In a contact center environment that relies on efficiency in order to satisfy the needs of their customers, finding systems and methods for improving productivity is critical. Customers want to resolve their issues as quickly as possible, and contact center teams want to deploy their time and resources efficiently.
The following five solutions, when implemented in a contact center, can help contact center teams boost productivity, offer superior customer service, and increase conversions.
1. Provide agents with customer information and call history. Knowing a customer’s history with a caller can help agents know how to best serve the customer. Contact center software can deliver customer account information to an agent as soon as the agent receives a call. Agents can see where the customer is calling from, if and when they have called before, with whom they spoke, and how they were helped. When an agent has all available customer information, customers do not have to repeat information they have previously provided, and agents are able to promptly resolve customers’ issues.
2. Use contact center software to automate data entry. In most contact centers, after customer interactions agents must enter data into multiple systems. Manual data entry consumes agents’ time and resources that could be better spent serving customers. Manual data entry also increases the chance of human error, which can cause issues for agents and customers down the line. Automated data entry records call information on multiple platforms and allows agents to spend time helping customers.
3. Give customers the opportunity to serve themselves. Providing customers the option to check a balance or pay bills over the phone saves agent time and resources for more complicated customer issues. Implementing contact center software that offers voice response allows customers to easily accomplish simple tasks without having to speak, chat, or email an agent.
4. Be prepared to communicate with customers via multiple channels. The modern contact center customer appreciates options when it comes to contacting a company. Contact center software allows customers to call a contact center, email the contact center, chat with an agent, or use social media to reach a business. Offering more than one channel of communication reduces call wait times, allows agents to handle multiple customers at once, and lets customers contact a business on their terms.
5. Route customers to the appropriate agent. Different contact center agents have different skills. Some agents may be better equipped to handle chats and others may be better prepared to take calls. Some agents may be better suited at handling specific issues. Contact center software can allow staff to configure routing options so customers are able to reach the agent best suited to handle their issues.
By implementing omni-channel contact center solutions that increase efficiency, contact center teams are able to better serve customers, serve more customers, and increase sales and up-sell conversions in the call center.
