Tag Archives: contact centre

Contact Centre Costs

Contact Centre Costs – the top 5 pain points

Introduction

The digital world has seen a steady increase in online purchases, services moving from the high street to the desktop and a move towards remote customer service. Contact centres have been steadily growing to cope with demand, their remit varying from outbound sales to inbound enquiries and service. Although It is a competitive industry, contact centre costs are key to winning business or maintaining profit margins.

contact centre costs

What are the top 5 contact centre costs and how can Saascoms awards winning software support organisations to reduce these:

Labour Costs

The number one expense for any contact centre is people. This includes salaries and taxation, hiring and training, wellbeing and personnel support. Saascoms Omnireach digital chat platform can assist in taking the administrative tasks away from contact centre agents such as ID&V, which on average reduces agent time by 2 minutes – making agents more productive or reducing the headcount required.

Technology & Infrastructure

Telephony, CRM software, IVR systems, ongoing maintenance, updates and licencing are all significant call centre costs. Saascoms software including Omnireach, Resolution and Mailmaster can all be installed within a few days with no fixed term contract and a pay by use commercial model. Saascoms software is cost effective no matter what size of organisation because of these benefits.

Real Estate & Facilities

Office rent, utilities, furniture and equipment are all required to accommodate call centre staff. Hybrid models still require remote equipment and potentially appropriate furniture. Saascoms Omnireach digital chat platform operates 24/7/365, using advanced AI to resolve customer queries. Examples may include making payments, checking a balance, initiating a return, checking account details and more. As a result, Omnireach reduces the overall physical agent requirement. This has a knock-on effect for the overall size of contact centre and requirement for remote out of hours physical support.

Compliance & Security

ISO, Cyber Security, GDPR, Audit and Call Recording are all costs incurred by a contact centre. Saascoms is ISO27001and Cyber Essentials Plus. Our software platforms are built and hosted in the UK. Plus our client data is also stored in the UK, providing our customers with all the security they need. Saascoms is also an approved G Cloud HMRC supplier, another measure of our security and compliance levels.

Customer Experience

Monitoring, feedback, analytics and performance management all measure how a contact centre is performing and are essential in ensuring quality. At Saascoms our platforms have built-in reporting suites to interrogate data. Our AI learns and improves outcomes and our client CSAT scores improve by an average of 12% using Omnireach and Mailmaster. As a result, our clients can further improve their performance in a virtuous circle.

Conclusion

Summing up at Saascoms we live and breathe contact centres and understand the key contact costs. Our software platforms are designed to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and increase performance. Arrange a demo with our team to see just how our award winning technology can support your organisation.

Contact Saascoms
Man v Robot

Call Centre Agent v AI Chatbot – who wins the customer service battle?

Introduction

While call centre agents have long been the backbone of customer support, AI chatbots are becoming increasingly sophisticated. But which one is better? The truth is both have their strengths. Let’s compare five tasks where each excels and see why with Agent v AI Chatbot the best approach might be a hybrid one.

Call Centre Agents Are Best

1. Handling Complex or Emotional Issues

Customers need empathy and understanding, especially in stressful situations. Human agents can read tone, adjust their responses, and provide comfort in ways AI can’t. Plus sometimes it’s just nice to talk to someone.

2. Negotiating & Problem-Solving

Disputes, refunds, or special cases often require creative solutions. A call centre agent can adapt to unusual requests and negotiate resolutions AI wouldn’t and couldn’t think of.

3. Building Customer Relationships

A great agent doesn’t just solve problems, they connect with customers, strengthening brand loyalty and trust through meaningful interactions, humour and rapport.

4. Handling Multi-Step Queries

When a customer’s request involves multiple departments or processes, human agents can navigate complexities much better than AI.

5. Understanding Accents & Dialects

AI speech recognition has come a long way, but humans still outperform chatbots in understanding regional accents, slang, and nuances. How often do you shout at your smart speaker!

Man v Robot

AI v Human

AI Chatbots Are Best

1. Instant Responses & 24/7 Availability

AI chatbots never sleep! They handle thousands of queries simultaneously without customers waiting on hold.

2. Processing Routine Queries

Need to reset a password? Track an order? Get store hours? ID&V? AI chatbots are perfect for repetitive, straightforward tasks.

3. Speed & Efficiency

AI instantly retrieves data and provides answers faster than any human could. No small talk, just solutions.

4. Data Handling & Integration

Chatbots integrate with CRMs, databases, and customer histories to instantly pull up relevant information.

5. Multilingual Support

AI can communicate in multiple languages instantly, making it a great option for businesses with global customers.

The Best Solution? A Hybrid Approach!

Rather than deciding Agent v AI Chatbot, businesses should combine AI chatbots with human agents to create a seamless customer experience.

  • AI Chatbots handle fast, simple queries and direct customers to the right resources.
  • Call Centre Agents step in when empathy, problem-solving, or human insight is needed.

Using an AI driven omnichannel software platform such as Saascoms’ award winning Omnireach, combined with trained agents, provides the backbone to many global brands customer services.

While call centre agents have long been the backbone of customer support, AI chatbots are becoming increasingly sophisticated. But which one is better? The truth is both have their strengths. Let’s compare five tasks where each excels to see why the best approach might be a hybrid one.

Contact Saascoms