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Key takeaways<\/span><\/p>\n Not too long ago, adding video capabilities to call centers was the height of contact center evolution. Over the past few years, however, we\u2019ve seen everything from chat to social media integrations to artificial intelligence growing throughout the industry. While some of these developments were driven by technology, growing customer demands have largely been key to the growth of the <\/span>omnichannel contact center<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Customer self-service capabilities are chief among these new demands. The conveniences of modern technology have led to an increased desire for solutions that don\u2019t require voice interaction. People want answers quickly and they want them on their terms. Voice is no longer enough. Instead, contact centers must now use multichannel and omnichannel solutions to connect with customers where they\u2019re at.<\/span><\/p>\n Contact center evolution can also be seen in customer journey management. New tools have paved the way for new engagement strategies, redefining the customer experience. As the customer service industry continues working to keep up with rapidly changing consumer needs, here are six key trends in the evolution of the omnichannel contact center that all businesses should know.<\/span><\/p>\n 1. Adding email and chat to call center capabilities<\/b><\/p>\n In 2018, <\/span>54% of customers connected with businesses through email<\/span><\/a>, using it more than any other customer service channel. Hubspot research found that 62% of customers want to use email to connect with businesses and <\/span>42% want to use live chat<\/span><\/a>. Their research also discovered that 90% of customers think an immediate response (<\/span>defined by 60% of customers as within 10 minutes<\/span><\/a>) is important or very important. As consumers demand quick answers, self-service options, and channels that can be used on-the-go, email and chat have emerged as the leading solutions. To keep consumers happy, businesses now need to offer an omnichannel customer experience<\/a> that meets them on their preferred channel. By adding omnichannel customer service<\/a> options such as email and chat, call centers can keep satisfaction high and business thriving.<\/span><\/p>\n However, increasingly, a new generation of consumers demand an expanded digital experience, looking for next-generation digital channels including AI-powered self-service, social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, and messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger, WeChat, and WhatsApp.<\/p>\n 2. Using solutions that enable agent and customer success<\/b><\/p>\n The changes brought by the omnichannel contact center are offering more consumer options, but they\u2019re also empowering agents to succeed in every interaction. Rather than transferring customers when they\u2019re connected to the wrong department, for example, agents can now view the customer\u2019s full history and use it to quickly reach a resolution.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Omnichannel contact center solutions also give agents the tools they need when an interaction shifts mid-conversation and help improve customer service teamwork<\/a>. If, for example, a chat conversation needs to move to a call for sensitive information or quicker communication, agents can seamlessly shift the customer to the phone. Many solutions also alert contact center managers when interactions are becoming negative. They can then coach agents through the conversation or get directly involved, de-escalating interactions before losing customer loyalty. Most important, all of these interactions are recorded in the customer\u2019s history, further empowering agents who interact with them in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n Agent training will be key in this critical area. Agents must be trained to handle multiple channels simultaneously and must be trained for compliant communications for each channel. Supervisors, too, will need additional training to support an omnichannel customer experience through both agent training and agent coaching.<\/p>\n 3. Enabling proper workforce management\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Call center agents have more tools at their fingertips, but they are also required to create faster, better solutions for more customers than ever before. As a call center grows into an omnichannel contact center, proper workforce management is just as important as the tools used. Contact centers can use workforce management to help reduce churn by offering agents their preferred schedules and improving employee satisfaction. <\/span><\/p>\n Agent performance directly affects customer satisfaction, so businesses should track the outcomes, quality, and feedback for each call. This allows them to identify and resolve any issues before they affect interactions. Effective workforce optimization<\/a> also enables total awareness of overall consumer happiness. Through omnichannel analytics, contact center managers can search interactions for keywords, compliments, complaints, and sentiments, creating a solid understanding of the contact center\u2019s success.<\/span><\/p>\n Forecasting and scheduling models that do not account for communication via multiple digital channels will need to change. Thought must be given to where digital demand will lie and how various channels will impact agent scheduling and forecasting. New forecasting and scheduling models will need to be designed.<\/p>\n 4. Discovering quality analytics<\/b><\/p>\n Today, the ultimate customer experience is both satisfactory and personal. Consumers want to feel a personal connection with businesses and they want to feel that their business matters. In fact, McKinsey reported that <\/span>how a customer feels they\u2019re being treated<\/span><\/a> forms the basis for 70% of the customer journey. <\/span><\/p>\n With high-quality analytics, contact centers can understand the choices consumers are making and use this data to offer deeply personalized experiences. When they know why customers select specific channels, contact center managers\u00a0 can then improve interactions with those tools. If a large number of people are calling about a specific problem, they can equip agents to offer fast resolutions and create a plan for fully fixing the problem. The more businesses know about their contact centers and customers, the better their customer experience will be.<\/span><\/p>\n With the addition of digital channels such as social media platforms and messaging apps, a huge volume of unstructured data will be coming into your contact center. You will need a way to turn unstructured data into actionable insights to get a holistic view of the customer experience.<\/p>\n \u00a0If a customer has a single unresolved negative experience with a company, it takes 12 positive experiences to restore their satisfaction. – <\/span><\/i>\u201cUnderstanding Customers\u201d<\/a><\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n 5. Unifying the customer experience<\/b><\/p>\n Everyone has experienced the frustrations of being passed from person to person during a customer service call. With an omnichannel solution, customers are automatically directed to the agent most equipped to resolve their problems, eliminating transfers and optimizing resolution speed. With an omnichannel contact center solution, every interaction is added to an in-depth customer history that can be accessed in a moment. This information gives agents full context for every conversation, helping them create a satisfactory, personalized experience. Whether customers are connecting for the first time or after years of use of a certain product or service, they\u2019ll always receive the ultimate experience.<\/span><\/p>\n 6. Revolutionizing customer journey management<\/b><\/p>\n When transitioning from a call center<\/a> to a contact center, it\u2019s important to choose a solution that offers management of the entire customer journey. No matter where the customer is, agents should be able to define and see their full journey at any point of their interactions. This data can then inform their actions, creating a positive experience that keeps the customer invested in the company. While a connection may begin on chat, for example, agents should be able to use insight and feedback coming from other channels. Then they can create a customer experience that leaves everyone happy and satisfied.<\/span><\/p>\n As you move to a digital-first contact center, your old quality standards may no longer be applicable. Think carefully about what constitutes quality in an omnichannel environment and adjust your standards and processes to support the omnichannel experience.<\/p>\n Want to know more about bringing omnichannel capabilities to your call center? Explore our <\/span>omnichannel contact center solution<\/span><\/a> or <\/span>request a demo<\/span><\/a> to experience it for yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Key takeaways Voice-driven call centers are unequipped to keep up with changing customer demands and customer journey management As the need for chat and email capabilities grow, contact centers must be willing to adapt and change or risk losing customers to organizations who can better support their needs These six key trends in the evolution …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1145,"featured_media":39559,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18885],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ringcentral-newsdesk"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n