Contact center leaders often express frustration with their current technology. Yet in our experience, they have substantial opportunities to optimize efficiency and improve the customer experience by getting more out their current investments. Here are some high-impact strategies for success. Expand the Role of Data Contact centers should review the information contained in their enterprise… Read More »
“Bad guys” seem to be lurking around every corner these days. They steal customer information and break into networks and systems. The recent massive data breach at Equifax has spurred action by a host of companies to plug leaks in security. At the same time, contact centers face a growing array of compliance requirements, rules,… Read More »
In the era of “five nines” of reliability, contact center leaders didn’t worry too much about the resiliency of their technology: it was always up. Yet several factors have elevated the need for improved contact center resiliency: Delayed technology investments come home to roost when a formerly reliable machine starts to have bad days, or… Read More »
Contact centers must rise to the challenge of attaining efficiency and effectiveness. Traditional metrics support the drive for efficiency by measuring average handle time, labor cost, staffing, cost per contact, occupancy, and the like. Effectiveness presents more of a challenge. It demands a careful analysis of data drawn from enterprise applications (e.g., CRM, CIS, ERP,… Read More »
If you are in the throes of platform replacement, you may find the evaluation and selection process daunting. There are many vendors and a dizzying array of options from which to choose. And if your need for new contact center technology functions pushes you into a PBX upgrade, things can get even more complicated. There… Read More »
Contact center technology selection is more complex than ever. Vendors offer a mind-boggling array of capabilities. Sourcing options abound and are a bit tricky to navigate. Buyers constantly live in the tension between their enthusiasm for the technology and the reality of budget and resource constraints. This complexity makes it difficult to narrow options and… Read More »
Everyone wants to know what challenges people face overall, and within their center size and industry. There are so many possible changes to pursue, not to mention the barrage of input from various industry sources. As such, it’s invaluable to learn what priorities are really making it to the top of “to do” lists. Top… Read More »
Contact centers need a flexible and secure infrastructure to support remote access to support home agents, “on the go” leaders, outsourcers, business continuity, and branches and retail outlets. Fortunately, enhancements in core technology and network connectivity, along with the proliferation of cloud systems, create a simplified approach to remote access to contact center systems. For… Read More »
If you talk about omnichannel or optimizing customer experiences, you have to talk about the role of the smartphone. It is becoming THE ubiquitous and predominant tool for both self-service and assisted service. Don’t believe me? Then let me share just a few of the hard facts about them. Pew Research Center says 77% of… Read More »
Technology procurement is a mission-critical task for a contact center. If you score the right enabling technology with the right vendor partner, your center can be on the path to greater agent productivity, improved customer experience, and heightened insights into operational performance. Make the wrong choice, and you risk a painful implementation, suboptimal performance, and… Read More »