Web event reveals key 2012 contact centre trends

A recent webcast hosted by Interactive Intelligence has revealed key 2012 contact centre trends.

The webcast, attracting more than 2,300 registrants and featuring multiple industry experts, identified the following seven key 2012 contact centre trends:

1.       The increasing use of remote agents

2.       A renewed focus on the customer experience

3.       The rapid adoption of cloud solutions

4.       The impact of social media

5.       The incorporation of mobile devices

6.       The evolution of telephone endpoint devices

7.       The focus on primary key performance indicators

“Among the most important trends affecting contact centres this year is the increasing use of remote agents,” said Forrester Research Inc. principal analyst, Art Schoeller, during the webcast. “Driven by more flexible staffing, reduced real estate costs, a broader recruitment base and improved retention, it’s clear why the use of remote agents is on the rise.”

Also presenting during the webcast was Interactive Intelligence senior VP, Joe Staples, who discussed the adoption of cloud solutions.

“As vendors successfully address top customer concerns of security, reliability and control, it’s no wonder that cloud-based solutions are growing,” Staples said. “In fact, analysts forecast that over the next three to five years the market for cloud-based contact centre solutions will grow at a rate of about 18 to 20 percent. Compare that to the growth of premise solutions, which is in the low single digits and forecast to plateau or even diminish over the same period.”

During the webcast, results of an audience poll showed that a full 58 percent had either already moved their contact centre solutions to the cloud, or were considering doing so.

Another trend — that of social media — also generated interesting poll results. When audience members were asked, “How are you using social media?” the largest number, at 45.5 percent, indicated they use it to listen to what customers are saying about their brand. That was followed by the use of social media to provide customer support (35.9 percent), and its use for lead generation (32.9 percent). About 24 percent said they weren’t using social media at all, and about 23 percent said that they used it to facilitate internal collaboration.