Contact center conversation intelligence
Contact centers are at the forefront of delivering exceptional experiences to customers.
Being constantly involved with customers via phone, chat, or email, you would expect that contact centers are up to date with the latest trends and technology.
While some are… most are far behind.
This means many contact centers inaccurately forecast or spend too much time on it. Predicting and preparing for your customer’s needs is always a top priority so why not save time and money?
This is where contact center conversation intelligence software comes into play.
But first, we have to better understand why there is a technology gap. Especially when it comes to forecasting and predicting future outcomes at contact centers.
Cost center vs. profit center
Unfortunately, contact centers are often looked at from a cost perspective. Aka the nickname many receive – cost centers. How can we cut costs more is often asked.
A lot of companies don’t view a contact center as a positive way to impact their ROI and long-term customer value, however, it’s actually quite the opposite.
We had Sean Moss, Co-Founder & VP of Scoutnet and StellaNStone.com, join us on The Contact Center KPI podcast to talk all about this.
How you approach the teams leading the charge with your customers will often dictate how you’re forecasting. Using technology like contact center conversation intelligence software can transform your processes by saving you time and money – while increasing agent performance.
How conversation intelligence software can help
Contact center conversation intelligence software is a multifaceted solution that serves as an invaluable resource for contact centers.
It encompasses the following:
- Automated transcription and call scoring
- Keyword detection
- Automated trend analysis
- Performance metrics
And lots of other fancy options depending on the platform you choose.
When it comes to forecasting, it’s a game changer.
Let’s dive in…
Data-driven decision making
Contact centers generate an immense amount of data through customer interactions.
However, without the right tools, this data often remains untapped.
Conversation intelligence software transforms this raw data into actionable insights. It highlights trends, identifies emerging issues, and offers a deeper understanding of customer needs and preferences.
Proactive issue resolution
Imagine a scenario where contact center conversation intelligence software detects a recurring problem in customer conversations.
Instead of reacting to complaints as they arise, contact centers can proactively address the issue.
This proactive approach not only enhances customer satisfaction but also prevents costly escalations.
A win-win for contact centers.
Personalized customer experiences
In the era of personalization, customers expect tailored interactions. It’s shocking when something isn’t personalized.
Contact centers can be armed with this knowledge and offer personalized solutions and recommendations in seconds. Of course, this can lead to higher retention rates and an increase in overall long-term customer value.
Agent training and development
Well-trained agents are essential for delivering outstanding customer service. However, in a world where agent attrition and turnover are high, this can be difficult to achieve.
Contact center conversation intelligence software can be used to identify areas where agents excel and areas where they need improvement. This can be used in their weekly one-on-ones or other meetings to continue their development.
This data-driven approach to agent development ensures that teams are continuously learning and adapting to changing customer expectations.
Where to start
The easy part is understanding where your gaps are. The hard part is now filling those gaps to improve your overall business practice and performance.
Let’s delve deeper into why closing these gaps can be so challenging and help you come up with a solution that you can actually implement.
1. Resistance to change
One of the primary reasons filling gaps can be difficult is the resistance to change.
Agents and used to a certain process. Now you change that process and their performance may dip initially. That’s the last thing they want.
To overcome this, it’s essential to foster a culture of adaptability and communicate the benefits of closing these gaps clearly.
Engage your team in the process, involve them in decision-making, and show how these changes will lead to improved outcomes for everyone involved.
2. Resources for implementation
Closing gaps in your current processes with contact center conversation intelligence software often requires allocating resources.
Does your management team have enough time to allocate to implementing a new solution? What is the potential ROI? How long will it take to see an improvement?
All great questions that need to be answered during the evaluation process. If you want to read more about this, we dive into it here.
3. Lack of support from your vendor
You found a great solution, but then their customer success team is non-existent during the implementation process.
Sound familiar?
It’s not uncommon in the software world.
We recommended checking out these contact center conversation intelligence companies.
Check out the G2 reviews of the company to see what complaints others have. And ask thorough questions during the sales process to get a better understanding of what implementing it looks like.
This step isn’t to be taken lightly. It can make or break your decision and whether you’ll have to repeat the process in a year from now.
4. Measurement and accountability
Without clear metrics and accountability in place, it can be challenging to track progress in filling these gaps.
Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) within your team as well as set the expectations around service-level agreements (SLAs) with your vendors before doing business with them.
Conclusion
Forecasting correctly is a hard skill to master. That’s where contact center conversation intelligence software can help.
When it comes to staff, call volume, customer onboarding, and more, forecasting can set your team up for success to achieve their goals and give the business a positive return.
Most importantly, with software, you’re relying on data-driven results. No bias is involved. Human touch is needed as the contact center world is immersed in human-to-human connection, but when it comes to forecasting software this should all be automated. It can often predict better than we can.
We hope this post helps you navigate the world of forecasting especially as a new year is upon us.
If you have any other questions or want to see how Abstrakt can help solve your problems, book some time with us.