Date Published October 17, 2017 - Last Updated December 6, 2017
In January 2017, HDI presented the Top 25 Thought Leaders in Technical Support and Service Management. To help you get to know them better and learn what it means to be a community leader, we’ve interviewed each of our thought leaders. Today, we hear from Gregg Gregory.
Tell us about your day job.
A perfect storm of events occurred in the late 1990s that propelled me into my career as a professional speaker and trainer. My background to that point included retail real estate, mortgage banking, event planning and production, and radio and television broadcasting.
After not enjoying my high school and college days, I developed an affection for learning that continues today. As I entered the full-time workforce, I remember seeing a speaker/trainer by the name of Tom Hopkins in the early 1980s. I was inspired, and unbeknownst to me at the time, I was set on a path that would take me to work with companies in a multitude of industries and companies and government agencies in 45 of the 50 United States and 5 countries around the world.
Today, the focus of my business is to help organizations create a powerful, positive culture by utilizing teamwork and collaboration. This is accomplished utilizing a multi-pronged approach that includes social media such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to share tips and strategies along with articles (some of which I have written) and insights to what great teams and service organizations are doing.
Beyond social media, I continually work on my personal development, attending conferences, reading books and periodicals, and listening to specialized audio programs. I then take this information and focus on delivering a combination of interactive training workshops, breakout sessions, and keynote addresses.
What motivates you to be active in the community?
Consider JFK’s quote, “A rising tide raises all ships.” By bringing this diverse background to the HDI community, everyone can benefit from the experiences of other industries and increase the level of community spirit and teamwork and ultimately serve the customer more effectively and efficiently.
What challenges do anticipate for tech support over the next several years?
One of the biggest challenges moving forward is recognizing that many of the essential skills necessary to work together better and enhance the customer’s experience are not a mainstay focus in traditional education. As technology continually advances and understanding of this technology increases, the one true constant will be the human interaction. Regardless of whom we serve, whether internal or external customers, our human interaction will always be essential in providing our customers with the experience they deserve.
As technology advances, the one true constant will be the human interaction.
Amy Eisenberg is the editor for HDI where she works with industry experts and practitioners to create content for technical support professionals. She has worked in B2B media and scholarly publishing for more than 20 years, developing content for print and digital magazines, print and email newsletters, websites, conferences, and technical seminars. Follow Amy on Twitter @eisenbergamy, and connect with her on LinkedIn.