How to transform the contact center into a growth and value center? Here are three questions to guide the business.

4 min read

Transformation is a business initiative required to provide timely and acceptable service value. But what does it look like in today’s changing business landscape? How can this be achieved? Here are few questions a business needs to consider before taking the big steps forward.

IF WE LOOK at the full lifespan of customer touchpoints and relationships, the contact center has the biggest piece of it. These touchpoints include live chat, support transactions, phone conversations, among others.

The study shows customers use the below channels according to their importance and preference.

Phone (61%)
Email (60%)
Live chat (57%),
Online knowledge base (51%),
Click-to-call support automation (34%)

With so many channels at play, it’s more important than ever to make sure they’re well-aligned with what the customer experience really is. If we align with customers’ channel of choice, it presents opportunities to bring value appropriately.

While businesses have options for self-service, customers still want to ensure their experiences are no less than superior when they contact the contact center.

To innovate and improve our products or services the way customers want, we need to own their loyalty and deliver a unified end-to-end customer journey. Similarly, to transform the contact center to engage or value center, we need to think about it thoroughly and holistically.

Here are three questions businesses can start to consider if their contact center has become the place of business that they think it should be.

#1: If the contact center requires massive transformation, how fast — and what will change need be?

Technology is moving fast. Its impact is far-reaching. No doubt, it will help businesses transform their operation strategically and purposely.

Yet, the biggest challenge about all contact center calls, says Rachel Lane, Contact Center Solution Principal for Medallia, is only tracking or monitoring about 1% of all contact center calls.

When businesses monitor only 1% of their customer calls, they’re missing out on 99% of the picture! That has ramifications not only for the contact center customer experience but the overall customer experience.

Can we say that the remaining 99% is about technology or lack of process iteration that is missing or leading to change or transformation? Or, clear understanding of the actual touchpoints customers has with the organization.

These statistics from Deloitte only show how important it is for organizations to offer a seamless customer experience. The report states 70% of customers expect all service reps to have the same information about them, yet 64% say they re-explain issues.

The key to thriving in this rapidly changing landscape is putting customers at the front and center of our business. Otherwise, not only does the customer experience will suffer but the quality of the service value. Also, we cannot deliver personalized and engaging touchpoints across all channels.

If a change needs to happen, (1) we need to be clear of the direction we need to take. It starts at harnessing the data the contact center provides, captures, and analyzes. Doing so can help expand our service value to a broader perspective. It also creates an opportunity both in revenue, loyalty, and retention.

(2) For the business to achieve its desire goal or purpose, it cannot be done by simply changing or updating the current infrastructure or deploying technologies. They must ensure that a meaningful outcome is the primary driver of the change. Why are we making these changes? What is the impact we expect to achieve? How do these changes affect customers?

(3) If customer experiences are the most significant driver of a successful relationship, are we willing to put in the necessary resources to make this happen?

Industries such as Financial, IT services, telecoms, and service organizations benefit from using contextual solutions based on their industry, maturity, size, and how they operate. Today’s customers appreciate and value multiple choices. Thus, we need to stay focused on all our service channels and take advantage of every touchpoint.

(4) Businesses must realize that there is enough value through the customer insights the contact center provides or offers. It is not just a tangible center that comes together to achieve or exceed their goals. Instead, it is their personal brand that reflects themselves. We cannot leapfrog this thinking only because this opportunity is not available or cumbersome with others.

#2: How to optimize all service channels while balancing the need for personalizing and engaging touchpoints?

Consider this simple transaction. Think of the process involved when customers want to change or update email addresses, password reset, or inquiring about the status of an order, refund, or billing change.

No doubt. It takes multiple touchpoints and support assistance. However, if the business has workflow resolution management, this can be eliminated or reduced to a simple process.

What does this mean? Leaders should know how to navigate and connect with customer needs and challenges in real-time. Since technology helps businesses automate a few tasks or processes, how do we turn this opportunity around? How can we streamline the “human brand experience” where technology is no longer ambiguous?

Of course, the answer is when technology pivots business into trusted and reliable partners. Not only it helps improve contact center service quality, but it also helps companies:

Understand trends and correlate traditional contact center metrics with customer loyalty.
Integrate real-time data with other contact center systems.
Recover at-risk customers.
Bring customer experience transparency to complex contact center environments
Keep their focus on the needs, challenges, and use cases in the customer environment and improves or enhances them.
Provide insight in decision-making, problem-solving, and achieving the brand purpose.

Keeping track of the ever-increasing customer data can be daunting and challenging. Thus, with the Contact Center Experience solution, businesses can empower employees to perform broader and meaningful tasks.

#3: How can we transform contact centers into strategic partners?

A holistic view of the contact center means whether customers are taking advantage of this channel or losing their confidence in the value of the service the company provides. The primary purpose of the transformation is not to survive in the changing world. But to thrive and empower a better way of helping customers maximize product value.

Rethinking how the contact center shapes customer perception creates a need for the service to be more efficient, effective, and scalable. There are three ways we can transform contact centers into strategic partners.

The contact center must leverage meaningful insights to focus on customer feedback and insights to inform broader company initiatives.
Bring the customer experience to the front and center of this change by eliminating friction that is not empowering and inspiring a customer engagement channel.
Put their engagement strategy at the right place, time, and moment needs of customers.

If we want to improve our interaction with customers, we need to understand those interactions and why they happen. The contact center is another viable channel where we can have meaningful engagement with our customers.

Having the right tools and processes can transform all interactions from dialogue to genuine conversation— which reveals the whole picture of what customers want, need help with, are frustrated with, and more.