Dogs are unbiased, loyal and good at mirroring; cats are headstrong and autonomous. Qualities that the ideal customer contact employee can certainly learn from. To give Animal Day 2024 some power, we present here under the name 'animals in the news' (with thanks to Ko the Forester) our quirky overview of animal-related Ziptone articles.

 

From Amsterdam Animal Ambulance and contact center dogs to Tamagotchi and free-range chickens, here they come:

1. Control room staffed by volunteers

De Animal Ambulance Amsterdam is led by director and manager Margje de Jong. De Jong has been working for the organization since 2016, which consists of 14 paid employees and 164 volunteers. Both the control room and the ambulances are staffed by volunteers. De Jong: “We are the eyes and ears of the health services when it comes to animals. For example, the Animal Ambulance is the first point of contact for reports of diseases that pose a threat to public health, such as bird flu and rabies.” Want to read more? Check out part 11 in the series on unusual contact centers.

2. Customer contact with animals

We go from customer contact about animals in one go to customer contact with animals. Scientists have been working on creating a database of animal sounds for some time now. Although pigs are relatively smart animals, the specialists at the Earth Species Project (ESP) began by collecting whale sounds. The non-profit organization aims to enable two-way communication between humans and animals – and in doing so, significantly increase the possibilities for communication between animals.
The first results are expected in 30 years, but we all know by now that AI can sometimes make a huge sprint. That's why it's important for customer contact professionals to think now about what happens when pets can contact customer service via AI. Want to read more? Check out this article about Customer contact in 2030.

3. Lucknow (India) opens 24×7 helpline for stray cows

The district administration of Lucknow, a city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, has opened a helpline where residents can report abandoned cattle. Teams of five officials have been set up in surrounding villages to respond immediately to calls. In the region, killing cows carries a prison sentence of up to seven years. Older animals are often abandoned in the city of more than two million people. Read more: animals in the news.

4. The added value of a contact center dog

As customer contact experts, we have the data, the tools and the process maps, so the customer really can't fool us anymore. What can an office dog add to the human dimension in customer contact?
“An office dog softens people. When you are busy petting or cuddling an office dog – that is not the intention with an assistance dog – you can suddenly have different conversations with people. Topics that seemed unmentionable come within reach. An office dog can really help companies.” Learn more?

5. What is the similarity between a real pet, an electronic pet and a chatbot?

In the mid-90s, it was the talk of the town: the Tamagotchi. The egg-shaped, electronic pet was of Japanese origin, fit in the palm of your hand, pocket or pencil case, and was the alternative for anyone who wanted a pet, but whose parents were careful not to fall for it. Read more

6. And one more: what is the difference between a contact center agent and a free-range chicken?

The latter has more room for manoeuvre. Even in the time when working from home was far from self-evident – ​​so yes, pre-corona – the contact centre was seen as a 'breeding ground'. But if you want to cultivate high potentials, you will first have to keep them on board. For example, the content and organisation of the daily work will have to be well aligned with the changed expectations of (particularly younger) employees. If the work itself is not very challenging, career policy has little chance of success. Read More

(Ziptone/editors)

Customer Experience