How optimized is your contact center?

You may have all the shiniest, newest tech for your contact center, such as conversational AI IVRs, chatbots, CRM integration…etcetera. However, if you’re not as equally focused on the supporting processes and the people who are your organization’s voice of the customer, how can you truly deliver the best customer experience?

Ask yourself, “How optimized is my contact center?”

Managing a contact center is hard! It requires creativity and strategic thinking to address complex operational issues, such as customer satisfaction, abandon rates, service levels, quality management, utilization, budgets, adherence and compliance, employee morale, and the list goes on. It has so many moving parts, it can be difficult to see how all the dots interplay and connect. Many a sleepless night has likely been spent trying to decipher on what to focus on first. It can be overwhelming.

CX pillars working together in perpetual synergy

First, let’s talk about technology. The right contact center tools and solution platforms can help streamline operations, reduce friction points, and create personalized experiences that leave customers feeling valued. But technology alone won’t solve all your customer experience challenges. You’ll need to have the right processes in place to ensure that your technology is being used effectively and efficiently.

This is where process design comes in. By mapping out your customer journeys and identifying pain points and opportunities for improvement, you can create streamlined workflows that ensure your technology is being used in the most effective way possible.

Finally, and likely most importantly, there’s the people factor. At the end of the day, it’s your employees who are responsible for delivering the customer experience. That’s why it’s so important to invest in hiring and training agents who are not only skilled and knowledgeable but also passionate about providing exceptional customer service. When you have a team that truly cares about your customers and is empowered to make decisions and solve problems on the spot, you’ll be well on your way to creating a customer experience that not only sets you apart from the competition but also generates brand loyalty for increased revenue.

As you plan your customer experience roadmap and the implementation of supporting technology, you will have to address change management and how it will impact your current processes and the people working in your contact center.

Your processes and people speak to the customer experience

Here’s an example.

Let’s say you’re looking at the operational challenge of improving employee retention to reduce attrition. Easy enough to resolve, right? Of course not! When examining the broader issue, we can see that there are many factors and misaligned business practices and processes that affect employee retention, and ultimately negatively affect the customer experience.

Let’s start with Human Resources.

• Is the hiring process designed to align with the needs of your business?
• Do your HR department’s objectives include attrition as a measurable KPI?
• Does HR look at your successful, tenured agents to identify commonalities, such as educational background, soft skills, …etcetera?

Next, let’s look at training.

• Are new hires provided knowledge content from a curriculum that aligns with your current contact center reality, or are you still using an outdated cookie-cutter curriculum?
• Is soft skill training included?
• How are new hires, who have successfully completed training, received in the production environment?
• Is continual training provided in the production environment? How often?

Finally, let’s examine management’s role.

• How does management interact, provide feedback, and deliver development to a new hire versus a senior agent?
• At what frequency is feedback given?
• Are there any measurable indicators that are used to identify when an agent is struggling with their assigned work?
• How much time does a supervisor dedicate to each agent in a week?

As an operational manager, these are just some of the questions and areas to be considered when it comes to employee retention and attrition – and we are just skimming the surface of what goes into managing the issue, let alone a contact center with its multitude of challenges and moving parts. It goes to show just how important people and processes are when it comes to all aspects of the contact center.

When it comes to customer experience, it’s about more than technology

To meet competing demands and ever-changing consumer trends, you must prioritize the customer experience. And while technology is undoubtedly a critical element in delivering a seamless and satisfying customer experience, it’s important to remember that it’s not the only factor.

Successful companies recognize that delivering exceptional customer experiences requires an all-encompassing approach that incorporates not only cutting-edge technology but also well-designed processes and a skilled, motivated workforce. By focusing on these three pillars and investing in each of them equally, you’ll be well on your way to delivering a customer experience that keeps your customers coming back for more.

Find out how Inoria can help you find the perfect balance between your people, processes and technology through our Contact Center Health Assessment.