3CLogic's Contact Center Blog

Each New Year brings its own set of unique opportunities to the contact center space, both from a technological standpoint as well as an operational one. And as businesses continue to adopt the latest solutions and best practices to support their employees, customers, and organizations as a whole, many continue to run into challenges piecing everything together and making good use of it all. But what are some of the challenges contact centers are anticipating in the coming months? And how can businesses more effectively manage what they have and mitigate the risk of a potential issue? Let's check out the findings of Contact Center Pipeline’s recent survey, “Contact Center Challenges & Priorities”, revealing some of the biggest challenges for organizations today—and how to alleviate them in 2016.

The contact center space is changing. So what should one expect in 2015?

Continued Implementation of Self-Service: Recent studies have shown 67% ofcustomers prefer self-service over speaking to a live representative, which has its benefits when considering self-service interactions are 200-300% less expensive than those handled by a live agent. While the use of live agents is not expected to decrease, the importance and extended use of self-service is likely to be a continued theme next yar.

Growing Deployment of Cloud Infrastructures: By 2015, cloud computing spending is projected to reach 155 billion, compared to 46.4 billion in 2008. And according to DMG Consulting, cloud-based infrastructure is the fastest growing area for the call center industry, predicted to almost double between 2013 and 2015. When compared to premise-based solutions, contact centers based in the cloud have experienced 27% reduction in annual contact center costs and a 35% improvement in uptime. Offering superior reliability, scalability, and cost-savings, cloud adoption shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon and likely to continue its successes in 2014 well into 2015 and beyond.

Consider the Following:

- 20-40% of yearly sales for small and mid-sized     retailers takes place during the last two months of the year
- 40% of consumers begin shopping before Halloween
- Black Friday sales are expected to top $2.4 Billion this year, representing 28% YoY growth

And what does a rise in holiday shopping generally mean for businesses?  More sales, obviously. But it also tends to imply an increase in call volume tied to clients inquiring about purchases, requesting additional support, making inquiries, and also submitting the occasional complaint. 

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.