Many challenges, one aim – Contact centres making many feel like one.
Many customers contact you in many different ways. And you’re talking to agents in increasingly more places. But every time a customer interacts with you, they need to feel that they have your complete attention. And that they’re getting one complete response.
But shifts in technology and the behavior of both consumers and workers can make the job of meeting expectations difficult. New engagement channels. Remote working. The move to cloud. They all pose challenges.
Conversely, using the right digital endpoints—and management software—for your center can quickly give you an edge. How well your agents can serve customers affects satisfaction levels. And this, in turn, affects reputation and revenue.
It’s clear that your choice of communications technology is critical to creating the right conditions for quickly solving customer queries. From headsets to cloud management tools, the models you choose and how you deploy and manage them can be the difference between smooth calls and tricky conversations.
In this blog, we look at some of the key trends that are creating challenges and opportunities in the contact center. And how you can stay one step ahead.
Shifting to the cloud – Reliability is key. That’s long been the mantra of the contact centre.
The result? A tendency to wait and see, and to stick to on-premises servers and agents at desks.
But the visibility, agility, and scalability of cloud platforms are too much to ignore. With cloud-based tools and smart endpoints, contact centers can unify their communications devices—connecting disparate technology, data, and people better.
Contact center partners should demonstrate how they can help you erase distance and complexity through their cloud-ready devices, so that every interaction feels as natural as a in-person chat.
Moving from multi to omni – Web chat, Emails, Social channels.
They’re all typical ways to speak to customers, alongside voice. But consumers now expect more than just choice. They want to flow between channels with nothing getting missed. Contact centers need systems that are smart enough to bring everything together, so that the backstory is always there and the customers don’t need to repeat themselves.
The number of customer interactions is growing exponentially. You’ll need technology that takes advantage of artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics to make you more efficient—building a future-proof platform to help you make smarter decisions.
Raising your voice – The rise of Omnichannel has raised the status of live agent voice.
People tend to first self-serve through web and apps, and only speak to agents if they cannot answer the questions they may have. That’s why voice has become a priority with major implications to your brand. This creates the goals of:
- Creating ideal conditions for your calls
- Finding and retaining talented agents.
Neutralizing noise
Noise distracts. Noise irritates. Noise harms. So, the headsets you choose and the way you manage them matter. Whether it’s the stress it could cause to staff (e.g., leading to absences) or the irritation it can cause in customers, failing to deal with noise damages your business.
It’s best to take a comprehensive approach to noise mitigation. This includes active noise-canceling technology and born-in-the-cloud management platforms—helping you spot issues before they’re problems.
Remote control
Working remotely can work well for both agents and contact centers. Agents don’t have to be in a busy office or commute. And contact centers can save on office space.
But a disparate workforce risks creating disparate experiences for customers. The noise-canceling headset and the visibility that comes with a cloud management tool can offset this, letting you accommodate the many needs of a diverse workforce.
Video can prove an important tool here, too. Not necessarily for customer-agent conversations (unless this is a channel you want to open), but more for training or team building. Seeing each other—and using body language—can help offset the fact that people are working in different places.
A move to more remote workers can go hand in hand with a shift to softphones. It’s a good idea to ask your provider if their solution supports leading CX softphones and CRM systems, so agents have the detail they need wherever they are.
Hearing the difference – 5 things to ask an endpoint provider
- Do you have a proven track record supporting contact centres?
- Is your technology compatible with industry-leading platforms?
- Can you support us at every stage, from setup to servicing?
- Are your devices and endpoints cloud-ready?
- Do you offer a cloud management tool that gives insight based on data and analytics with a single view?
Making meaningful connections – The technology you choose for your contact centre can be the difference between productive calls and challenging conversations.
It’s key to adopt a complete solution, one that combines headsets built specifically for voice agents, a cloud management tool to get the most out of them, and the support services that let you focus on your customers.
With the right cloud-ready devices, you can turn the many moving parts of your contact center into a more cohesive whole. That’s more efficient, more flexible, and more responsive.
The many benefits add up to one thing: a better experience for you, your people, and your customers.
