Contact Center 202X
Customer Service has Permanently Changed
A Seismic Shift
The Pandemic has changed everything for Contact Centers, the businesses that operate them, the technologies used to drive them, and the individuals who work in them.
Our Previous Reality
While the world has shifted for many individuals, families and businesses in the last 18 months, it could be said that Contact Centers have potentially been faced with the most all-encompassing challenges.
Contact Centers are, in essence, service organizations. They exist to support and assist others. Prior to the Pandemic, most Contact Centers were large operational business units, housed in expansive office buildings, leveraged significant investments in on premise technologies, and had large numbers of team members. In order to provide support beyond traditional business hours and during peak times, many Contact Centers maintained partnerships with customer service outsourcing companies. Historically, these “outsourcers” were based outside of the United States.
Contact Centers were often a secondary support organization, fielding inquiries, questions and complaints that customers were not able to handle through their local store.
The Pandemic has changed everything for Contact Centers, the businesses that operate them, the technologies used to drive them, and the individuals who work in them.
The New Reality
The change has been nothing short of seismic. Many organizations refer to the term “Digital Transformation” to represent a new way of approaching business through integrated and intelligent automation, technologies and processes. The challenges of implementing Digital Transformation pales in comparison to the havoc brought on by the Pandemic for Contact Centers.
- Local stores closed, sending all customer service interactions to Contact Centers
- Large Operational (onsite) Contact Centers either saw drastically reduced hours and onsite staff, or closed
- Contact Center Agents were re-established with WFH tools and infrastructure
- Outsourcers outside the US shut down as WFH was not viable
- Contact Center Strategic Realignment to Digital Service Delivery
- Contact Center Technologies shifted to the Cloud
- Increased relevance of Self-Service (IVR, Conversational Natural Language, Digital)
Ultimately, the Pandemic created:
- Higher volume of service and support inquiries for Contact Centers
- Reduced access to outsourcers to handle service and support inquiries
- A new WFH paradigm which required new processes, new management methods, new technology solutions and an onslaught of new challenges for employees
GLOBAL PANDEMIC PRESSURES
COVID-19 dramatically altered societal interactions and behaviors. Businesses were forced to send employees home. Stores closed. Face-to-face interactions were restricted.
local stores
close
shift to
work from home
interactions go
virtual
increase demand for
customer support
IMMEDIATE CC PANDEMIC IMPACTS
Contact Centers were faced with immediate challenges to business operations, support and survival.
reduce
onsite employees
establish / scale
wfh employees
non-domestic
outsourcers close
manage the
surge in volume
re-think strategy….Digital Service Delivery
re-think strategy….Self Service
scale
virtual communication
scale
use of cloud tech
re-think
security / compliance
re-think
workflows / UX
The Pandemic has changed everything for Contact Centers, the businesses that operate them, the technologies used to drive them, and the individuals who work in them.
THE SEISMIC EVOLUTION FOR CC
The Pandemic has heightened our awareness of the criticality of an available technology infrastructure, or capacity.
WFH has proven to be productive beyond our wildest dreams. Employees have become accustomed to not commuting to work.
Workflow efficiencies and automation has proved to be critically important.
An integrated, intelligent digital strategy aligned with cloud solutions have risen to the forefront.
Seamless, customer focused self-service applications are in high demand and must be included in an integrated digital experience.
Customers, prospects and partners are now basing their opinion of a brand upon virtual experiences.
Management
Strategize: Digital
Strategize: Self Service
Evolve the way
we manage virtually.
Evolve how we maintain
a sense of team.
Employees
Do I have the physical
space and connectivity
to work at home?
How to work at
home productively.
How to balance
business and personal.
How to get the support
that I need?
Workflows
Re-imagine for a
disparate workforce.
Re-deploy to
cloud-based solutions.
Consider Automation
and AI.
Consider Self Service.
Business Partners
Re-absorbing volumes
due to diminished
reliance on Outsources.
Developing new
relationships with greater
mobile workforce capacities.
Look to outside experts
for help.
Volumes
Increased number of inquiries and calls.
Customer inquiries not meeting standard business work hours.
People asking for service when they want service.
Security
Extending enterprise
security to WFH.
Extending enterprise
security to Cloud.
Protecting customer
data and company IP
in an extended
network driven by WFH.
Develop and implement
cloud migration, WFH
and digital strategies.
Develop the business
case for the implementation
and adoption of new
technologies.
Migrate to managed
services.
Tech Infrastructure
Enabling an enterprise
experience through WFH.
Maintaining digital and
voice quality for WFH.
Increasing utilization
of Cloud.
Increase automation.
Increase the focus on the customer journey and the user experience, as the Contact Center becomes the focal point for
customer, prospect and partner interaction. When face-to-face, or live interactions are reduced, virtual interactions gain
increased importance on customer loyalty, customer satisfaction and brand reputation.
Download PDF