Posted by on October, 28 2019 7:29 pm
If you’re looking to ramp up call center productivity and agent efficiency this autumn, one of the best ways to do so is to increase automation in your facility. Call center automation can take many forms and can take the burden off the shoulders of your agents in many ways. Understanding how to best implement it - and the “treats” it stands to deliver to your center this Halloween season - can really make it clear just how important this factor is in your center’s success.
Trying to get your contact center up to speed without automation can be a bit like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. No matter what you do, it simply isn’t going to work. Thankfully, today’s automation technology makes it easy to streamline your everyday operations and make success simple for your call center agents.
Here are some of the top types of technology you should be employing in your center if you want to see the real benefits of automation at work:
Voice recognition technology is one of the best ways to integrate automation into your contact center. While not infallible, this technology can drastically reduce the amount of time your agents and consumers spend on the phone and can also add desirable self-service options to your offerings.
One of the most widely discussed but perhaps most poorly understood elements of today’s call center automation strategies is the use of artificial intelligence. This technology does not seek to replace the work that experienced and knowledgeable call center agents do. Rather, it enhances their performance and productivity so that they can be as efficient and effective as possible - and create centers that are equally so.
These days, it’s rare to visit a website that doesn’t offer an automated chat feature. These features are an excellent way to connect with consumers who are simply browsing a site, who might not be interested in making an immediate purchasing decision but might have questions related to the products or services. They are also an excellent way to create leads for your call center agents to follow up on.
All of the various elements of call center automation - from voice recognition to artificial intelligence and beyond - are important to creating a comprehensive picture of success. However, they can be tricky to integrate into existing technology suites and everyday operations.
A primary challenge that larger contact centers face with automation technology is that while these features might be powerful and useful, they can be counterproductive when they do not function properly. This includes collaboration between the various elements. If your facility’s voice recognition technology, artificial intelligence, chat and instant message features and other technology aren’t working together adequately, that lack of communication can create major problems.
So, how can you ensure that every part of your center is in tune with the others? Utilizing cloud-based solutions is the answer for most of today’s facilities. This technology allows for ease of integration alongside whatever systems you are currently using, along with simple, effortless communication between departments.
This is especially important if you have a large center where consumer information may need to be transferred or access across various platforms. With cloud-based solutions, your agents in every department can provide excellent customer service and experience - all using the same technology wherever they are.
Now that you know how to increase the instance of automation in your facility, you may be wondering if it’s worth all the effort to do so. If metrics are to be believed, the industry’s most successful centers would answer with a resounding yes.
Perhaps the most obvious benefit of call center automation is the time you stand to save. By automating vital, everyday processes, your agents are free to use their time to complete more meaningful tasks - and the amount of time it takes for them to make connections with each customer or client drops dramatically. While you may only be saving each agent a few seconds per interaction, those seconds add up to major time savings each day - and major benefits for your agency, overall.
Another way you can cut corners without sacrificing quality with call center automation is by reducing costs. Less service time means less cost and higher efficiency. Both of these metrics are important to your center’s overall productivity as well as that of your individual agents. When you’re looking to send your ROI through the roof, automation is a direct line to that end goal.
One less obvious benefit of call center automation is that it fosters loyal, satisfied customers. While it may not seem that your consumers are deeply influenced by or ever even encounter your automation processes, their overall experience is impacted by them every time they call or pick up the phone.
Your consumers - whether they’re calling you or you’re calling them - want to feel that their time is valued and their thoughts and feelings are being urgently considered. Put technology to work and give them experiences that create these feelings by answering their calls or connecting them with live agents faster, offering more self-service options when desirable, and solving problems or answering questions quickly and effectively.
If you’re looking for the technology that will help you give your clients and consumers a happy Halloween - and a great customer experience every day of the year - contact the experts at ChaseData. Our industry experience and wide range of technological solutions will help you outfit your operation with the tools you need to deliver excellent customer service at top speeds every day. Give us a call today to learn more!