'Contact centers' replace call centers and raise the bar in customer service

Customer contact centers or call centers have taken on 'Most Valuable Player' status since the onset of COVID-19. Instead of visiting banks or financial institutions in person, customers are conducting their business via phone, chat, email and social media like never before. The degree of increase has varied; one operator of multiple contact centers reported volume up 37% from a year earlier, while a government agency experienced an 80% surge early in the pandemic.

Organizations already using remote operators were better positioned to take these changes in stride, while others had to up their game with new technology, outsourcing or setting up new facilities where they could mitigate virus risks and function safely.

In the meantime, isolation inspired new segments of the population to order goods and services from their homes, and to take up new methods of reaching the outside world. By the beginning of 2021, the term "call center" was becoming a misnomer for customer contact operations that serve customers across an array of communication channels. Coupled with fewer opportunities for in-person interaction due to health and safety issues during the pandemic, contact center agents have become the primary contact point between a brand and its customers.

And those customers may be harder to please. Across industries, today's customers have grown accustomed to a consumer-like experience. Delays, being asked to repeat information, or other inconveniences can quickly drive a caller to hang up and take their business elsewhere. Especially in banking.

Necessity drives innovation
Technology has helped to transform traditional call center operations into versatile, omnichannel communication hubs. With tools and systems designed to smooth and enhance the customer experience, modern platforms enable operator teams to manage higher call volumes efficiently while vastly improving visibility into workflows and key performance indicators.

Companies that moved to cloud-based systems at the start of the pandemic may have been seeking the ability to support remote operators. Because cloud systems use remote servers to do the heavy lifting and data storage for a contact center operation, an agent with a laptop and headset can manage incoming calls and other communications, access customer files and collaborate with their team from anywhere with a high-speed internet connection.

Managers can view team member progress and queues in real time, allocating resources to maintain flow.
Remote access also makes virtual contact centers scalable, able to expand as the business grows or in peak call seasons simply by taking on more remote agents. Restrictions of physical space in a central facility become less of an issue, opening the door to reducing occupancy costs through rightsizing.

Cloud servers can be regularly updated with the latest software, which aids security and requires fewer disruptions for IT access to users' equipment. Cloud servers are more insulated from cyber threats, too, since they are typically in well-secured data centers and a few degrees removed from any malware lurking or introduced to local workstations. These features will clearly provide advantages well beyond the pandemic.

Easing operator workloads
Tech tools are evolving to resolve more incoming customer queries and take some of the load from human operators. These include self-help navigation and increasingly advanced chatbots and interactive voice response systems, many powered by artificial intelligence. Data collection and analysis capabilities can reveal opportunities to adjust menus and automated responses as part of a quality control and improvement program, potentially increasing deflection and resolution rates.

For the calls that do require human assistance, operators are increasingly expected to provide not only customer service or technical assistance, but also to pursue opportunities for additional business. A customer may have called for help with a debit card but do they need information on a loan?

Contact center platforms can help operators in this effort by bridging previously siloed communication channels, giving agents visibility across the customer journey that preceded the current call or live chat. The operator can see, for example, the information a caller entered on a webpage before initiating a chat or call, saving time and enhancing the customer experience. Instant access to a customer's history, including their previous inquiries and interests suggested through social media activity, helps agents quickly get up to speed, develop rapport and recognize opportunities to sell additional products or services.

Further opportunities
With more advanced platforms in place, contact center managers are analyzing their operations to identify and address customer pain points and workflow snags. Analysis can tell marketers the most frequent questions customers pose on each channel and the social media and webpages generating the most cross-traffic to the contact center. They can use this insight to tweak website content, self-help menus and operator scripts, or to allocate advertising to reach customers at the best point to drive sales.

In the years ahead, customer contact centers will provide the insight that drives innovation for entire organizations. And at their center will be skilled human operators, not replaced by technology but empowered by powerful tools that enhance their efficiency and effectiveness.