Reports of the decline of human interaction in the contact center are premature. While it might be a noble goal to obsolete phone calls, email, chat, and text, the need for dialog is still strong. Sometimes self-service fails. Some customers dislike self-service. Some transaction s are not well-suited to self-service. Whatever the reason for wanting… Read More »
In all likelihood, you offer at least one self-service channel, even if it is as basic as an IVR. So why are you still talking to customers? It’s because self-service falls short, and customers can’t find information or complete transactions without assistance. The value in closing this gap is huge – in dollars and customer… Read More »
Analytics, specifically speech analytics, has generated a great deal of excitement for over 10 years. The industry’s enthusiasm lies in the potential value that can be garnered from the countless customer conversations occurring each day. In a quick sampling of clients who were early adopters of speech analytics and others who are in hot pursuit,… Read More »
The contact center technology market has become increasingly diverse and complex. With many sourcing options (premise, hosted, cloud, managed services), a growing number of vendors, and the dances those vendors do with their partners, it’s a wonder anyone can make a good decision, much less a timely one, when pursuing new solutions. Pricing comparisons alone… Read More »
Contact centers are a team sport. No one has all of the answers all of the time. Agents work with peers, team leads, escalation resources, corporate subject matter experts (SMEs), and others to resolve customer issues. They can also receive or share information, files, or updates to ensure they stay current. Supervisors/Team Leads support the… Read More »
Every contact center wants details on why customers call, both to route them in real-time and to report on call types. Many centers structure prompts to enable reporting on call reasons. Customers assume their selections lead to targeted service experiences. Yet quite often, they’re all routed to the same group regardless of menu choice! Prompt-driven… Read More »
Almost without exception, our clients express frustration with their contact center reporting. Important data located in various applications and strategic information requests drive the need to export data into warehouses and spreadsheets to meet business needs. But in doing so, the value of contact center technology reporting applications is lost. It’s time to get back… Read More »
As consultants, we often hear clients complain about their technology. But when probed for suggestions to improve their circumstances, they’ll say, “We don’t know what we don’t know!” This post and the associated full-length article explore practical ways that you can close the knowledge gap and take responsibility for getting more from your technology. FIRST:… Read More »
Contact centers have long been interested in cloud contact center solutions to compensate for scarce IT resources and pursue enhanced contact center technology. As cloud solution providers have expanded the features/functions, architecture choices, and services provided, there truly is something for everybody. Contact center management, contact center support, and IT in centers of all sizes… Read More »
The “hair on fire” days of alarms and emergency back-up staff running into the center to log into the ACD to take calls are gone. Workforce Management systems and staffing strategies help managers plan for and react to variable contact volume. Yet even with effective planning, centers still struggle to handle unpredicted volume and peak… Read More »