Amit Gandhi, CEO of NovelVox, an AI-enabled contact center solution provider, helps organizations deliver impeccable customer experience.
The contact center is resource-intensive. While human resources account for the largest share of costs, other aspects like technology, infrastructure and training also contribute.
On top of this, high agent turnover rate, improper processes, outdated systems and unmet customer satisfaction can inflate the overall costs. It is important to keep up since satisfied customers are at the root of a flourishing contact center. With this in mind, here are some ways for contact centers to invest in ROI-driven solutions.
Increasing First Call Resolution (FCR) Rates
As per the data by SQM Group, to be considered “good,” you want to aim for a first call resolution rate between 70% and 79%. This means it is of utmost importance for your contact center to improve the FCR rates to build a solid, loyal customer base.
Improving Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)
Related, a better CSAT score improves contact center efficiency. According to a study by Harvard Business School, 80% of customer service organizations use the CSAT score as the primary metric to enhance customer satisfaction.
Reducing Average Handle Time (AHT)
The average time consumed by a customer service representative to handle a call is termed the average handling time. As per the Erlang Calculator, around six minutes is considered to be the perfect average handle time across industries.
Enhancing Agents’ Productivity With AI
Productive and satisfied agents offer a better customer experience. One way to improve team performance and give better results is to invest in advanced AI technologies and agent training sessions. Using AI with human intervention can increase an agent’s productivity by 66%.
Whether it be sentiment analysis or predictive analysis, AI-based technology provides agents with real-time insights that can help improve customer engagement and decisions. My recommendation is to look into agent productivity tools that can unify processes, reduce AHT and increase FCR.
Automation For Cost Reduction
While, like with AI, you want to ensure human intervention, automation can help streamline complex workflows and reduce manual efforts.
For example, incorporating technologies like interactive voice response (IVR) can automate the regular incoming interactions and reduce agents’ manual efforts. Robotic process automation (RPA) can handle backend work like data entry and offer prompt responses.
As someone who provides such services, I also find that contact center productivity can be significantly boosted when automation tools like IVR are integrated with telephony systems through smart CTI connectors.
Data For Better Decision-Making
While I find it’s always fruitful to employ data-driven strategies, handling the vast amount of data generated by a contact center can be challenging. When choosing a system to help with this, I recommend prioritizing platforms with advanced analytics capabilities, user-friendly dashboards and real-time reporting. I also recommend you opt for solutions that can integrate seamlessly with existing tools, support centralized data storage and offer robust security features.
Advanced Tools And Platforms For Better CX
In today’s world, customer experience is one of the most crucial elements for boosting ROI. Organizations that invest in tools that can help promote empathetic and efficient services can then offer better customer experience along with better ROI.
Using omnichannel support tools in the contact center is my number one advice to help you improve your customer engagement. Along with this, across-channel interactions allow customers to interact with the brand through their preferred medium, such as social media, webchat, email, SMS, etc. Lastly, using AI-powered tools can help offer personalized interactions and also play a significant role in improving ROI.
Wrapping Up
Investing in ROI-driven solutions optimizes budget, improves agents’ productivity and enhances customer satisfaction. It creates a balance between better customer service and cost-effectiveness.
Incorporating the techniques and tools discussed above can offer a measurable return to your contact center. To get the most out of my advice, consider connecting with contact center solution providers; they can help you understand the business requirements and offer personalized industry-based services.
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