5 innovative ways to better serve your callers
Call centres remain an essential cog in the customer service system.
They are often the first port of call when customers have queries or issues.
And as part of the digital revolution hastened by the pandemic, customer expectations are high.
New technology has made it possible to increase efficiency and caller satisfaction to higher levels than before.
But to do that, you’ll need the right systems in place.
This article will look at 5 key pieces of technology that your call centre should be embracing.
Read on to find out what they are and why you should be making use of them.
Omnichannel systems
Call centres are now about much more than just calls. They can integrate a wide range of customer touchpoints and platforms. That might include email, support tickets, live chat, and social media as well as traditional voice calls.
But what’s so great about integrating all these potential touchpoints? The key is the level of service that allows your agents to provide. They can track issues across different platforms, understand the entirety of a customer’s journey with your business, and find solutions accordingly.
Having access to customer history and preferences, as well as all the details of their issue or query (without them having to repeat themselves whenever they start a new call or are transferred) can result in higher customer retention and ultimately boost your bottom line.
Voice analytics
Not all customer calls should be treated equally. Your business doesn’t necessarily want to spend ages on a customer who won’t act any differently based on the outcome of their call.
Conversely, a customer who’s very likely to do something impactful straight afterwards—be that make a large purchase or leave a negative review—needs to be considered a priority!
With that range of possibilities in mind, it’s clear that prioritising the right customers can reap dividends for your business. Voice analytics can help you to do just that.
AI analysis of tone and sentiment allows you to quickly handle customers that are clearly upset, and voice analytics can even help prevent fraud.
Cloud solutions
The call centres of old relied heavily on a comprehensive physical infrastructure, where bulky hardware and on-premise systems limited your business in terms of scalability and flexibility.
With cloud solutions where internet-based software forms the backbone of your call centre, everything can be scaled up and down as needed, accessed remotely, and save you money at the same time.
Being able to adapt to fluctuations in call volumes across times of day or busy periods of the year means you’re always prepared to provide a great responsive service whenever required.
And of course, as your business grows, cloud solutions can grow with you.
AI agents
While many issues still require human intervention, there are plenty of calls that can be handled by artificial intelligence. Intelligent chatbots and virtual assistants are becoming more and more common as they are able to free up your human agents for the most important calls.
Password resets, simple questions, even retrieving documents—there are plenty of functions that ‘the robots’ can take over. Natural language processing means they can read customer messages rather than simply guiding them through a frustrating series of multiple-choice questions.
Plus, AI agents can be available 24/7, offering greater flexibility outside of your employees’ scheduled hours.
Remote working
One of the biggest changes in how we work wrought by the coronavirus pandemic was the rise of remote working. It is now easier than ever to log in to corporate systems from the comfort of our own homes, and this is true for your call centre agents as well.
Being able to work anywhere with an internet connection not only gives your employees greater flexibility that will contribute to a positive work-life balance.
It also allows you to recruit talent from anywhere across the world, making it easier to find excellent employees and provide round the clock coverage if need be.
Even if you do maintain a physical presence in a central location, offering hybrid arrangements could elevate your offering.