Strong opinions don’t guarantee good decisions.
In CX, moving from “I believe” to “let’s follow the process and find out” leads to smarter outcomes in Voice of Customer, Experience Design, and Quality Assurance. Evidence over ego wins every time.
This post is part of our Being Human Series — reflections on empathy, values, and the ways we connect with one another.
I recently saw a post from a senior BPO executive
“How many people agree that Quality Assurance should be co-located in the Contact Center with the agents they evaluate?”
By the way it was phrased, the answer felt pre-decided. The belief was clear: Yes, QA should sit with agents.
Is that a good decision? A bad one? Or one that supports strategic objectives?
When it comes to decision making, strength of belief doesn’t equal quality of decision.
Two ways we make decisions
I see two common approaches in our world:
The “I believe” approach
“I believe QA should be co-located with agents.”The “Let’s follow the process and find out” approach
“Let’s run the appropriate design process and see what model best supports our goals.”
Let’s compare these through a few Customer-domain examples.
Voice of Customer (VoC): belief vs. process
The “I believe” approach
“I know what customers want — I’m a customer too.”
“I’ve been in this business a long time; we don’t need to ask.”
The “Follow the process” approach
Establish listening posts.
Examine signals for insights and drivers.
Translate insights into actions and test them.
Understand how calls/chats fit the customer’s job-to-be-done.
Which one reliably produces results? You don’t need a certification to answer that.
A practical tip
When beliefs are entrenched, run a small research experiment.
If a Contact Center Manager believes “just answering the question” drives CSAT, talk to real customers. The surprise “a-ha” moments are often the most valuable — and they rarely fit our tidy assumptions.
Experience Design: belief vs. process
The “I believe” approach
“We’re the senior team. Let’s brainstorm and choose the best solution.”
The “Follow the process” approach
Work the time-honored Experience Design steps with stakeholders. Co-discover the best solution, reduce bias, and align around evidence.
One of my favorite axioms: “If you don’t have time to make a good decision, you definitely don’t have time to make a bad one.” Process saves time later.
Quality Assurance: belief vs. process
The “I believe” approach
“QA must be co-located with agents.”
The “Follow the process” approach
Clarify objectives (quality improvement, risk, coaching, calibration, cost).
Map workflows and data needs.
Explore operating models (on-site, virtual, hybrid, outsourced).
Select the model that best supports strategy.
Don’t put the cart before the horse by making the tactical call first.
Why do we skip the process?
Not knowing a process exists.
Not taking the time to run it.
Mixing up strategic and tactical decisions.
And a big one: humility.
Following a process asks leaders to say:
“I have an opinion — but it might not be the best way. Let’s find out together.”
It also requires wisdom — to navigate barriers, interpret what we learn, and implement it well.
The bonus? Involving people in a robust process develops capability.
The competency remains long after any one of us moves on.
Thank you for reading!
I regularly share stories, strategies, and insights from our work across Contact Centers, Customer Service, and Customer Experience. If this resonates, I’d love to stay connected.
You can drop me a line anytime, or subscribe via our website.
Daniel Ord
[email protected]
www.omnitouchinternational.com
