This is Life!: Revolutions Around the Cruciform Axis

Your Prayers

I ask your prayers for me regarding work.

Tomorrow is the first fully operational day for the inbound contact center I've built. Due to an unintentional series of events, the full operational functionality of the center (both email and phones) has come in two stages and a later dates than originally set. We were set to "go live" on 5 Sep, but the various decisions regarding phone functionality (hardware and software) had to be made, and the date for the phones got pushed back. We even had some initial connectivity issues, and couldn't "go live" on emails till 7 Sep, and even some of the internal routing of the emails we're tasked with handling has yet to be implemented by IS. But the phone system has finally been installed, tested and is ready to go. (In fact, if you call in, you'll hear my voice for some of the recordings. You know, "All our representatives are busy helping other callers . . ." How goofy is that!?)

So, long story short, we are set to be fully operational beginning at 08:00 tomorrow morning. It's a pretty amazing thing. I've put this thing together in just over 90 days and now it's ready to become a reality. When I say things like, "I've built . . ." or "I've put this thing together . . ." you should of course realize that I've utilized the talents and resources of a few dozen individuals internally and several externally. I'm more like a coordinator here. But ultimately whatever happens beginning tomorrow, it will devolve on moi.

It's a rather frightening thing. Exhilirating--I've never been so excited about work before. But nonetheless, scary as hell.

So, with that long windup, here is what I wish prayers for specifically:

1. Success

By that I do not mean the lack of problems. There will always be problems, snafus, and other glitches that accompany start up. They are to be expected. We've tried planning for them.

No, I mean the lack of any systemic failures. Anything that would signal that we have a major, fundamental and essential aspect of the contact center wrong, missing, screwed up, or what have you. Thus far things have gone well, but adding the phones tomorrow can add catalysts to the mix that will uncover . . . things.

So pray for success.

2. Expectations

This contact center is an unheard of entity in the organization for which I work. People have ideas of what a contact center is and/or should do. Most of them are close. Some of them are way off base. The better part of my three months thus far has been managing those expectations.

There are also expectations attendent upon the opening. I think folks anticipate constant phone ringing, as we take fifty or more calls per hour. That is almost assuredly NOT going to happen. At best, on our first day, I think we can experience a few calls per hour, with the middle of the day have some peaks into the double digits. It may even be less than that.

I'm afraid that if there is a lot of silence, some will get the sense that the contact center is an unnecessary expense. There is no doubt that the contact center has already proven itself valuable to the organization, and adding the phones will only add to that value. But it's hard to undo first impressions. And if the first impression of a team of relatively idle agents, it can create some unnecessary hurdles for the future.

So, there you have it. Probably the longest-winded prayer request in blog history.

But I would appreciate your prayers, not only tomorrow through the day, but from time to time going forward.

Posted by Clifton at October 1, 2006 07:09 AM | TrackBack