Current and Future Trends in the Contact Centre Industry

Josh O’Farrell, Technical Content Writer at Spearline, explains that the most refreshing, but also the most frustrating, aspect of trends is that they come and go so fast.

By the time you begin to get used to one, it’s outdated or evolved into something new.

He shares some of the current trends in the contact centre industry and predicts where things may be headed.

1. AR and VR

What could the move toward augmented reality and virtual reality, enabled by the telecommunications environment, mean?

Seen as the next step in enhancing the customer experience, AR will enable clients to demonstrate precisely what the issue is, allowing help officers/support agents to see and diagnose the issue, recommending any troubleshooting and resolution options via the voice channel.

2. Big Data

With ever-larger amounts of data to cope with from surveys, social media, speech analytics, web analytics, etc., companies are in danger of being overwhelmed by the amount of data they have on their customers’ needs and behaviours.

Trying to understand what the data is telling us and incorporating it into our CRM is one of the biggest tasks facing marketers right now.

3. Chatbots and Self-Service

Have you noticed more and more pop-up bubbles asking if you require assistance as you visit websites, perhaps with an icon or profile picture?

You’re talking to a chatbot, and the transfer from bot to an actual live agent is becoming even more seamless with each day.

With the introduction and development of AI, the possibilities are growing for the customer experience. It’s faster, easier and it generates more revenue for the business.

4. Omnichannel Cloud

An omnichannel cloud call centre aims to present itself more simply to the customer.

Where a customer wishes part of his/her interaction to be online and another through a brick-and-mortar shopfront, the experience is seamless; where interaction is escalated from chatbot to agent, it is seamless.

Omnichannel is a multichannel customer service approach that offers a flawless atmosphere across all points of contact and is easily accessible. For contact centre management, all interactions are controlled, monitored, and measurable.

5. Teleworking

Teleworking/e-working/remote working is being implemented more and more, becoming the most popular and efficient way of working.

The rise in interest is driven by lower overhead costs, flexible workforce management, access to skilled staff, and employee satisfaction and retention that translate to customer satisfaction.

2019 has been a busy year in the industry and developments are going to keep evolving. Wherever change affects the voice channel and whatever trends may occur in the future, one thing is certain for contact centres – customers’ phone calls need to connect and conversations need to be heard! That’s why Spearline proactively monitors and tests toll and toll-free numbers worldwide.