The keys to running an effective contact center are keeping agents as productive as possible and increasing customer satisfaction. Accomplishing that, of course, has always been a challenge but companies are taking advantage of a number of technology trends to help raise the bar on both fronts, says Zach Shankle, Director of Call Center Services for Carousel Industries.
Contact Centers Get Social
Asked what sorts of new things are happening in call centers, Shankle doesn’t 
hesitate: social media integration. Companies are monitoring what people are saying about them on social media venues like Twitter and Facebook and having contact center agents respond. “It’s a new way to market to customers who maybe aren’t calling or contacting you,” Shankle says. Maybe someone complains about your company on Twitter; if an agent responds to try to address the customer’s concern, that can deliver a powerful message.
At the same time, call centers increasingly now deal with not just phone calls but emails, texts and chat. All of those contacts can be fed into a queue and routed to an appropriate agent just like phone calls have been for decades. “Online chat is huge now. That and social media are the two most meaningful trends in the industry,” he says.
Dealing with customers in the medium if their choosing helps increase customer satisfaction. And having agents deal with multiple mediums makes them more productive. “Idle agents tend to be naughty agents,” he says. “You have to keep them busy.”
Can I Have My Call Center Call You Back?
One way to keep agents busy, but not too busy, is a call back or “call me now” option. Often seen on company web sites as one of several contact options, the call me now option is effective for customers who want to talk to an agent but don’t want to wait on hold (who does?). Similarly, if a phone call queue is getting too long the company can ask callers whether they’d prefer an agent call them back later. “A call back management system can queue callbacks up to agents whenever the customer scheduled it or when you get into a lull in call volume,” Shankle says. “It’s about leveling off the peaks and bringing up the valleys.”
Now Playing at Your Call Center: Customer Videos and Photos
Another trend Shankle is starting to see is the incorporation of photos and videos to contact centers. Centers focused on tech support, for example, may use photos or video from customers to help them troubleshoot problems – such as by taking a photo of an error screen. “We have one customer whose callers will use an iPad or a similar device to show live video of the device they’re having trouble with,” he says. “The agent can then walk them through how to fix it.”
While many companies aren’t yet comfortable incorporating such technologies, Shankle says it’s fairly easy to do at the desktop level and support is available for photos and video in some multimedia contact center packages. “Customers are ahead of companies on this,” he notes. “Most are responding to the demands of the customer base.”
Remote and Home-based Call Center Agents
The idea of remote or home-based call center agents isn’t exactly new, but many companies are still struggling with how to manage such setups. “That’s something we have to talk customers into sometimes,” Shankle says. “But it’s a cost-effective way to retain employees.” Maybe an agent’s spouse takes a new job and the agent has to move. Enabling the agent to work at home obviates the need for the company to replace the agent – and train a new one. What’s more, companies tend to get better productivity out of work-at-home agents, he says, because they’re not chatting with others as they may be in a contact center.
If your contact center could benefit from any of these technologies, contact Carousel – we’ll help get you where you want to go.
