3 Benefits of Customer Service Technology

Dave Paulding reveals the reasons why you should implement contact centre technology.

One of the problems of companies planning to invest in technologies that enhance the quality of customer service is to determine the measurable benefits of such investments.

In a recent report by the independent research firm Forrester Research “Win Funding For Your Customer Service Project”, nearly half of respondents mentioned “measuring results” as one of the top five challenges to gain support for this type of project.

The potential benefits of implementing customer service technology can be divided into three categories:

1. Reduced operational costs

Self-service (via voice menu, internet or mobile applications) reduces the number of incoming calls.

Work-scheduling applications minimise HR costs, while automatic routing of calls to skilled employees reduces the interaction time.

2. Improved agent productivity

The survey shows that 64% of technology decision-makers employing more than 50 agents have non-integrated communication channels.

This means that the agent is often required to use many different applications during a single customer interaction, leading to frustration and increased staff turnover.

Systems integration and a single user interface, the ability to ask your supervisor for advice by chat during a conversation with a customer, and an up-to-date and intelligent knowledge base all increase agent productivity and consistency.

3. Increased customer satisfaction

Over 60% of customer respondents in the survey said that valuing their time is the most important thing a company can do to provide them with high quality service.

The customers want the agent to know their problem and the history of the previous contacts from the beginning of the call. They want to interact with the contact centre using the method of their choice and to receive messages in a specified format and time.

Implementation of appropriate technology can increase customer loyalty.

“It’s easy to talk about increasing productivity or greater business agility, but budgetary decision makers in companies typically look for hard financial data,” said Dave Paulding, regional director UK, Middle East at Interactive Intelligence. “While the emphasis on the quality of customer service in companies is growing, contact centre managers often have difficulties writing business analysis convincing enough for the Board to approve the cost of the new technology.”

“The business analysis of the project should be short and to the point. It should identify problems that reduce the quality of customer communications and emphasise how they will be addressed by the new technology,” continued Dave Paulding. “Each implemented function should be described in terms of the above-mentioned business benefits. It is also advisable to avoid technical language, because it tends to annoy those without specialist training. Writing the business analysis is an art worth pursuing. A well-written document has a much better chance of getting the acceptance of the Board.”

For more information about Interactive Intelligence, visit their website.