Evolution of the Contact Center

Evolution of the Contact Center

A long, long time ago...ok, maybe not that long ago, the only thing you expected from contact center agents was for them to provide quick solutions to pressing issues. But thanks to this fourth industrial revolution we're having and new technology solutions, customers expect a digital experience when they contact support for assistance.

And whether you gamble or not, the stakes are pretty high. According to an Ovum survey on omni-channel support, 82% of consumers cited a bad customer experience as reason enough to stop doing business with a company. And to make matters more pressing, 45% of consumers expect a response to questions and issues in under one minute. Does the pizza delivery rule apply here – if it’s not there within 30 minutes its free? If only everything was so black and white.

With fierce competition and increasingly demanding consumers, the pressure is on for customer service reps to appease consumers. And luckily, there in an increasing number of critical components to assist agents in providing an all around digital experience for faster resolution and happier customers.

Live Chat: While chatbots are efficient for the right type of issue, many customers still prefer the support of a live person. According to the Ovum survey, 53% of consumers wanted quicker access to live agents. By allowing access to live agents, contact centers can both cut support costs and increase customer satisfaction.

Rules engines: Engaging visitors in live chat can be tricky as timing is always the gamble. Using a rules engine, this is no longer a guessing game as it automatically sends an invite to the consumer based on their website behavior (i.e. links clicked on).

Intelligent automation: By implementing AI-powered bots to accomplish certain basic tasks (i.e. address update, balance inquiries, etc.), agents are free to handle more pressing and complex issues. Forrester reports that 84% of customers turn to self-service channels to get their questions answered.

With most everything being a swipe up, down, left, or right, it’s only a matter of time before contact centers will cease to exist if new technology is not implemented. Contact VoiceFoundry today to find out how we can help your business maintain its existence.