It was another huge week in news for contact centers, and the point where much of a company's business is conducted accounted for a great many new developments in the field. But even as the contact center's demand grows, the methods of its operation have begun to change as well. That means a lot of news in the sector, and thanks to a holiday weekend afoot, we've got the time we need to consider how all these developments best work for the contact center. So settle in, catch your breath, and let's run down all the biggest developments in the field with our Week in Review coverage.
First, we had a look at the multichannel contact center, and how it delivers benefit not just for customers, but also for business as well. In a multichannel environment, the various channels can effectively work together, delivering contact center agents the necessary information to better understand each caller and generate a better customer experience. To deliver that effect, however, the channels all need to work together, so some advance planning is necessary to get the most out of it.
Next we had a look at the importance of actively listening to customers. To get the best effect out of customer service studies, the opportunity to register opinion should be delivered much more closely to the end of the call itself. This can be done by an SMS survey to a caller's contact numbers, or by a post-call IVR option. The closer to the end of the call the opportunity is, the better and more relevant the information derived will be, and the more satisfied the customer will be by the whole experience.
One critical tentpole in the contact center looked a bit wobbly, so we turned our attention to how social media could be better brought into a contact center operation. With the use of social media, contact centers become more immediately accessible to users, and that sense of immediacy can be valuable, especially when it works to defuse customer concerns or complaints. But that immediacy doesn't exist in a vacuum, so careful planning and consideration is necessary to better put it to work.
Then we examined the in-house contact center, and discovered that, while many companies look to outsource contact centers, or bring in hosted systems to take advantage of other companies' specialization, some companies—particularly those who deal in complex services—are finding that keeping the contact center in house has benefit. This is particularly seen in terms of easy access to company experts who can solve complex problems more readily, or companies that value the “personal touch.”
Finally, we looked at a call center search firm who brought in a new, anonymous process to help find executives. Those executives who go looking for a new job risk drawing the ire of a present employer even while looking for a new one. Additionally, contact centers may not want to draw attention to jobs available. But with this new process, developed by Telexec Solutions, has developed a new and anonymous process using temporary e-mail addresses that can be used to keep both sides anonymous until an in-person meeting is desired.
That was the week that was in call center services, and it was a big week indeed. With a lot going on in the field, our global online community was clearly out in the thick of the action to bring back the latest news. So be sure to join us back here next week for all the latest, and every weekend for our Week in Review coverage!