Customers have a cornucopia of choices when reaching out to a company’s contact centre. They can start with a phone call, then continue through chat, website, or even social. Contact centre agents, on the other hand, have just one choice — to be ready to greet every customer with the appropriate insights and context. What, then, is the future of the contact centre, as customer expectations and options grow exponentially every day?
Competition, saving time, and saving money are always top of mind. But so are happy contact centre agents and customers. Any and all future strategies, and the following five predictions, are tied to these mandatories.
Prediction 1: Customer service will continue to be the key differentiator
This is no surprise, as customers demand a positive experience — and they have little patience when it’s missing.
In fact, the latest Vonage Global Customer Engagement Report lists some of the frustrations that bring customers to their loyalty breaking point — in other words, when they’re likely to stop buying from a business or using its services:
- Overall frustration: Three quarters of customers will stop buying from a company due to bad experiences. And nearly half of those only need a single incident or two before bailing.
- Is anybody there?: 63 per cent say long waits to speak to a human agent is their top frustration.
- One more time: 63 per cent cite contacting customer service multiple times to get an issue resolved.
- Can you repeat that?: 61 per cent point to describing the issue multiple times, to multiple agents, as they’re transferred around.
- Wrong person: 61 per cent are upset when the person they reach can’t help them, and the right person isn’t immediately available.
- No phone calls: For 59 per cent, it’s not having the option to reach customer service staff by phone.
- Misunderstood: 54 per cent cite phone menu systems that can’t understand their voice commands, forcing them to repeat prompts over and over.
- Siloed channels: 50 per cent are triggered when conversations in one channel aren’t captured in other channels.
- Limited hours: 48 per cent are frustrated when customer service isn’t available 24/7.
You can no longer hide bad customer service behind closed doors. Every business has an online footprint of their successes and failures for all to see. That’s why companies will start to compete based on best customer service.
Key takeaways:
- Customers demand a positive experience.
- Customers have little patience and will easily break their loyalty with a bad experience.
Prediction 2: Mobile is the future — for agents and customers
Mobile devices are increasingly important in everyday life. And customers will most likely use their devices to get in contact with you — be it email, live chat, social media, or a voice call.
Similarly, contact centre agents may use their smartphone or laptop to assist callers. This serves as a key recruiting and retention tool, as mobile functionality supports the remote work lifestyle — where agents can work from anywhere, from any device.
So it’s important for companies to optimize mobile functionality and integrate their contact centre and CRM. In many cases, when callers use a mobile device, it may be difficult for them to reference their order history or other personal notes. Agents, however, can access a full customer view — regardless if they are in-office or remote — to better anticipate caller needs and help. Mobile functionality and CRM integration allow for faster resolutions, accommodate higher call volumes, and increase customer satisfaction.
Key takeaways:
- Optimised mobile functionality and contact centre and CRM integration allow customers to use a favorite platform, while also providing agents with access to customer data.
- Contact centres can work more fluidly to resolve customer inquiries faster and boost satisfaction.
Prediction 3: Expect channel preferences to change (and change again)
WhatsApp was officially founded in 2009. Today, it has nearly 2.8B global users and is a popular choice for customer service. That’s just one example of the rapidly changing channel landscape.
How contact centres adapt to customers switching between channels will determine their success. This is especially true if businesses want to appeal to younger generations, who are more likely to move across web chats, emails, voice calls, etc., all in a matter of hours. Being able to follow those channel hops while maintaining the context of the interaction is key to customer service success.
Key takeaways:
- It’s important to keep current with popular and preferred channels.
- Maintaining context across channels is key to customer service success.
Prediction 4: Voice biometrics will replace security questions
“What’s your mother’s maiden name?” is one of many common security questions. But in the future, it’ll be more about recognizing the voice when customers answer a question — rather than the answer itself — that confirms their identity. Gathering the unique “voiceprints” of your customers could be the answer to security problems, as voice biometrics technology develops.
It’s much harder to replicate the human voice than it is to steal facts about a customer. Voice biometrics record the intricacies of the human voice — from picking up on the size and shape of the mouth to the tension of the vocal cords.
Key takeaways:
- How customers answer a security question will confirm their identity.
- Unique “voiceprints” will protect customers.
Prediction 5: The 'Internet of Things'
With more devices being able to connect to other devices or people independently, it gives rise to a world where almost everything is connected. This could have huge implications for the contact centre, enabling businesses to deliver preemptive service.
For instance, if a patient’s heart monitor is overheating, the device could send an automated service request to the right team. Or a washing machine may self-diagnose and notify the manufacturer when a part needs replacing — taking the customer out of the equation altogether.
The implication is that attitudes will shift. Instead of buying a product, consumers will buy a product with built-in customer service, raising the stakes for getting service right.
Key takeaways:
- Connected devices could impact contact centres, as businesses can deliver preemptive service.
- Consumers may purchase products with built-in customer service.
No need to wait for the future
Contact centre managers must juggle the demands that place agents and customers front and centre. And having the tools to stay ahead of current and future needs is important.
Thankfully, the cloud-based Vonage Contact Centre brings the features and capabilities you need to keep pace with the rapidly evolving customer service landscape. Learn more about Vonage Contact Centre today.