{"id":9085,"date":"2020-06-14T12:47:51","date_gmt":"2020-06-14T11:47:51","guid":{"rendered":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/?p=9085"},"modified":"2023-01-17T10:26:08","modified_gmt":"2023-01-17T10:26:08","slug":"part-5-call-centre-trends-omnichannel-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/part-5-call-centre-trends-omnichannel-support\/","title":{"rendered":"Part 5: Call Centre Trends: Omnichannel Support"},"content":{"rendered":"

As part of this series dedicated to call centres, we\u2019re trying to drill down into the sector trends. We\u2019ve already taken a look at broad tech developments and the shift to cloud-based contact systems. In our fifth post, we\u2019re going to focus on the emergence and importance of <\/span>omnichannel support<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The concept of omnichannel contact centres has become increasingly important in recent years. It\u2019s something that businesses are heavily investing in. It\u2019s also something that consumers demand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this post, we\u2019re going to discuss the trend toward omnichannel. We\u2019ll consider the channels that most contact centres now cater to. Finally, we\u2019ll discuss why omnichannel centres are still developing, and what more changes may be afoot.<\/span><\/p>\n

Multichannel Vs. Omnichannel \u2013 A Primer<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The very first call centres were worthy of that name. They were locations staffed by agents who were there to speak to customers over the phone. Making a phone call was a consumer\u2019s only option when they needed to contact customer service.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As technology developed, things changed. Over the decades, businesses introduced more options for customers to reach out. Email support followed traditional telephony. Those channels were then supplemented by live chat, social media, and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A firm that lets people seek help via many channels offers a multichannel solution. By extension, that\u2019s also how to describe a contact centre<\/a> that facilitates the firm\u2019s customer service. Providing omnichannel support means<\/a> taking things a step further.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The central premise of omnichannel support is that the customer service someone gets is <\/span>seamless<\/span><\/a>. It shouldn\u2019t matter by which channel they reach out to a firm; support should always be consistent. In theory, all avenues of support get fully and efficiently integrated.<\/span><\/p>\n

An omnichannel contact centre is one that customers can reach in a variety of ways. More than that, it\u2019s one where all channels get incorporated into a unified system. That lets agents jump between channels with ease. They can retrieve historical conversations from any channel as they do so. Customers don\u2019t need to restate support requests each time they change channels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That customers want to use different channels for support is evident. There\u2019s also a significant demand for omnichannel support from consumers. <\/span>Salesforce research<\/span><\/a> found that 70% of customers see connected processes is vital to winning their custom.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s for this reason that contact centres are so keen on the idea of broadening the range of channels they use. Only 19% of call centre advisors support a single channel, according <\/span>to UKCCF research<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Which Channels Comprise Omnichannel Support Systems?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There is a plethora of choice when it comes to the channels that firms and contact centres can offer to consumers. Telephony is still the predominant channel industry-wide. Annual <\/span>Call Centre Helper surveys<\/span><\/a> always rate calls as the most popular channel. The experts we spoke to at Cymphony and FM Outsource agreed.<\/span><\/p>\n

At Cymphony, 92% of revenue gets accounted for by voice calls. The representatives from FM Outsource additionally rated calling as the top channel. That was both in terms of volume and the importance placed upon the channel by the company\u2019s clients.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our industry insiders also agreed on the most valuable channels. They all flagged up the popularity of webchat and social media. For the latter, especially instant and private messaging via social networks. In fact, Jack Barmby, founder of FM Outsource, shared some fascinating insights about messaging channels.<\/span><\/p>\n

Social Media: The New Player in Town<\/span><\/h3>\n

At FM Outsource, social media \u2013 and particularly Facebook Messenger \u2013 is on the rise as a support channel. For the fast fashion niche, private messaging via Facebook Messenger is one of the highest volume channels. Such IM features of social networks are also becoming more popular across the board.<\/span><\/p>\n

Interestingly, neither Cymphony nor FM Outsource mentioned email as a vital channel. Email support is still provided for by many contact centres. A <\/span>State of Customer Experience Study<\/span><\/a> found that almost half of centres do cater to the channel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Call Centre Helper\u2019s research, though, does suggest that <\/span>live chat channels are taking traffic from email<\/span><\/a>. The reason is likely because those channels offer more immediate resolution than email. It\u2019s also more convenient than a phone call. This final point is vital to the millennial generation, especially. That sector of society strongly prefers <\/span>online to offline communication<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What does all this information reveal? It tells us that contact centres are alive to the demand for multiple support channels. It\u2019s also clear that industry pros see web chat or IM channels as the most useful of the newer options around. As we mentioned earlier, though, adding new channels isn\u2019t all there is to omnichannel support.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What Are the Principal Hurdles to Omnichannel Support?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A genuine omnichannel contact centre is one that provides seamless support. Customers can reach agents via many different channels. Those channels each offer the same level of service. Beyond that, advisors can also view data from any channel when they converse with a customer.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For seamless <\/span>customer experience<\/span><\/a>, a contact centre must integrate its channels. All means of communicating with agents need to exist on a unified platform. Surprisingly, that\u2019s not the case with the vast majority of contact centres as they\u2019re currently constructed.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Source: <\/b>Call Centre Helper<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the above graphic from <\/span>Call Centre Helper<\/span><\/a> shows, very few centres achieve full integration. What\u2019s far more common is a muddled situation where some channels are unified, and others aren\u2019t. This difficulty in integration is often cited as the principal hurdle to omnichannel.<\/span><\/p>\n

David Rolfe, at Cymphony, agreed. He revealed that the firm plans to adopt a <\/span>unified communications platform<\/span><\/a>.<\/span> And the primary reason is to provide an environment for omnichannel. He described the current situation as disjointed: \u201cPeople come in very different channels. At the moment, we\u2019ve got no way of connecting the dots.\u201d A UC platform would give them that means. The very premise of such solutions is to integrate communication channels and accounts in one interface.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At FM Outsource, the situation\u2019s a little different, all their channels are fully integrated. They see the integration of first and third-party systems as the most significant hurdle to omnichannel and believe that it\u2019s challenging to find a \u201ccoherent pathway for data\u201d through those systems.<\/span><\/p>\n

Without such a pathway, utilisation of the data isn\u2019t as efficient as it might be. For instance, a coherent avenue for data can make post-call processing much more straightforward. An agent would be able to update an address or other details in the contact system. The changes would then get automatically replicated elsewhere. That would include CRM<\/a>, delivery tracking, and other related platforms.<\/span><\/p>\n

The key to omnichannel support is to have a unified, joined-up system. That means the proper integration of channels and other software, platforms, and solutions. Contact centres are sure to strive towards that kind of unification in the coming years. What other changes and trends, though, might be on the horizon?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking Ahead \u2013 New Channels & Trends<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Contact centres are always adding new channels for customer support. Doing so is necessary to keep up with consumer demands and preferences. We asked both Cymphony and FM Outsource which new channels they were going to introduce next. Once again, our pros agreed.<\/span><\/p>\n

WhatsApp for Business, <\/span>Apple Business Chat<\/span><\/a>, and IM channels, in general, are the paths that both firms plan to explore. That chimes with Call Centre Helper\u2019s industry research. Their recent survey showed live chat and messaging apps as the most popular new channels:<\/span><\/p>\n

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Source: <\/b>Call Centre Helper<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jack from FM Outsource made an important distinction between those two options. They feel that messaging apps and IM channels linked to social networks may be the better option. There were two main reasons they gave as to why those channels may gain more popularity than webchat:<\/span><\/p>\n