Contact center: goals, challenges and priorities in the digital age. We have already talked on many occasions about concepts that we have now fully integrated into the day-to-day of a contact center: digitization, cloud, cybersecurity… Terms that, although the last years of the 20th century represented a true (digital) revolution, nowadays they are fully integrated into our digital culture, and without them, contact center services are meaningless.
However, in this post we do not want to focus so much on the medium (digital technologies) but on how, in this digital age, companies and brands must focus on the customer experience. Do you want to know what are the main goals, challenges and priorities of a contact center in the digital age? Read on, we’ll tell you here!
Contact center in the digital age: goals
This digital transformation in the call center sector has undoubtedly revolutionized the relationship with customers. Especially in those areas of companies specifically dedicated to providing customer service, such as a contact center.
The objective of a contact center in this digital age, therefore, is not only to continue offering the products or services of a company to users; now, more than ever, users need to feel safe in important aspects such as:
- Their information is safe in the companies’ databases
- The customer service they will receive is tailored to their needs
Until not so long ago, the customer service process consisted of answering incoming calls and offering solutions to the needs of users. Now, the customer (and their experience) has become the center of everything and the goal is clear: to build customer loyalty so that the relationship with the company is maintained over time.
Contact center in the digital age: customer satisfaction, at the center of everything
In this sense, at a time when the digital coexists with the physical (a combination that, as you know, is summed up in the term “phygital“), the most important challenge for a contact center is taking advantage of new technologies in such a way that the customer experience is at the center of everything and that the customer feels comfortable and confident that he/she will get a solution to his/her problem. The priorities, in this sense, can be summarized in the following points:
- Automation: the number of interactions (both in volume of calls and in contact through emails or social media) has increased considerably today, with the consequent increase in waiting times. By automating different processes through RPA solutions (integrated thanks to good contact center software) not only times are streamlined, but agents also become much more efficient.
- Humanization: the digital age should never, in any case, dehumanize interpersonal relationships between agents and users. The challenge, in this sense, is to take advantage of the new communication channels to accompany users throughout the customer journey. Humanizing interactions, empathizing with them and, ultimately, making communication close, fluid and, ultimately, “human”.
- Omnichannel: and with the customer experience as the center of the company in this digital age, it is key to establish a unified marketing strategy, where contact through all channels is not independent.
Contact center in the digital age: internal challenges
In order to address these priorities, companies must be able to deal with the rapid and constant evolution of digitization. In this way, some of the challenges they must face are:
- Shortage of professionals with “tech” profiles: it may seem strange, but yes. Despite the high demand for professionals with a digital profile (one of the most demanded in 2022), the truth is that there are not enough digital profiles (especially considering the multigenerational team that makes up many companies). A good contact center software such as ICR Evolution can greatly facilitate the day-to-day in your workplace and the use of more digital tools and channels.
- Training in critical and analytical thinking and self-management skills. What makes us different from machines is our ability to empathize and provide that added value (humanization) in managing problems with users. Training contact center agents to enhance these soft skills is, without a doubt, a must in any company.
- Caring for the best asset of companies: the human team. Despite the fact that teleworking (or hybrid work) is integrated into the vast majority of companies, some have not yet finished assuming it as something 100% positive. As you know, ICR Evolution is a remote-friendly company and we have been committed to remote work since our inception. So how can we not highlight this as an important point for any company that wants to empower their team?
Customer service software EVOLUTION, the best option for taking care of your customers
Is your company prepared to take on all the current challenges and those that are yet to come in this digital age? At ICR we know how to help you. Request a demo of our omnichannel contact center software! Talk later?
