now starting to see the tide turning. Gig CX is no longer a prediction for the future of customer service. It’s right here, right now, and smart brands are already out there finding people who love their products and asking those fans if they want to work part-time helping other customers.

Let me know what you think once you read it. Do you agree? What would you add? Leave a comment here or get in touch via my profile page.

Image CC by Mauro Mora

Terry Rybolt
Leveraging the value of business and people to create opportunities for growth on global platforms is my passion. My specialty is creating and executing the forward-thinking strategies that drive sustained and profitable revenue growth in fast evolving markets. Leveraging expertise in multimillion-dollar P&Ls, large geographically diverse workforces, complex sales processes and strategic resource allocation, I build the cultures of collaboration, energy and alignment that create highly competitive market leaders.

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