Many contact centers are grappling with the challenges of delivering better and better responses in ever shorter times. At the same time, new channels are constantly being developed that need to be considered to satisfy customers. That’s how a smarter solution can increase contact center service a couple of notches!
All companies must meet their customers in the right way, at the right time, and in the right channel. Many contact center platforms are therefore investing in facilitating dialogue and reducing the gap between different contact paths – while at the same time being simple and user-friendly.
A customer service department is often divided into response groups based on different areas and expertise, which also presupposes a flexible possibility for routing cases between the different groups. Therefore, contact centers must have the correct type of system to manage customer communication in a way that reinforces their trust and increases customer satisfaction at every point of contact.
The contact center's 2 most common targets
The most common reasons companies choose to invest in a comprehensive contact center solution are mainly about making savings and increasing customer service. Regardless of the focus, the work is based on improving conditions internally and externally.
1. Reduce costs
As a business grows, so do the costs. If, for example, you acquire another company, many new customers who still expect the same type of service and contact are often added. With a clever and scalable contact center solution, you can then make sure to use the internal resources available in the best way, rather than increasing the proportion of agents in customer service, for example. Personnel is often one of the highest costs for companies, and if, with the help of technology, more cases can be handled with the same number of employees, there’s a lot of money to be saved.
2. Elevate the customer experience
The second primary goal for many companies is to improve the customer experience. With a smart solution that allows contact in several channels on the customer’s terms, the company gets a common platform to enhance and streamline its service constantly. Increasing the customer experience is not only about answering quickly on the phone and by email. It is about understanding the customer’s pains and how to solve their challenges, regardless of whether they prefer to chat or look for information on the website themselves. Better service is based on several aspects, but the goal is always to create satisfied and returning customers.
With contact center data, you get better insight into your operations, like your time to resolution, i.e., the average time between when a customer interaction is created and when that interaction is resolved. Learn more about decreasing time to resolution.
How to reach your goals with a contact center solution
Reducing costs and increasing customer satisfaction are often significant challenges that require participation and commitment from several parts of the business. But by simplifying the internal administration in contact centers, you take one giant step forward. Here are three examples of how an overall solution creates better service!
It provides better control and insight into the customer journey
With a modern contact center solution, it’s easy to automate certain routines, which allows you to offer excellent customer service throughout the entire customer journey – even if it doesn’t happen through personal contact. Examples include customers being able to leave their phone number and choose to be called up instead of waiting in a phone queue or that the system sends an automatic email reminder to provide certain information to complete an order. In this way, customers can gain better control over their dialogue with you and be constantly updated on the case's progress.
Read more: How support teams can reduce time to resolution
It creates a seamless dialogue between all channels
The basis of a contact center solution is to collect all different contact paths and channels in one platform. Not only does it give the employees an excellent overview of case management, but it also contributes to a much more natural dialogue for the customer. When you don’t have to repeat your social security number again and again or try to remember the name of the last employee you spoke to, the contact becomes much more seamless and efficient, naturally contributing to a more satisfied customer.
The customer gets a more personal contact all the way
On a platform where you have an overview of each customer’s journey, their case history, and personal information, it will also be easier to have a more personal and closer conversation. With this valuable data, you can treat the customer in a way that creates security, closeness, and, by extension, stronger trust in you. Even if someone doesn’t have contact with the same employee throughout the journey, they will feel you have a clear understanding and insight into their specific questions or challenges. It’s extremely valuable for an increased customer experience!
Read more: Why customer service teams should measure first contact resolution
Telephony and PBX as a starting point for the platform
Regardless of whether you already have a developed customer service department or want to take the first step, you need innovative telephony and a PBX system that can be mainly managed independently. With a modern set-up, it’s easy to adapt your contact channels precisely to the customer’s needs. You can present opening hours, set up forwarding and voicemail (IVR), let the customer be called up, or take the dialogue via email instead. Many telephony solutions, like Telavox, also have an internal chat that can make you even more efficient - as it is easy, for example, to get an answer from a colleague directly in a customer call. With a world-class telephony and PBX solution, contact centers thus get an excellent basis for handling incoming cases and helping customers on their terms.
Is it time for your company to acquire a contact center solution, or should you update your current one? In this guide you can discover exactly how a contact center could benefit your business and your customers. Or learn more about today's telephony and contact center trends here.
