{"id":958771,"date":"2020-03-24T14:38:08","date_gmt":"2020-03-24T21:38:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/customerthink.com\/?p=958771"},"modified":"2020-03-24T14:38:08","modified_gmt":"2020-03-24T21:38:08","slug":"contact-centers-dont-need-to-be-cost-centers-why-arming-agents-with-a-full-view-of-customers-is-worth-the-effort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/contact-centers-dont-need-to-be-cost-centers-why-arming-agents-with-a-full-view-of-customers-is-worth-the-effort\/","title":{"rendered":"Contact Centers Don’t Need To Be Cost Centers: Why Arming Agents with a Full View of Customers is Worth the Effort"},"content":{"rendered":"
In a recent IDG CIO poll<\/a>, Customer Experience solutions ranked as the third most important IT investment for 2020, in effort to transform business in an ever-competitive world. Interestingly — yet unsurprisingly — the top priority for the same CIOs was getting a better handle on data and analytics, arguably the most crucial component for delivering CX that moves the needle for organizations of all types. <\/p>\n For many, the CX focus to date has been on the journey to identify, engage and activate customers, but many also silo contact centers, not fully integrating or considering its impact on the customer journey. Historically, contact centers have been a necessary evil for organizations — a catch-all place where customers go to do one of two things: ask questions or complain. It\u2019s viewed mostly as a cost center, with little resources and effort put towards evolving it to become a place where engagement is more positive than negative; more revenue- and opportunity-driven than operational. As we see increased focus on improving customer experience, organizations can\u2019t afford to ignore what the contact center can do to achieve CX-related goals. <\/p>\n The future of CX lives in the ability to integrate the contact center into the CX discussion, and monetize it by allowing data to serve as the foundational layer for all customer-related intelligence so new opportunities for revenue and improved relationships are within reach<\/p><\/blockquote>\n By empowering agents with end-to-end customer insights, companies can extend the contact center\u2019s value beyond in-the-moment customer service. Instead, organizations will activate those rare pre- and post-transaction human-to-human interactions to drive loyalty, brand satisfaction, and sales.<\/p>\n