Call Center Technology is NOT Customer Service
Multi-Channel, Omni-channel, VOIP, Cloud-Based Telephony, Speech recognition, Apps for Self-Service, Chat software…all things we are told we need to have a world-class customer experience. Buy these pieces of call center technology and INSTANTLY you will raise your customer sat scores, key KPI’s and net promoter scoring. MAGIC!
What people forget is that these are tools. They are the facilitators to service not of service. The call center technology of today is amazing, but it only works when you understand the priorities of what customers want.
Before adding technology, your priorities need to be on the human interaction element…Engagement, attitude, first call resolution, proper processes, program knowledge, and an overall agent culture that is based on true customer satisfaction. To sum that up…you better have well-trained agents and thought-out processes.
If you give us the choice of a center that only offered 1800 number voice service, was properly staffed, answered calls on time, employed agents that we’re masters of the product and service needs, were empowered to provide a high % of first call resolution and a couple truly engage with customers on a positive level, you have a good chance to have world-class service!
I will take that over the call center with poorly trained associates but have a multi-channel setup that allows customers to interact on their terms. All this does is allow MORE WAYS TO PROVIDE POOR SERVICE!
The industry needs to start talking more about how service is really done than on how we facilitate it. Looking at the Customer Experience feed on LinkedIn the ratio of technology to actual call center operations and agent management posts seem like 20:1. We wonder why there are so many companies with poor service.
Now don’t get me wrong, we are a HUUUUUGEEEE supporter of the multi/omnichannel customer experience. We believe though that these tools should be secondary to the customer experience. You can’t BUY great service for your customers, too many companies make that mistake. A great agent experience only comes from a lot of hard work that never ends. This included both agent and management.
The true measure of world-class service is not just how you facilitate the experience…that is not service. The true measure is how your customer feels when the experience is over. Will they become evangelists for your brand or are you offering them a hollow experience dressed up with technology?
The dynamic needs changed!
Check out how we are merging call center technology and world-class agents on our home page at www.expiviausa.com
