WHAT will contact centers look like five, or 10 years from now? Think again if you believe voice will have seen its heyday with the rise of omnichannel options such as chatbots, social media messaging, and automated responses.
Humans are here to stay!
Even as the ways we interact with brands and clients continue to multiply, your living breathing agents still remain supreme when it comes to front-lining products and services. They will still be the medium through which customers interact with you. True, a lot of what they do can be automated. But automation still couldn’t do everything.
And to be candid, if it did, you might not want it to.
Automation exists to eliminate the need for humans to do low-skilled, repetitive tasks – tasks such as getting money from a bank or resetting passwords. The point of it all is to empower your agent to focus on more value-added tasks that require the exercise of a different set of skills.
While self-service has its purpose, it doesn’t allow for deep brand relationships and the kind of loyalty and advocacy that lasts a lifetime.
In a study by Forbes.com, 360 executives were asked which channels they use and which ones they see being most prominent 10 years down the line. The most common channels (in order) are as follows:
1. Live chat with a human/real agent
2. Voice (phone) assistance
3. Email
4. Mobile app
5. Social Media
6. Text
7. Self-service knowledge base
8. Online chatbot
9. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Assistant
10. Discussion forums
In 10 years, the prediction is:
1. Live chat with a human/real agent
2. Email
3. Voice (phone) assistance
4. Mobile app
5. Online chatbot
6. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Assistant
7. Text
8. Self-service knowledge base
9. Social media
10. Discussion forums
What does this list tell us?
Most apparent is the continued preference for live chat with a human agent – even if automation remains a huge preference. Another observation is how social media has moved to the 9th position. While social media support has grown in popularity, this might not translate seamlessly for all contact centers. (You might not want to talk to your bank via TikTok, right? Or even cancel your movie subscription through Instagram). While some industries (like retail) may do well with social media support, some age groups/demographics are best served with a human agent.
So what’s a company seeking to upscale do? What kind of contact center do companies stepping into the future need?
Find a contact center capable of a highly-skilled, specialized environment.
Automate what you can. Tracking shipments and answering queries regarding confirmation of orders, for instance, can be automated through chatbots and IVR. But for the more complex interactions requiring an added touch of live engagement, always opt for the human factor.
Just think of irate calls to telehealth providers or even consultative calls to a design firm. Automating these conversations can be a nightmare for consumers. Some of them are turned off by the creepiness factor when they later realize they haven’t been talking to a real person. Or think of the alternative – they don’t get the help they need and end up opting for your competitor! These calls you can’t just automate (no matter how smart your artificial intelligence can be). Of course, you can’t just put anyone on a headset to talk to them. The agents handling these have to be trained. You will need fewer of them in 10 years but these agents will make your company. They will be highly-paid specialists with in-demand communication skills and industry expertise.
Take this scenario. A customer can call a contact center agent to ask which styles of basketball shoes will be back in stock by the holidays. BUT in the contact center of the future, the contact center agent, can be an expert and talk about the best sneakers or the one which suits the callers’ preferences and lifestyles – WITHOUT coming across as hard selling. The conversations make a difference because the second scenario is more personal, engaging, and well… human. At the end of the day, people desire fast service. But it still comes a far second to interaction with a happy, skilled, helpful, and sincere agent.
Omnichannel options shouldn’t phase out voice/agents. Rather, these channels serve as an additional service to quickly handle things that can be repetitive. For everything else, your customers will best be served by a call.
Reach out to customers better than your competitors.
Talk to us. Choose NEARSOL!
NEARSOL is a US-based BPO and service company that offers clients custom-design solutions. With major hubs in Manila and Iloilo, it began operations in 2006 and has since gained a strong presence in the Latin American regions, the Caribbean, and the Asia Pacific, winning many awards for quality and service along the way. Most recent of which is its Great Place to Work-Certified™ Recognition, a global accreditation that tells stakeholders what employees think of the company culture.
Visit our LinkedIn to learn more about our company and our global footprint./PN
