One month into 2015 and the call center industry is already undergoing a drastic change. Many call centers have implemented new policies and procedures to maximize their performance in the future.
The focus of these changes includes –
- Improving customer satisfaction
- Increasing agent productivity
- Reducing overhead
So what’s new in 2015?
This year there is increased emphasis on call center technologies that help businesses meet the needs and preferences of the customers. There are quite a few things changing in the call center domain with these goals in mind. Want to know more about these changes?
Follow these cool call center trends of 2015.
Call centers are now offering self-service systems along with agent support
The new age customers are far more tech-savvy than their predecessors. A large section of these customers prefers self-service over waiting in a queue to get an assisted customer support. In fact, automated service has become the in thing as it helps customers in resolving common queries.
On the other hand, self-service also bodes well for the call centers too. With self-service in the place agents no longer have to provide solutions to easy-to-fix issues and as a result they can dedicate their time to complex queries and disgruntled callers.
Also, due to self-service facility the call queue shortens considerably leading to quicker resolution of the problems. Thus, self-service can improve customer satisfaction as well as agent productivity. This way, self service offers a win-win situation for the call center and the customer.
Call centers are going Multichannel to reach customers across different communication platforms.
Call centers today do not stick to just phone calls to interact with the callers. Today there are more communication channels such as chats, video calls, mobile apps and social media have become powerful mediums to communicate with the customer and to resolve their issues.
Multi-channel communication offers callers the freedom of using any communication platform. A large number of callers today do not like waiting in queues to talk to an agent. So they prefer chat or any other ways to reach a call center. In most cases, they choose their preferred medium based on their location and convenience.
This in turn reduces complaints and increases customer satisfaction and agent efficiency.
Better use of cloud storage.
In this era of cutting edge technology, information sharing, and storage has become all the easier, thanks to cloud storage. It is not only convenient for the customers but also for the call center as well.
Cloud storage lowers their overhead by eradicating the need for large IT departments and servers that need huge space and a constant supply of electricity.
Cloud storage is especially beneficial for a multi-location call center and virtual call center. Apart from that cloud storage can also offer data safety in case of any disaster.
Superior identification and verification processes
Even today, a typical identification and verification process takes a large chunk of call time – now that is a very long procedure. To reduce this time businesses are streamlining their call centers and equipping the verification process using improved technology.
This year, call centers are using biometric technology to identify customers. A customer can use the fingerprint scanner on mobile app and voice identification on phone calls for identifying themselves.
This will ensure the security of customer data and at the same time allow companies more time to resolve customers’ inquiries.
More dependence on real-time metrics and agent reports
The customers today are more demanding. On one hand they demand quick resolution of their problems on the other they long for personalized service. The business who can strike a balance between the both ultimately wins the customers over.
Thankfully, today it is a lot easier to find out a customer’s likes, dislikes, relationships, and habits. So, an advanced metrics can be created and used in every sphere.
By incorporating the advanced metrics into a call center, a business can enjoy greater insight into their clients. Using the real-time analytics call centers can direct a particular call to the agents who can handle them.
This will ensure proper utilization of agent’s skills which will lead to better agent productivity and improved caller satisfaction. Using advanced metrics it is also possible to point out the weakness of an agent. This will also allow the company to re-train this agent on that specific part.
Implementing these practices into daily call center practice can prepare a call center for the next generation of tech-savvy customers.
