3CLogic's Contact Center Blog

When it comes to waiting on hold, studies have shown that callers don’t have a ton of time to spare.

A recent survey from Arise Virtual Solutions reveals that over 65% of customers are only willing to wait on hold for a maximum of two minutes before hanging up. What’s more, over 13% of respondents said that hold time, no matter how long, is unacceptable altogether.

It’s no secret that sales prospecting can be a difficult task—in fact, the average sales rep makes 8 dials per hour and prospects for 6.25 hours to set a single appointment, a reality that can quickly demotivate to even the most-qualified and hardest working sales teams. And when one considers the fact that more than half of a sales rep’s time is unknowingly wasted on unproductive prospecting, the problem at hand quickly becomes clear. So how can sales teams work smarter rather than harder with their existing resources to boost the success of their sales campaigns, and increase the odds of a successful close? A few suggestions:

The contact center space is changing—so what should one expect in 2016?

1) Businesses will create a stronger alignment between sales, marketing, and customer service—and their corresponding technologies

Stronger alignment between sales, marketing, and customer service teams, and their corresponding technologies, will perhaps be one of the greatest opportunities for businesses to grow and monetize their existing relationships in the coming year. According to Aberdeen group, highly aligned organizations achieved an average of 32% year-over-year revenue growth, while their less aligned competitors saw a 7% decrease in revenue. But despite the astounding potential, only 8% of companies state they have tight alignment between sales and marketing (Forrester). With a heavy focus on understanding the entire customer journey, businesses will likely integrate more aspects of their business, from departmental data to SaaS solutions (marketing automation, CRM, contact center software), to help to ensure their employees are operating efficiently and are working with greater insight into their customer base in 2016. Check-out how our partner, W-Systems Corp., is helping organizations achieve this.

Consider the Following: 

• 70% of buying experiences are based on how the customer feels they are being treated.
• Roughly 9 out of 10 U.S. consumers say they would pay more to ensure a superior customer experience.
• 80% of companies want to use the customer service/experience as a way to differentiate themselves from their competition.
• On average, loyal customers are worth up to 10 times as much as their first purchase. 

Today, it’s not just about servicing your customers—it’s about offering a memorable experience and creating a long lasting relationship. But while 80% of companies believe they deliver “superior” customer service, only 8% of customers agree. And when you consider 86% of consumers will quit doing business with a company following a single bad customer experience, the challenge facing contact centers quickly becomes clear.