3 Ways to Ace Customer Service in an Omnichannel Era

Organizations are in a constant battle to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of customer expectations. Today, companies are constantly adapting and evolving to meet the new era of the empowered consumer - one that not only uses voice and e-mail for customer service, but also uses SMS, web, mobile and social media - and expects immediate, personalized responses.

By 2025, the contact center will evolve into an experience center, and will play a central role in helping organizations achieve their overall business goals. This will transform the contact center into a critical entity that is responsible for underpinning and driving the customer experience as well as for the interactions a company has with its customers and prospects.

So how can organizations in the omnichannel era meet both customer and business needs?

Use Analytics to Understand your Customer

Multi-channel customer service is a reality. The modern customer is using multiple avenues to communicate their preferences and expects a seamless experience no matter the channel of communication. Today, less than 15 percent of customer support happens on a mobile device, but by 2017, 35 percent will take place on a mobile, according to Gartner. Thanks to innovations in machine learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI), intelligent solutions now exist to help mine through the multiple data sources and transform these engagements into coherent data to reveal impactful trends and patterns in behavior. Contact centers can then use this data to improve customer service engagement and overall operations.

In addition to advanced datasets, speech analytics technology now allows businesses to unlock hidden insights and develop a deeper understanding of their customers. This helps businesses take the right actions to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty, boost operational efficiency and enhance agent performance. Neural Nets are used to scan a database of recorded human voices and are trained to recognize words and derive their meaning. By using technology to analyze thousands of interactions, contact centers can begin to understand customer issues and reactions to marketing messaging across all channels. This analysis helps organizations succeed in customer experience management.

Enlist Robots (and humans) in your Workforce

The emergence of robots in the workplace is a hotly contested topic, with skeptics criticizing robots for taking over human jobs.  The reality is that robotic process automation (RPA) is helping humans have a more rewarding workplace experience. RPA technology can help companies respond to customers with real-time, intelligent, meaningful interactions. For example, many contact center professionals are faced with mundane, routine tasks that demand accuracy and speed, but don't require decision-making. Robots can streamline contact center operations through the automation of these routine back office tasks, by automating rules-driven processes (such as filling in forms or processing orders). This gives humans more time to spend on the tasks that require analysis and subjective judgement. Employees can then focus on high-value activities, such as having meaningful interactions with their customers.

Champion the Employee

Agents are the driving force behind every contact center, and keeping them engaged and satisfied is crucial for success. According to a Harvard Business Review Analytic Services Report, 24 percent of organizations said that they considered most of their employees highly engaged, leaving the majority of the workforce feeling unmotivated and/or not engaged with their daily tasks. Given that an organization’s workforce is a critical part of business success, how can organizations keep employees engaged and productive to meet the demands of the digital age?

The solution: Video-game inspired technology. Gamification technology uses company data and game-design elements to help employees measure their progress, set goals and engage with other employees from any location. These solutions allow employees to receive real-time performance insights and constant feedback, ensuring they are constantly growing and improving. A highly engaged staff is more likely to deliver the best possible customer service, so contact centers must allocate resources and time to support their employees’ development.

The perfect recipe for customer service success in the omnichannel era is not an easy one.  Contact centers must adjust their approach to technology, customer engagement and employee motivation in order to be successful. If they’re willing to embrace new techniques, the omnichannel era offers an unlimited path to successful customer interactions and business growth.

Are you ready for the contact center of the future? Join us at ICMI Contact Center Demo to prepare for what's next!