The following was transcribed from a recent interview on The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström podcast. 

Organizational change of any kind requires a mix of people, processes, and technology. While the technology component is an important aspect of this mix, it is often people and processes that have the most opportunity to allow an initiative to succeed… or fail. Today we’re going to talk about the importance of ensuring you are approaching the “people and processes” component of your change initiative in the right way.

To help me dive into this topic, I talked with Sara Taheri, Chief Platform Owner for the Contact Center Transformation & Robotics at Prudential Financial. 

[Greg Kihlström] Let’s start with a little context on the challenge that we’ll be discussing today. Can you describe the relationship of people, processes, and technology in a change initiative?

Also known as the three legged stool!  The combination of these three is “balance”.   Technology is a key aspect of change and digital transformation, for sure. But without people and processes, sometimes digital transformation falls flat or don’t have as much of an impact or adoption as they can.

I’ll use the contact center world that I am currently in as an example because it’s one most of us can really relate to as we have all had to call a company to get our questions answered or get service. 

From a technology perspective, we can build the most modern contact center that handles a conversational experience and provides its customers with innovative features that wow the customer.  Ultimately, customers expect fast but reliable information, one time call resolution, and friendly helpful agents that can resolve their questions. Technology is just one aspect, but our agent efficiency and their expertise is vital in providing a fantastic experience to our customers. 

So as we are looking at transforming our technical stack we need to look and evaluate our processes and talent and make sure we evolve and show the proper attention in all three categories.

Before I Get to people and process, I have to share a story with you. Just the other day, I was on a call with a major hotel chain because I was charged for the same vacation package twice. The agent I spoke with couldn’t help me and wasn’t equipped with the knowledge and process in how to handle this scenario. I felt bad for the agent because i could tell she was trying to help but after several holds, I ultimately asked to speak with someone else to see if her supervisor could help rectify this. Unfortunately,  I got nowhere, my call lasted over an hour and the charge wasn’t reversed and I’m still waiting for that case manager who they said would contact me to contact me… This is an example of where technology may not be enough, but knowledgeable agents and a proper process would really go a long way in improving the customer experience.

When it comes to Process, that may mean evaluating our training programs and making sure our reps have the proper training.  We can look at the following:

• Our continuous learning and development programs and evaluate if we are carving out enough time for our reps to truly learn and grow and adapt to the technology we have implemented so that they are equipped with the  answers to questions they may be asked.

• We may want to consider evaluating our metrics and what we measure and determine if the organizational metrics require updating. Perhaps at some point an organization may have been focused on reducing the call handle time, and now it needs to be focused on reducing its call transfers.  If that’s the case, they should be thinking through what processes or trainings would need to change to reduce transferring a call (maybe that is increasing our agent training so they can handle a multitude of call types).

People are our biggest assets. Ensuring we make it a priority to make sure they have the most up to date information so they can be successful in servicing our customers is really important.  Our attention needs to be In looking at what we need to do to make their work lives easier. Ultimately happier agents allow for better servicing and as a result better customer.

Aside from hiring, retention and recognition programs other things that come to mind include considering things like:

• Improving collaboration tools so reps can quickly communicate with peers so they can service the customer faster and efficiently without long hold times, etc.

• Improving knowledge management tools or materials so the agent can find the information they need quickly to service customers.  

• These are examples of putting our agents first so they have the information and tools they need at their fingertips to provide the great service they want to provide to their customers.

Why do the “people and process” part of the equation often get overlooked, while the “technology” portion seems to be thought of as a silver bullet that will fix everything?

The answer is different on a case-by-case basis, but my advice is to invest the time to bring on the right talent to the program. Spend time whiteboarding and mapping out the new world you would want to operate. Don’t just look at your technology changes, think about whether your processes and metrics should change to support the transformation. This may be a change in mindset for many who have for years looked to operate in a certain way. 

Think about your talent and see if you have the right talent that will get you to where you need to go, and if not what are you going to do to get there. If not what change management training or programs may be needed to get you to where you need to go.

Challenge the status quo and keep asking if you really need to keep working that way.

What are some of the aspects of change initiatives involving people and processes that tend to cause either short- or long-term challenges?

Greg, as you are an agilist,  I think what I am about to say will likely resonate! 

With the shift to Agile and iteratively adding value, Agile teams work on implementing capabilities in an incremental fashion. We no longer live in a world where we turn off old processes one day and start on a new system with new processes the next.

This means our old technology solutions and new platforms are sometimes working in parallel, and our people have to toggle or work in multiple environments as their technology solutions gradually shift into the new world. 

This of course creates sometimes short, and at times longer term challenges. Maybe a new hire needs to learn how to operate in the legacy system and the new system for a period of time, making onboarding even more difficult or lengthy. This can cause hiring challenges as well, as you may be looking for different skillsets in the former world than you would in the future.

Now let’s talk about what leaders and managers can do to help enable more productive and lasting change? What advice would you give to a leader or manager that is at the very beginning of a change initiative that, while heavily reliant on technology, will require coordination of people and processes in order to be successful?

It’s important that leaders set the business vision, the goals they want to achieve before selecting the technology that they think will be the silver bullet in solving their challenges.

Having that business vision, will make sure that whatever is being built keeps that north star front of mind whether that vision is to offer the fastest service, best healthcare, innovative tech, whatever that may be. 

For example- and I’m just making it up here,  if the business vision is to have the shortest, fastest and most reliable quoting software out there, then this business vision needs to become the mantra, and what every team member thinks about throughout the entire process as they are designing, building and testing it.  Every team member should keep asking themself, “Are we building the right technology with the business vision in mind?”

Offer the right support players that will continue to keep the business vision front of mind, making sure that the right analysis is performed to evaluate any opportunities for change or improvement to the people and process pillars as well

How about the team that is partway through a change initiative, and perhaps things are not going 100% according to plan? What can a leader do to help increase morale and keep team members motivated?

What makes a great team is making sure that team members are highly skilled, committed and empowered.  Sometimes when you don’t have the right team set-up, the right leadership support, or an environment where there is constant change, things may not go as planned.  In addition, I think we all know that when it comes to software development, change is usually the only constant!   There are a number of different ways to help increase morale, I guess some that come to mind immediately are:

• Avoid dictating a timeline, instead share your highest priorities and let the team work through when they can get an MVP released. They are the ones closest to the work.  Believe and trust the team 

• Offer support- listen, listen, listen! 

• Celebrate failures.. missteps, and failures are an integral part of team formation. If a team has to constantly fear making a mistake they will never work their best. Continue to offer your support along the way

• Make quick decisions, Remove their roadblocks, have a process in place for escalations.

• Take time to celebrate and have fun- Celebrate even the small wins..

•  I personally am all about recognition- in know each person likes to be recognized differently, but most if not all want to know that they are doing meaningful work and that their efforts are known and recognized. 

What if you aren’t a leader or manager? What can any team member do in order to help their teammates and the overall project they are working on to be more effective?

Honestly & Transparency are big ones for me. Being a part of a transformation, it is important to be honest and transparent about all aspects of the initiative without hiding anything.  I always want to hear from the team and know if they are confident in what they are taking on within a sprint or within a quarterly program increment - If not we discuss it.    

Another effective strategy is being open to respectfully challenging one another- there is something to be said when someone speaks up and provides a differing idea or opinion. Just the idea of raising a point, gets the creative juices flowing and next thing you know, you are either on board and making a change, or getting more creative in how you are solving for it. 

Finally, let’s bring the agile component into things a little more. How realistic is it to plan a change initiative from start to finish? Where do agile approaches, iteration, and adjustment come into play?

With Agile I would like to say one creates a framework and a roadmap, but those plans can and will change as priorities change. It’s important to be nimble and welcome change and know it is part of the process.

It’s important to also remember that iterating is a big part of Agile. Being able to roll something out, get feedback from customers and those who are using the technology is critically important, so we build the right thing. As a result, unexpected changes and iterations will naturally occur 

How can a leader make these adjustments without causing the team involved to feel like there is a loss of direction?

We talked about honesty and transparency before within teams, that is the same with leaders. Honesty is always the best policy.  Let teams understand the why! 

Let them be a part of the solution where possible. It’s amazing the creative ideas, or even the willingness a team has to accommodate when they are in the know and are empowered. I’m certain if done properly, the team will typically delight you in ways you never thought were possible

Listen to the Episode

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About Sara Taheri

Sara Taheri is Chief Platform Owner, Contact Center & Robotics at Prudential Financial.

She is an innovative, collaborative, results focused leader with a track record of successfully delivering innovative digital solutions. Known for leading cross-functional teams by understanding the business, using data, creating and communicating a compelling vision and strategy, embracing the creativity of others and effectively managing and building relationships.

Sara is a Certified Agile Leader and Agile Product Owner focused on breaking down deliveries and developing shippable products iteratively. A champion of Diversity & inclusion with a history of hiring and retaining top talent and creating an innovative and collaborative culture that fosters creativity and inclusiveness.

About the Host, Greg Kihlström

Greg Kihlstrom is a best selling author, speaker, and entrepreneur and host ofThe Agile Brand podcast. He has worked with some of the world’s leading organizations oncustomer experience, employee experience, and digital transformation initiatives, both before and after selling his award-winning digital experience agency, Carousel30, in 2017. Currently, he is Principal and Chief Strategist atGK5A. He has worked with some of the world’s top brands, including AOL, Choice Hotels, Coca-Cola, Dell, FedEx, GEICO, Marriott, MTV, Starbucks, Toyota and VMware. He currently serves on the University of Richmond’s Customer Experience Advisory Board, was the founding Chair of the American Advertising Federation’s National Innovation Committee, and served on the Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business Marketing Mentorship Advisory Board. Greg is Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certified, and holds a certification in Business Agility from ICP-BAF.