In our world of rapid communication, customer input and opinions have become more crucial than ever before. A single bad opinion can spread virally, ruining a reputation, so the contact center experience must be carefully designed for maximum clarity and convenience. In a recent research report by Global Information, Inc. (GII) – a market research organization – it has come to light that three important aspects are changing the relationship between consumers and companies for the better. The trends are interactive voice response (IVR) analytics, cloud-based infrastructure, and more advanced knowledge management tools. Here is a description of how they are transforming today’s contact center world:
1. IVR Analytics
IVR has taken the call center world by storm, being used, according to the GII report, for up to 90% of the calls received by centers that use them. IVR analytics are needed because most IVR systems are not optimized to produce the most comfortable experience for the caller. An analytical program will improve the IVR system for both live and automated calls in a number of ways, such as identifying menu malfunctions and loops, reducing congestion, and extracting patterns of common usage. Three popular IVR analytics vendors are BBN Technologies, Nuance, and ClickFox.
2. Cloud-Based Infrastructure
Cloud computing has revolutionized the way people share information, and it has also been found to be a practical and cost-effective solution for contact center infrastructure. According to GII, cloud-based infrastructure is being adopted more and more rapidly, with expansion rates of 42.4% and then 80.2% for the last two years. The quality of cloud computing has increased as well, as major call centers demand better and more reliable functionality.
Vendors are developing systems that integrate with other third-party applications used by contact centers such as workforce management, customer relationship management, and quality assurance systems. Some top providers of cloud-based contact centre infrastructures are Enghouse Interactive, and inContact.
3. Advanced Knowledge Management Tools
Without a contact center performance management (CCPM) system, a center has no way of comprehensively analyzing and evaluating its overall performance. Such systems include Workforce Management. Despite this, few centers make use of them, and GII attributes this lack to poor communication of the benefits to be had. A CCPM can reduce average handle time, determine training needs and opportunities for improvement, decrease the number of call transfers, and improve first call resolution.
Currently, CPPM systems will usually not improve every aspect of a call center; instead, each center should shop around and find a product that fits their unique needs. A few of the leading vendors customer service managers can consider are Enkata, NICE Systems and Telrex.
It goes without saying that a call center that wants to stay ahead of the game will need to integrate these technologies into its management strategies. Analytics for enhancing the experience of the customer, cloud computing to easily and cheaply structure and communicate within a center, and enhanced methods of performance evaluation are gradually being realized to be the future of basic contact center operations. Those centers that refuse to upgrade will increasingly stick out like a sore thumb. And don’t forget to check out our integration guidelines to integrate any of the above solutions to your existing infrastructure.
