The Contact Center Coach

Hosted by The Contact Center Coach

Business

Website RSS feed

Episodes

151

Latest episode

Sep 2026

Language

About the show

Michael J. Tamer is a 25-year veteran of the customer contact industry. Michael is the author of the book, The Four-Minute Customer, and visionary who was at the forefront of contact center quality monitoring software development. Throughout his career, Michael has been teaching the benefits of quality to organizations all over the world, including the United States Senate. Michael has received honors for his career achievements including Call Center Magazine's Pioneer Award and induction into the Call Center Hall of Fame.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

November 3, 202620 min

Podcast 153- The $1 Million Hiring Class You Didn't Know You Could Eliminate

What if your next contact center hiring class could cost you over $1 million a year—and you didn't need it? Rising handle times, declining quality scores, and costly turnover have long been accepted as part of contact center operations. But what if improving agent performance could eliminate your next hiring class entirely? In this episode, Michael Tamer reveals how smarter performance measurement and faster agent proficiency can dramatically reduce staffing costs without sacrificing service quality. In this episode, you'll discover: How to uncover the true cost of a hiring class, including recruiting, training, lost productivity, early attrition, and the ongoing expense of maintaining additional headcount. Why reducing average handle time and accelerating agent proficiency can eliminate unnecessary hiring, without sacrificing service levels, customer experience, or operational performance. How to turn staffing decisions into measurable cost savings by proving your existing team has the capacity to handle demand before committing to another hiring class.

September 17, 202614 min

Podcast 152 The Call That Never Happens - 9:17:26, 8.24 AM

What if your contact center’s biggest savings opportunity isn’t shortening calls—but eliminating the calls that never needed to happen in the first place? Contact centers have spent decades attacking their biggest call drivers, automating simple interactions, and pushing customers toward self-service. But reducing calls on a report isn’t necessarily the same as eliminating them. Some customers simply move to another channel. Others call back later—often more frustrated, creating an even longer and more expensive interaction. Today, AI and 100% interaction analysis make it possible to uncover something traditional sampling couldn’t: the hundreds of smaller, unnecessary call reasons hiding beneath your top ten. And taken together, those calls may represent an enormous opportunity to reduce cost while actually improving the customer experience. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to distinguish between calls that are truly eliminated, calls successfully completed through automation, and calls that were merely deflected somewhere else. Why spending an extra 20 seconds during one interaction can prevent an entire six-minute call later—and why traditional handle-time metrics can actually punish your best agents for doing exactly that. How to look beyond your top ten call drivers, identify repeat-contact patterns hiding in the “long tail,” change your scorecards before they work against you, and measure whether calls actually disappeared instead of simply resurfacing somewhere else.

November 19, 202514 min

Podcast 151-Why Magic Should Be the Standard in Your Contact Center — Not the Exception

What if your contact center is sitting on all the data, tools, and talent it needs to create daily moments of operational magic—but you’re still only experiencing a fraction of what’s possible? For years, leaders have been limited by blind spots—seeing only a handful of interactions each month and building processes around survival instead of success. But with full visibility into every call, chat, and customer moment, your center can finally eliminate the darkness that once restricted performance. This episode shows how modern QA, AI-assisted coaching, and real-time insight open the door to faster operations, cleaner processes, happier employees, and customers who feel the difference immediately. Listeners will discover: • How shifting from limited insights to full interaction visibility transforms coaching, performance, and employee confidence almost overnight. • The measurable signals that show whether your center is experiencing real “operational magic”—from lower costs to higher loyalty to cleaner processes. • What every leader should expect—and demand—from vendors offering AI, QA, and agent-assist tools in today’s contact center environment.

October 29, 202520 min

Podcast 150-“I Was There When Quality Monitoring Began—Now I’m Watching AI Transform It All Over Again.”

I Was There When Quality Monitoring Began—Now I’m Watching AI Transform It All Over Again What if the biggest changes in contact centers aren’t really new at all—just lessons we keep relearning? For over 30 years, we’ve been chasing the perfect balance between quality and quantity, the same tension that started when call monitoring was done with cassette tapes. Now, AI promises to revolutionize quality monitoring again—but unless leaders understand the five unchanging truths of this industry, they risk repeating the same mistakes with newer tools. In this milestone 150th episode, you’ll discover: How lessons from the early days of quality monitoring reveal what AI must do differently to actually deliver faster, better, cheaper results. Why technology should always be treated as the driver, not the destination—and how that mindset changes everything. The five timeless truths every contact center leader must embrace to create a thriving, not just surviving, organization.

August 25, 202514 min

Podcast 149-Podcast 149-How One Word Can Decide If You Deserve a Raise (It’s Not What You Think)

Do you really deserve a raise—or are you just hoping one comes your way? Many contact center leaders and professionals assume promotions and pay increases are outside of their control, but the truth is your leverage—the gap between the value you bring and the compensation you receive—is what determines whether your company can afford to lose you. Without leverage, raises, bonuses, and promotions remain out of reach no matter how hard you work. In this episode, you’ll discover: How to identify and strengthen five critical areas of leverage—performance, problem solving, leadership, culture, and unique value. Why documenting and communicating results makes the difference between being overlooked and being irreplaceable. Practical ways to grow your skills and become the person your company doesn’t want to see walk out the door.

August 18, 202518 min

Podcast 148-How AI Promises Career-Changing ROI in Contact Centers (If You Apply It Right)

Are you overlooking the simple AI-driven changes in your contact center that could deliver career-changing ROI? Every leader is under pressure to cut costs, improve service quality, and support agents — and the latest AI tools promise to do it all. But success isn’t about the technology itself; it’s about how you apply it to speed up service, improve accuracy, and build a stronger coaching culture. In this episode, you’ll learn: The measurable ROI behind post-interaction summaries, Auto-QA, and real-time assist. How “faster, better, cheaper” works only when paired with culture and coaching. The hidden risks of waiting too long to adopt AI in your contact center. 👉

June 6, 202524 min

Podcast 147-Six Types of Turnover Sabotaging Your Contact Center & How to Stop Them

👉 Is high turnover silently wrecking your contact center — and what can you do about it before it's too late? If you’re a contact center leader battling unachievable KPIs, burnout, and constant agent attrition, this episode digs into the hidden dangers you’re facing — and how they’re stalling your team's performance and culture. Discover why the same outdated strategies are setting your center up for failure and how rethinking turnover can change everything. ✅ Learn the 6 most damaging types of turnover hurting your contact center right now — and how to spot them early. ✅ Discover practical, no-cost ways to strengthen your hiring, training, and coaching processes to boost retention starting tomorrow. ✅ Gain insights on how small, strategic changes can drive massive improvements in employee engagement, morale, and overall performance.

April 15, 202518 min

Podcast 146-Stop Coaching Listening—Start Living It- The Real Path to Great Contact Center Leadership

Are you just hearing... or are you truly listening? What if the key to becoming a respected leader isn’t what you say—but how deeply you listen? In the contact center world, we train agents to listen actively every day—yet many leaders struggle with the same skill. This episode dives into the crucial difference between hearing and listening, and how that one distinction could reshape your leadership, elevate team trust, and fast-track your influence up the org chart. By tuning in, you'll learn: How to eliminate distractions and sharpen your listening focus—even in noisy environments Practical verbal and nonverbal techniques that show your team you're locked in A powerful mindset shift for listening to your leader, your team, and even yourself Listen now to discover the 3 essential techniques that will make you a more present, effective, and trusted contact center leader.

March 10, 202520 min

Podcast 145- Show Me The Money! Why ROI Is Everything in Your Contact Center.

When was the last time you used the term "ROI" at work? One hour ago? One month? Never? If you’re leading or want to lead in a contact center, understanding and using ROI should be second nature. In the high-pressure world of contact centers, every decision—whether about staffing, technology, or training—impacts the bottom line. Leaders who fail to measure success in terms of return on investment struggle to justify initiatives, optimize costs, and gain executive buy-in. If you want to stand out and advance your career, you must think like a business owner and master ROI. Learn how to frame your ideas and initiatives in terms of ROI to gain leadership support. Discover why cost-cutting isn’t about squeezing employees but about smarter, more efficient operations. Get practical, real-world strategies to balance engagement, efficiency, and profit while improving customer experience.

February 27, 202521 min

Podcast 144-Why Being a Giver Is the Secret Leadership Trait Contact Center Leaders Overlook

What’s the one thing that could transform your leadership, career, and personal relationships—without costing you a dime? In this episode, I reflect on the life of my late father, an extraordinary giver, and explore what it truly means to be a giver in both life and leadership. Whether it’s your time, wisdom, or support, giving can shape your legacy and elevate those around you. But how do you cultivate the right mindset to be a giver? Discover the four essential attributes of a true giver and how they can change your career and relationships. Learn how generosity and empathy can make you a more effective leader in the workplace. Find out why being intentional about giving can create a lasting impact on those around you.