Senior leaders in customer experience gathered at The Biltmore in Coral Gables, Florida, for the Customer Experience & Contact Center Forum from March 9-11 to discuss strategies for controlling operational costs while maintaining high-quality customer interactions.
The event addressed a key challenge facing modern organizations: balancing cost efficiency with the need to deliver strong customer service. Executives, contact center leaders, and technology innovators shared practical approaches and insights on how to adapt to increasing complexity in the industry.
A highlight of the forum was a session led by Liveops leaders Jay Arthur and Bill Trocano titled “A Practical Playbook to Reduce CX Costs by 40%.” The session focused on understanding Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) in customer service operations. Participants discussed how factors such as idle time, overtime due to staffing mismatches, attrition and retraining expenses, facilities overhead, and repeat contacts can significantly impact the true cost per interaction—often beyond what hourly rates suggest. The session also explored how shrinkage and paid non-productive time can account for a large portion of spending without directly benefiting customers.
Attendees examined delivery models including onshore support for complex needs, nearshore teams for bilingual or time-zone aligned support, offshore operations for high-volume requests, and hybrid models that blend these approaches. Leaders noted that resilient organizations are increasingly adopting blended global strategies to optimize both efficiency and service quality.
The forum also featured discussions about using ROI modeling tools like the Liveops ROI calculator to analyze current cost structures and identify opportunities for improvement. Key takeaways included recognizing that lower hourly rates do not always mean lower total costs when hidden drivers are considered; matching delivery strategy with interaction type; and improving flexibility through workforce models that align capacity with real demand.
Beyond formal sessions, participants exchanged ideas on managing seasonal demand spikes, integrating artificial intelligence alongside human expertise, improving forecasting accuracy, and maintaining service quality during scaling efforts. These conversations reflected an industry shift from viewing contact centers as cost centers toward seeing them as strategic drivers of customer relationships.
Looking ahead, organizers said that understanding true cost structures and building flexible operations will be essential as organizations seek to scale support efficiently while protecting customer experience.
