“Be passionate about your product and work”

The Manitoba Customer Contact Association (MCCA) supports and partners with the customer contact industry in Manitoba. There are currently 36,000+ individuals working in and supporting the industry in Manitoba. They have supporters across Canada and are expanding. Bruce Rose, a versatile leader and executive director, is passionate about promoting the company's objectives, improving essential initiatives, and managing and directing daily operations. MCCA represents customer contact services, and understanding an expanding market helps them train agents, supervisors, and managers for organizations of all sizes and provide valuable networking opportunities.

They promote the development and sustainability of a growing, healthy, and dynamic industry by providing access to current and innovative "best practices", delivering meaningful first-class training, including industry certification, sharing industry information, trends, and challenges, providing opportunities for partnering, networking, and showcasing services and/or products, recognizing excellence in the contact center industry, and enhancing the industry’s profile and public perception.

As a leader, Bruce is always trying to find ways to learn from others. He has a great team of workplace trainers that continually inspire him to grow and learn. He is also active in organizing conferences and events for the association. This is a great opportunity to meet and learn from new people who are passionate about the industry. As a leader, it is critical to create a culture where each and every contributor wants to and does take full responsibility for the outcomes they get.

Bruce has always been passionate about customer service and how a customer’s interaction can drive business outcomes. He believes that people respond to people. "Customers interact with you and your company every time they do business with you. Your presence, behavior, and, most importantly, enthusiasm and passion will determine the quality and impact of that interaction. Thus, your passion and belief in your product or service will be felt and shown!"

They work hard on member-partner interactions. Bruce would say their work is founded on great emotional intelligence. With this skill, they can better manage relationships, control emotions, and empathize with others. They think that successful relationship management comprises of building rapport, inspiring others, providing feedback, employing diplomacy and tact, leading by example, developing and mentoring others, and building a positive team identity.

Bruce has always been passionate about customer service and how a customer’s interaction can drive business outcomes. He believes that people respond to people. “Customers interact with you and your company every time they do business with you”, For More Information www.mcca.mb.ca

Bruce is a quick, decisive decision-maker with excellent communication and organizational abilities who works well with management to build work plans, financials, and strategies. He follows a seven-step decision-making process which includes: investigatation, creating a positive environment, generating good alternatives, exploring your options, choosing the best solution, evaluating your strategy, conveying your decision, and action.

People who share their energy and love their jobs, families, or other pursuits inspires Bruce. He loves to learn from enthusiastic individuals. They inject their enthusiasm and prompt him to make his best efforts too. For him, inspiration comes unexpectedly. Thus, immersing yourself in nature, traveling, learning new things, or being among inspiring people may naturally help you find inspiration, he claims. In 2023, they are holding a virtual leadership conference, which Bruce finds motivational. It is a chance for the industry to connect, share ideas, and learn from one another.

MCCA prioritizes employee involvement. To ensure the success of the small MCCA team, everyone must know what is expected of them, have the materials and equipment needed to do their job well, receive recognition and praise for good work, care about them as people, encourage their development, and have their opinions count. Bruce thinks great people are key to their success!

They've concentrated their strategy work on customer service businesses for 25+ years. The contact center in every organization works like the heart, pumping blood throughout the rest of the human body. The contact center routes sales, inquiries, orders, information requests, and more to a department. The heart pumps blood to the body to sustain life. The contact center works in the same manner, without it, things fall apart, adds Bruce. Their goal is to spread the word about the association and how they can support members and partners from coast to coast, recognizing the strength of the contact center industry across Canada.

Feedback from members drives their work. They intend to expand their training program for newcomers to Canada over the next five years. New professional development programs for 18- to 30-year-olds will help them find rewarding jobs in the industry. Many of their programs will focus on Covid-19 recovery strategies, training opportunities focusing on current skill gaps and increasing the number of qualified candidates for the Industry to hire from.

In conversations with our members, the top 6 priorities for the Industry and the workforce will focus on better work-life balance, increased opportunities for career advancement, better compensation, more sense of purpose at work, better work culture and benefits. They look forward to another year of industry training (5000+ attendees) and enhanced interaction with their supporting members through events and recognition programs that promote their work and strategic goals.

Their long-term goals include a thriving and dynamic industry through professional development and capacity-building strategies; an increased number of groups having knowledge of and access to industry jobs and careers; a larger pool of qualified candidates from which to recruit; increased workplace productivity and better business performance; and continuing to develop and strengthen relationships with like-minded groups.

They recognize that their ambitions for the 5+ years are bold and may well extend beyond their strategic plan objectives. They will walk together with the Industry – to have a deeper impact – as their community is calling on them to do so.IE