Photo Credit: Deb Achak Photography
In “Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil” by Tom Mueller, the author weaves a fascinating tapestry around the history of a product that most of us keep in our homes at all times yet don’t think much about: extra virgin olive oil.
Olive oil, according to Mr. Mueller, possesses an interesting and downright controversial history. Not only has fraud, apparently, played a significant part in the process of making olive oil, but the methodology around the classification of the quality measurements of olive oil confounds farmers, producers, sellers and consumers alike.
Whether it is the taste, the color, the smell or the “bite” in the back of your throat, premium level olive oil is a unique and wondrous entity that most of us rarely experience, as crime and corruption have cause the industry to create dumbed down, Frankenstein-like versions of the product for sale in the supermarket aisle.
What struck me most when reading this book was the author’s portrayal of a substance that actually needs little in the way of technological innovation to really shine. Malaxing, depitting, and washing machines as well as centrifuges all play a part in the process, however without an exceptional foundation (i.e. premium, hand picked olives), all of the technology in the world won’t help you achieve greatness.
So too with an outsource partner. Technology is indeed important. You need a great CRM / contact management tool, a robust ACD platform, and top of the line workforce management software, but without exceptional colleagues doing the actual work, all of the technology in the world won’t do you a bit of good. At the end of the day, the people are the ones who make it all happen. The people are the ones driving the innovation and success of the experience.
By combining A players with industry leading toolsets, companies can better position themselves to achieve greatness on the customer support front with their outsource partner.
Seems obvious enough.
Matthew Achak
Matthew Achak's blog 