After about four decades of working in two distinct careers, it’s time to retire. I’ve enjoyed my twenty-odd years working in the Computer Telephony Integration space, which has resonated with my fascination for communication modes.
I got my start in this field with a large bank, working on their IVR by virtue of an interest I developed in the OS/2 operating system. At the time, the telephone was about the only channel available for customers to contact the bank, short of visiting a branch. Our intention, with the IVR, was to provide as much self-service as possible. If the customer’s needs couldn’t be handled in the IVR, then the call was directed to an agent.
The next step in my career was working on the logic by which an agent was selected. This led me toward learning the Genesys set of routing tools; developing strategies with Interaction Routing Designer, and applications with Composer. Of necessity, I also became well acquainted with the various reporting applications furnished by Genesys to its customers, including CCPulse, CCAnalyzer, and then as Genesys made its way to the cloud, Pulse and GCXI.
Along the way, I was offered the opportunity to become a Genesys trainer. Teaching others how to use the tools took me across the Americas, to Australia, and to China and Viet Nam.
It’s been a fun ride. Wearing my consultant hat, I’ve worked for the federal government, insurance companies and banks, and healthcare providers. In some cases, I’ve been part of tight integrations where all components work well together. In too many others, though, the client’s best interests were thwarted by a belief that every component should be “best in breed”, a buying practice that guaranteed poor integration and constant effort to keep things in synch.
It was my good fortune, in some respects, to have the final place I worked as a consultant be one of these “best in breed” buyers, with a horrible mashup of barely integrated and sometime competitive solutions at work. I couldn’t wait to get away from that outfit!
Hello retirement!