Kim Robertson, Head of Consulting at Digitalwell
While the merits of hybrid models have been widely acclaimed, many organisations are still ironing out the issues associated with a wholesale shift to new ways of working.
A variety of different approaches have been taken. Numerous firms are offering employees the opportunity to work when, where, and how they want. For example, Marks & Spencer has just begun trialing a four-day working week as part of its own flexible working drive. At the other end of the spectrum, Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk, has scrapped the firm’s work from home policy entirely.
Differing and experimental approaches are only natural. Every organisation is unique, and many are still exploring how to strike the tough balance between what’s commercially right for the business and what’s expected from the talent they want to hire.
The contact centre is one department that is still navigating through some uncertainty. Several sector players that implemented accelerated work-from-home solutions or even reduced headcount in response to the pandemic are still affected today, with some still struggling to bring the quality of the customer experience back to pre-covid levels.
Growing pressures and new internal issues
In an industry where experience is everything, any lack of alignment with modern needs cannot continue.
The gulf between good and poor contact centre experiences is huge and today, more than ever before, it is leading to a lack of patience with brands that are not addressing their short falls.
People are voting with their feet and actively migrating to companies that can provide an optimal customer experience. According to research from Salesforce almost nine in 10 buyers say the experience a company delivers, matters as much as products or services. Further, PwC reveals that 71% of consumers say they’re unlikely to buy if a company loses their trust.
Such statistics are placing unprecedented pressures on contact centres to deliver. And unfortunately, there are several other challenges stemming from hybrid operating models that are adding further complexity to the mix. For example, ensuring in-house and off-site working environments work symbiotically requires a lot of complex planning with many businesses still unable to bridge the gap effectively.
Achieving seamless communication between hybrid and on-premises teams to ensure an optimal customer experience remains a challenge. Indeed, some firms are still relying on systems that simply cannot deliver the support needed to reduce call response times to an acceptable level. Furthermore, attrition of staff in contact centres remains a major issue.
Millions of contact centre vacancies show how precious a commodity staff are, and while hybrid working can make a contact centre appear more appealing, it makes building a thriving contact centre culture with engaged and happy teams a trickier task.
It is simply more difficult to motivate, manage and monitor team members that are not all in the same place. Therefore, contact centres need to work smarter if they want to attract and retain critical team members.
Three ways to overcome modern contact centre challenges
Expenses are under intense scrutiny amid a major cost-of-living crisis. Within this context, the ability of contact centres to deal with customer concerns quickly and efficiently has never been more essential. If done well, sound customer service can provide a major competitive advantage and be a vital tool in retaining loyal customers against a tough economic backdrop.
But how exactly can businesses work to improve their services and overcome a range of new and pressing internal challenges? Here, we outline three logical approaches.
- Audit hybrid communications infrastructure
First, organisations should look closely at and audit any hybrid communications infrastructure that was established during the pandemic to ensure it is now fit for the hybrid future. They need to ensure that customers can reach them easily, always, via their preferred channels of communication. For this reason, auditing communications infrastructure and the customer touch points that are offered is critical. - Embrace gamification and engagement technologies
With gamification and engagement technologies, organisations can bring hybrid teams into the fold and ensure teams are upskilled, supported, engaged, unified and motivated – whether they are in the office or working from home. Enterprises such as Salesforce and Deloitte are employing gamification in their employee engagement strategies for good reasons. Indeed, one study revealed that employees say gamification makes them feel more productive (89%) and happier (88%) at work.
- Support teams with cutting-edge technologies
By tapping into cutting-edge contact centre solutions powered by AI, organisations will be able to support operators and improve their service to customers simultaneously. According to Google Cloud, technology such as robotic process automation (RPA) can improve the efficiency of contact centre operations by 60%. Further, Adobe suggests that 72% of consumers say they trust AI to improve their customer experiences to at least some extent. However, best practice requires a blended human and AI approach that keeps a human voice/face front and centre. Firms must therefore consider implementation carefully to achieve this and avoid adverse impacts.
It’s time to move the needle
By taking a proactive approach to enhancing customer service and overcoming modern challenges, contact centres will be well placed to unlock significant competitive advantages at a time where customers are considering their expenditure more than ever.
A good contact centre providing sound customer service can be the difference between retaining and losing a loyal customer. Indeed, research from Forrester shows that more than half of customers who report positive emotions like feeling happy, valued, and appreciated are willing to forgive brands that make mistakes. Within this context, solving current contact centre challenges must become a priority. By doing so, organisations can also create new opportunities and business benefits.