3 Tips to Effectively Train your Call Center’s Agents

Posted by Rachel Brink on Feb 26, 2015 11:47:43 AM
Costing roughly $5,800 annually, employee acquisition and development is one of the more expensive and time-consuming line items on any company balance sheet. As it relates specifically to the call center space, an industry that has long been associated with extremely high employee turnover rates and low employee engagement, many managers have increasingly sought to mitigate the impact of low employee retention by enhancing the quality of their training programs. And with just a moderate 2% increase in employee productivity generally covering the entire cost of any training initiative, it’s hard to argue against the investment.
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Topics: contact center software, call center software, best business practices, virtual assist, agent productivity, agent retention, agent training, agent turnover, business intelligence, gamification, employee turnover, employee engagement, agent attrition, agent coaching

The Role of Self-Service IVR

Posted by Rachel Brink on Sep 5, 2014 9:06:00 AM

In a recent study, an astounding 67% of customers have stated a preference for self-service as opposed to speaking to a live representative (ZenDesk).  Previously viewed as a burden imposed on consumers, the self-service arena has today become an essential part of the average consumer experience.  And as one considers each major industry, the rapid adoption of self-service solutions is readily apparent everywhere.  Grocery stores have self-check out lines, airlines offer Kiosks (have yet to figure out how to apply it to Homeland Security lines, though), restaurants use self-service reservations – the list goes on. Each of these initiatives involves one person, and one person only: the customer. 

The importance of self-service in the contact center space is no exception. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technologies are leading the charge, providing customers the ability to quickly and easily access any information by selecting options from a simple menu. What was at first an effort for contact centers to improve operational efficiencies and reduce costs, has since become an industry standard.   And with 69% of customers equating a good customer experience to how quickly an inquiry is resolved, the need to adopt the latest technology facilitating their ability to do so has never been more important.

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Topics: call center, call center software features, multichannel contact center, contact center, call center software, cloud based call center, cloud customer support, B2C, best business practices, IVR technology, customer satisfaction

4 Things to Consider When Moving Your Contact Center to the Cloud

Posted by Guillaume Seynhaeve on Aug 22, 2014 9:08:00 AM

The debate over the merits of moving an enterprise’s contact center operations to the cloud has long been addressed and settled.  If you are in need of greater market adaptability, can benefit from a flexible workforce, need to simplify your infrastructure, operate a seasonal business, need to reduce company costs…and so on, the concept easily sells itself.   In fact, with 70% of companies using on-premise solutions planning to make the move in the next 1-3 years, you would be in good company.

However, the logistics of successfully migrating to a cloud contact center solution are contingent on your ability to properly prepare for the change.  It doesn’t have to be difficult (and it usually isn’t), but here are a few things to consider:

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Topics: call center, crm integration, public cloud, call center scalability, call center software, best business practices, work force management

On-Premise vs Cloud Contact Center Solutions

Posted by Guillaume Seynhaeve on Aug 8, 2014 10:10:00 AM

Today technology is at the center of any discussion regarding competitive advantage, sustainability, and growth. As it specifically relates to the contact center space, the ability to deliver and communicate with customers using the latest channels has never been more important.  And yet, despite the emphasis on offering the latest in customer communications, the vast majority of businesses are still basing their service delivery on old, inflexible, and costly premise-based solutions. Which begs the very obvious question, why? 

For one, while there is no denying that smartphones and the age of social media are quickly transforming the communication landscape, the tried and tested concept of calling-in is still not dead. In fact, 73% of customers still prefer to speak to a representative, which is far greater than those choosing to use Twitter to communicate at 22% (Forrester). And this shouldn’t come as a surprise when you consider the generational breakdown of today’s customers, from Baby Boomers (79 Million), to Generation X (52 Million), to Generation Y (75 Million), to Generation Z (Still growing); with every one listing the phone as a primary means of contact except for the last. So, yes, premise-based solutions are surviving by virtue of those generations, but the trend is quickly moving towards email, social, media, and web, so keeping to the old way of things may not be the wisest of strategies. At the very least, it will not support any long-term competitive advantage your company may otherwise have. 

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Topics: cloud based contact center, cloud based, call center, cloud based solution, contact center solution, cloud based call center, best business practices, employee retention, SaaS, customer satisfaction, first call resolution, On-Premise

Contact Centers and First Call Resolution

Posted by Rachel Brink on Jul 25, 2014 10:22:00 AM

According to a recent study, customer satisfaction ratings are 35-45% lower when a second call or interaction is required to address the same issue (Customer Relationship Metrics).  And with 82% of clients rating speed-of-service as one of the primary drivers behind their satisfaction ratings, with 45% abandoning transactions when expectations aren’t met (Forrester Research), the challenge facing contact centers seems fairly obvious.  Provide quality service fast.   So why is that contact centers still fail to address 32% of all incoming customer inquiries and concerns on the first go-around (SQM Group) despite the clear need to do so? 

One has only to consider his or her own experience with a sales or support representative to quickly list how the service could perhaps be improved.  Granted, not all customers are reasonable, nor can every inquiry be easily addressed in a single call or interaction.  However, if someone wants to upgrade their service, follow-up on a support ticket, discuss their bill, or review a possible purchase it shouldn’t be painful or difficult.  But for those of you who need a little more to justify the value of first call resolutions (FCR) then consider the following:

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Topics: customer service, contact center software, crm integration, customer support, best business practices, SaaS, IVR technology, employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, first call resolution

Contact Center Flexibility: A Must Have

Posted by Guillaume Seynhaeve on Jul 18, 2014 11:02:00 AM

Consider the following:  If someone had told you ten years ago that 140 characters would change the world and the way we do business, what would you have said? 

Trends come and go, that’s not news. However, assessing the lifespan of each one and its long-term relevance in the business community is definitely a challenge.  Case in point, Google is still the leader in search engines since its birth in 1998, but when was the last time you saw a laser disc?

If we consider Henry Ford’s famous quote,“ You can have any color, as long as its in black”, there certainly was a time when companies set the standard and consumers were the willing recipients of whatever businesses disseminated.  However, today the environment has drastically reversed, with customers clearly dictating what, where, and when without much care or consideration as to the how. As a result, businesses are clamoring to keep up with the changing standards and trends set by the very consumers they wish to please; a tall older unless you have a crystal ball. 

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Topics: cloud based contact center, contact center, contact center solution, cloud based call center, remote agents, best business practices

Remote Agents and Your Contact Center

Posted by Guillaume Seynhaeve on Jul 10, 2014 9:42:00 AM

The concept of using remote agents is not, by any means, new.  However, what once constituted a small fraction of a larger fixed contact center establishment has gradually become the norm rather than the exception.  Quite simply, with the ongoing evolutions in technology, the ability to use remote agents without affecting quality has largely become a reality and even a competitive advantage of some sorts.  In other words, if your contact center doesn’t use remote agents, you may very well be handicapping your company before any customer interactions even take place.  Don’t believe me? Consider the following:

  • An estimated 3 million Americans work primarily from home today, an increase of 61% since 2005. (Forrester)

  • An estimated 60% of contact centers utilize virtual agents in some capacity with an expected increase to 80% by 2013/2014. (Customer Contact Strategies)

  • 53% of contact centers in the US have some percentage of agents already working from a home office with 70% planning to increase the total number of virtual agents. (National Assoc. Of Call Centers) 

  • Ovum expects the number of home-based customer service agents to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 36.4 %. (Ovum)
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Topics: call center, contact center, cloud based call center, remote agents, best business practices, scalability

How to Have a Successful Contact Center: Real Customer Service

Posted by Rachel Brink on Jul 3, 2014 10:52:00 AM

Not a day goes by when a company isn’t trying to pretend it’s more than just a vendor but rather your friend. Whether it’s a credit card firm stating how much they miss you (code for: why aren’t you spending lately?) or your local airline offering you a “friendly” reminder that it’s been a while since your last vacation (code for: you work too hard, how about spending some?), all companies are lately obsessed with appearing human. And yet, despite today’s emphasis on customer service there seems to be quite the disconnect between what companies want to deliver and what inevitably ends up being reality. Where are all the real people?  

Whether you are stuck in an IVR recording or speaking to an actual agent, the distinction is not always obvious.  In today’s ongoing attempt to provide a unified experience, companies have inadvertently turned the very agents designed to instill customer loyalty and foster long-lasting relationships into two-dimensional versions of their IVR counterparts. Whether the exact cause is due to a lack of training, lack of access to the proper technology, or a basic lack in skills, the problem is very real.  So what’s the solution?

A few suggestions to consider:

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Topics: call center, multichannel contact center, multichannel call center, best business practices, employee retention, IVR technology, dynamic scripting

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