You’ve heard over and over again about the need for mobile in your business and in your contact center. What you may not have heard are the impacts mobile is making on the contact center. ICMI recently posted an article about that exact subject. Below is a summary of that article:
How are today’s advancements in mobile technology playing out in the contact center?
Here are 5 mobile mega forces at work today that are impacting the contact center and customer experience management at large:
- Proliferation of Mobile Devices – The sheer number of mobile and connected devices is the biggest force affecting the contact center. Estimates reveal that the number of mobile devices is expected to surpass six billion units in 2014. It’s hard to believe that they will soon exceed the world’s population. What’s even harder to believe is that this number will more than double between 2015 and 2017.
- Constant Connectivity – Not only are analysts expecting six billion mobile devices this year, but each of those devices is Internet-enabled, providing more ways to interact 24/7. Consumers are connecting through phone, text, online chat, email, and social media. More points of connection mean more touch points for a contact center.
- Variety – Mobility produces a variety of data types, including structured and un-structured data, which contact centers need to take into consideration. This includes contact information, transaction information, interaction history and interaction information across phone, chat, email, social media and SMS. Couple that with the burgeoning global mobile data traffic that will surpass 15 exabytes by 2018, and you have a tremendous wealth of information regarding consumer behavior. Contact centers must identify the various data associated with customer journeys and aggregate them to get a 360-degree view of the customer.
- Volume – Mobility allows consumers to transact and interact at any point-of-contact, which has dramatically increased the volume of customer service interactions. This is a far cry from the days of the single channel call center.
- Velocity – Mobility and constant connectivity have accelerated the immediacy of customer service. Pair that with the speed at which social media interactions take place, and you have a new wave of consumers that expect service in real time. A brand needs to not only be present on social media channels, but engage with customers in real time to keep them happy.
These powerful mobile forces have affected the contact center in several ways. Let’s take a look:
1. Your Job Just Got Harder.
Mobile customer service went from a “nice to have” to a “must have” in the contact center. It is particularly crucial to integrate self-service with live-service, as mobile consumers tend to favor self-service.
2. You Have the Chance to be a Service Hero.
Rather than looking at these forces as threats, view them as opportunities that uniquely position you to be the savior by delivering memorable customer experiences when and where the customer expects.
3. You’ll Need a New Plan of Attack.
Start by identifying gaps in your customer service and prioritize your most glaring issues. Develop your core cross-functional team, develop solid KPIs and chart your progress.
4. Legacy Processes and Technologies are a Cost Burden that Prohibits Innovation.
As you evolve the agent skill set required to service today’s mobile, omnichannel customers, don’t forget to take a hard look at your contact center processes and infrastructure technology. A simple upgrade often provides the quickest route to immediate success.
5. Promoting Small Wins Becomes Key.
Pick your battles and demonstrate your value from small wins, as well as the business benefits from your mobile campaigns. This will go a long way toward sustaining your progress.
6. You Have to be Flexible – Measure & Optimize!
When it comes to adopting mobile solutions in the contact center, one size definitely does not fit all. Develop a timeline with checkpoints and measure the results of your efforts. Make tweaks and adjustments as you go.
If you do all of the above consistently, not only will you increase your job satisfaction and get yourself that next big promotion, but you’ll also gain a legion of happy agents. This becomes a critical element when you consider that 92% of consumers report that a customer service agent’s perceived “happiness” has an impact on their customer experience with the brand. 66% of consumers agree that their experience with a brand’s customer service agents has a major impact on their impression with the brand overall. Creating a frictionless experience for consumers that, thanks to more powerful mobile devices, expect resolution immediately will lead to fantastic business benefits, such as higher customer retention, greater loyalty and share-of-wallet, higher sales conversion and lower abandonment.
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