You may have heard of the incredible story of the Thailand Soccer Team Cave Rescue. The world watched with bated breath, the plight of a soccer team of boys, aged 11-16, and their 25-year-old coach. They were all trapped in a Thailand cave following an exploration that went horribly wrong.
Real life stories, especially the ones that have positive endings, like the Thailand Soccer Team Cave Rescue, often form the inspiration for exciting entrepreneurial strategies. Here are 5 valuable lessons we can learn from this dramatic rescue operation that can positively impact the way we operate our contact center businesses:
The Power of Expertise
In the Thailand cave rescue mission, experts in the form of the Thai Navy Seal Team were brought in to manage this exceptionally difficult mission and the success of their deployment speaks volumes about their knowledge and skills.
As a contact center manager, you will come across instances where you don’t have the necessary level of knowledge or expertise to manage certain situations that arise. In the interest of your business success, it’s important to take a step back and consider on-boarding someone who can provide expert advice as you are navigating areas that you are not familiar with.
This can often times be as simple as hiring a contact center consultant to help you understand the problems that are impacting your management and operations and how you can deal with them.
The Need for Risk Management
A lot of things can go wrong in an operation such as the Thailand cave rescue. Injury, death, and the looming possibility of mission failure, were all potential risks that the Thai Navy Seal Team had to take into account. Effective risk management was the only way to mitigate the risks involved in the operation.
The team considered many different options for rescuing the soccer team, including an alternative route via the mountains overhead to gain a means of possible entry. The final decision to use divers was taken only after all risks and options were weighed carefully.
In contact centers, managers must oversee many types of potential risks to the business such as data breaches to the company as well as to customers. Mitigating risks involves gathering adequate information about all the parameters involved, understanding the types and levels of risks, and creating an actionable plan to manage these risks.
The Importance of Teamwork
Had it not been for the extensive teamwork and collaboration involved in the rescue mission for the Thailand Soccer Team Cave Rescue, the results may well have been entirely different.
Likewise, the importance of teamwork in a contact center should never be undermined or compromised. All parts make a successful greater whole. Synergy between the various components of a contact center, such as sales and customer service, is essential to make it a seamlessly functioning and lucrative operation.
Willingness to Change Gears When Needed
While planning is an important aspect of management in a contact center, a certain amount of flexibility is called for to tackle issues or sudden changes that can come up from time to time. The Thai Rescue Team demonstrated this in ample measure when they had to change and adapt tactics to suit the needs of the operation in the interest of extracting the full soccer team safely.
Persistence in the Face of Obstacles
Water and time were two of the biggest obstacles that the Navy Seal Team faced in the cave rescue. They had a very small window of opportunity to rescue the soccer team. The loss of a team member’s life also brought home the fact that this was a dangerous mission. Had it not been for their persistence, the entire soccer team may not have made it out.
There are many times during contact center management that you will come across situations that seem insurmountable. Persistence is the only option to navigate these times and come out on top.
At CH Consulting Group, we specialize in contact center consultation and can help you to effectively mitigate your risks and manage unfamiliar situations that may arise in your contact center. Get in touch today for details and take a look at the full suite of services that we offer.
