The digital age has quietly transformed contact centers over the years. From quality monitoring to omnichannel communication, contact center management is not as it used to be. Instead of focusing exclusively on metrics, companies now consider the broader customer experience and the role customer service plays in enhancing it.
To make this possible, contact centers rely heavily on data. Facts, figures and entire conversations are taken into account when managers decide how to improve customer satisfaction. That makes the old methods of quality assurance neither efficient nor effective. What else made old-school quality assurance so ineffective? What can you do to upgrade your processes for greater customer satisfaction?
Old-School QA: Flying Blind
Call center quality monitoring is a constantly growing field, helped along by data and analytics. Before this new era, a lot of companies made decisions based on limited information. Others had tons of information but lacked the analytical tools to measure correlations between different metrics. This led to one-size-fits-all approaches that hampered high performers while failing to support the team members that needed help.
It also led to the development of metrics and goals that too often only reflected the POV of the company but not its customers. Thus, one of the primary distinguishing factors between the old and new era of quality assurance is the focus on people. Perhaps most importantly, companies are learning to put customers first.
The New Era of QA: How To Prepare
As with any other aspect of business and commerce, technology is the real driving factor behind innovation. It changes how people communicate, how people spend their free time and the expectations they have of service quality and speed.
As millennials take over the workforce and the consumer market, companies need to make better preparations to serve the internet generation. Here are a few ways to ensure your contact centers stay ahead of the trend.
1. Focus on People
Many people view AI as a threat to their livelihood. However, in customer service, AI only handles the menial tasks. This helps team members to focus on the aspects of their work that requires human intelligence. The analytics provided by tech tools makes them a lot more effective while doing so. To keep your team members sharp, invest in proper training and initiatives that boost engagement and satisfaction. Turn your agents into “super agents.”
2. Add Speech Analytics
This is one of the biggest innovations in call quality monitoring at contact centers. It allows managers to monitor more calls over a shorter period of time and deliver more accurate performance assessments. Some systems are so intuitive that they monitor calls in real time. These can alert managers if they need to step in to offer assistance before a heated situation spirals out of control. The data collected over time may also help the company to make better long-term projections.
3. Use Social Media
Forbes estimates that 70% of Americans use social media. This is where many people go to share either how happy they are with a product or how much they hate it. Companies should get proactive and interact with customers here as they may not always direct valuable feedback at the company. Thank customers who give your brand a positive shout out and offer assistance to customers who make negative remarks.
4. Consider Chatbots
Forbes also recommends using chatbots on social media. For instance, some companies use chatbots as part of their Facebook messenger strategy. Bots can help to direct customers to the right department in the same way an automated operator might. They may also direct customers to existing resources, such as a tutorial, or help them to schedule a call back if the contact center is closed.
5. Make Changes
In old-school QA, never forget that many companies had access to more than their fair share of data but failed to use it. Take customer feedback seriously, whether it’s negative or positive. If there’s a consistent trend, then companies should pay attention to this too. Identify the factors that drive positive outcomes and encourage them. Then, try to reduce or eliminate those factors that hinder your business.
At Etech, we believe a proactive approach is always the best course of action when monitoring call center performance. We focus on pre-empting the market and keeping abreast of the newest technology. This helps our clients to shape the market rather than be led by it.
Does this sound like the arrangement you prefer for your business? Contact me today for more information on how we can take customer service for your business into the new era.