Your customer service defines the way people react to your brand. And in order to satisfy your current customers while attracting, even more, you have to be aware of the newest call center technologies.
The new technologies that call centers are implementing in the upcoming year are aiming to increase agents’ productivity, provide real-time analytics, and much more. In this article, we’re going to show you 6 trends you don’t want to miss out on.
So, keep reading for more.
Call Center Trends You Should Know
The approach a company takes regarding its call center technology may control its success in both the short and long terms. In order for a business to provide great support, it needs to remain open-minded regarding new technologies.
This will help keep the business competitive. Here are some call center options customers want to see:
Customers Want Multi-Channel Support
Call centers need to be able to effectively manage customer interactions across multiple departments and phone lines. If they don’t, customers are more likely to buy from other businesses with better support.
In fact, a major complaint of many customers is they aren’t always directed to the correct person right away.
Self Service Options
Today’s customers want the ability to quickly resolve their problems on their own. So, self-service options will continue to become more common across all realms of customer service.
Of all the self-service options, knowledge bases are becoming the most common.
The Cloud is Becoming More Popular
The cloud makes it easy for companies to use virtual call centers in order to become more efficient and secure. Cloud-based systems also create more flexible, easy to use options.
Customer Service Statistics
Customers know they have options and because of that, they are no longer willing to work with businesses that don’t meet their service needs.
In fact, a recent report showed that poor customer service costs businesses more than $75 billion each year. This is up from $13 billion in 2016.
2019 Call Center Technologies
Long gone are the days where call center agents manually dialed phone numbers or spoke to customers who weren’t pre-screened by an automated system.
In 2019, you will see even more advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and additional machine learning take over call centers, making them more efficient than ever.
In fact, here are 6 new call center technologies you can look forward to:
1. Better Artifical Intelligence
The presence of artificial intelligence (AI) has caused some to believe there will no longer be a need for live agents in the future. But that line of thinking is flawed.
In fact, the improvements in AI technology are making it possible for agents to work more efficiently and effectively. AI will help manage simpler tasks so the live agents are able to focus on more important, escalated calls.
Additionally, AI can quickly determine how to best assist customers based on history and context.
2. Improved Customer Satisfaction
Customer expectations are constantly rising, so the need for measuring customer satisfaction is on the rise with them. In fact, the traditional KPIs (key performance indicators) in call centers are no longer the main determiner of customer satisfaction.
So, in the upcoming year, you will see more automated surveying options in order for call centers to understand their true customer satisfaction scores (CSAT). Some of the surveys include ones that are filled out online, via email, through an IVR, and pop-ups that have star ratings.
3. Proactive Customer Service
The rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) is going to reshape the roles of customer service agents. Part of the reshaping will include agents needing to go from being an interaction handler to someone who is an expert in a certain type of product or problem.
This flexibility will require some cross training for some agents so that they have all the necessary information to provide solutions within a timely fashion. Problems may even be detected automatically by devices and sent to a contact center.
4. WebPhone
Because of its ease of use and affordability, many call centers are exchanging their PBX hardware for browser-based calling options. WebPhone includes handy features such as:
- Self-muting
- Click to call
- Audio performance management
- Call transfers
Agencies like this option because it is easy to set up and has great call quality for a fraction of the price.
5. Improved Analytics
Because most call centers are employing multiple communication channels that customers are constantly shifting between, it has become commonplace to implement advanced analytics.
This will involve the integration of analytic dashboards in order to fully analyze the data across multiple platforms. The integration will make it possible for both agents and management to see real-time updates in areas like:
- How many agents are on calls
- Average call times
- The length of the calls
- Average hold times
- Which agents are available
These visuals will help track progress and even improve training practices as needed.
6. Intelligent CallBack
Intelligent call back is a feature that customers can select when a call center is especially busy and there are long hold times. Instead of waiting for someone to pick up, the customer will receive an automatic call once the volume in the call center slows down.
At the time of the callback, the customer can press a button to say they no longer need assistance or press another to get a live agent on the line.
Contact Us Today
In today’s climate, consumers are in more control of their buying decisions than ever. So, don’t let your lack of the latest call center technologies be the reason your customers choose to do business with a competitor.
Instead, you should contact us. We can help get you on the right track.
