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Managing customer service at the busiest of times.

Managing customer service at the busiest of times.
As we approach, what is historically the busiest period of the year for call centres and their operatives, let’s look at a few facts to understand the importance of the ability to scale a call centre business according to the massive increase in seasonal demand.

Every agent in the nation is expected to provide top-notch customer care while handling the growing volume of inquiries. During this time, customer demands are unrestricted, so contact centres efficiency is vital when handling inbound and outbound calls.

With over 900 call centres operating in the UK covering retail and consumer services,
government and non-profit agencies, financial services, telecommunications and utilities, their activities can include answering calls and relaying messages, providing technical assistance, handling complaints, conducting telemarketing, verifying addresses, and placing orders.
Some call centres that offer outsourced call management services on behalf of their clients may cover a number of sectors which could mean covering all the above tasks.

The capability of call centres is determined by human interaction and efficiency against that of artificial involvement, i.e. Artificial Intelligence assisting or handling calls before any human involvement. It is predicted that by 2025 85% of all customer service interactions will exist without person-to-person involvement. This does not mean the end of human involvement in call centres. Far from it. Ultimately it will be a person who makes the final call.
It is those call centres that will have the ability to handle any volume of calls on-demand and who will offer the very best customer service.

As customers now expect to engage at their convenience, using multiple technologies, call centres need to ensure they are positioning their technology to stay ahead of customer demands.

Here are Saascoms top 3 tips for getting it right and future-proofing your business.

1. Omnichannel – Invest now
The integration of omnichannel solutions, a method of seamless interconnections across phone, email, social media, and whatever additional extra communication channels are needed, is a growing trend in the contact centre industry.

With all prior conversations across all channels recorded, agents can evaluate each customer on a single screen. Voice agents can view previous emails, and social media agents can view the entire call history. This makes the agents’ work easier and results in a more individual and customised experience for each consumer.

The option provided by omnichannel is crucial because it allows clients to communicate with agents in a fashion that suits their preferences. Additionally, it will enable inquiries to be easily transmitted between channels when necessary.
Stronger customer loyalty is frequently a result of better service, and this loyalty has benefits for the entire lifecycle of the customer.

Managing customer service at the busiest of times

2 Automation – Invest now
Technology is becoming a more significant factor in contact centres. Customer service is centred on emotional intelligence; technology is only used to improve efficiency, expedite procedures, and support agents in their roles.

Having said that, it is important not to undersell the value of technology, particularly during periods of rising demand.
Automation and artificial intelligence are the ideal tools to assist agents in handling the increased volume of inquiries during the busiest of times.

Contact centres must engage with various requests at different levels.For instance, an automated system could respond to requests for information on specific deals or the confirmation of operating hours rather than using a valuable and finite amount of agent time. However, more agent involvement is necessary to respond to customer complaints or other complex inquiries. Therefore, it’s critical that teams have enough resources to do so.

Most of the time, automation should be utilised to quickly gather vital data from consumers so that, in the event that the question needs to be escalated to an agent, it may be done quickly and effectively.
This will not only cut down on time spent on each call, allowing for more requests to be handled daily, but it will also allow for the quick and easy resolution of consumer inquiries.

Managing customer service at the busiest of times

3. Support your agents
Finally, continue to invest in the ‘real’ people.
The latest cutting-edge technology that “revolutionise” contact centres are making a huge difference, but if your agents aren’t supported, it can affect the final outcome. Customers find it tremendously comforting to hear a kind voice on the other end of the call, especially at this stressful time of year. This underlines the fact that fully automated AI-driven call centres are still a thing of the future.

In order to support agents in their responsibilities and improve customer experience, automation and omnichannel solutions should be deployed. For instance, omnichannel supports each agent’s skill set and enables them to interact with customers through the communication channel that most suits them, whether it is the phone, email, or social media.
Your company will become far more efficient beyond the busy periods if you equip the business and your agents with the necessary resources and a positive working environment.

Managing customer service at the busiest of times

Investing in the future
Unquestionably, the festive period and new year are among the busiest for contact centres. However, they continue to play a crucial role year-round, offering advice, support and, in some cases, a lifeline for callers.

A contact centre will evolve once it adopts an omnichannel strategy that places agents at the centre of all business-critical activities and combines voice and digital channels. And only when technology is used in the appropriate proportions can individualised client experiences be realised.

Saascoms has the platform and solutions required to ensure contact centres have an effective, efficient, and vibrant future for their business and customers.

Make contact to discuss our Contact Centre Solutions