In CCW Digital’s State of Contact Center Technology Market Study, research indicates that in today’s contact centers, the most widespread challenge involves disharmony between channels.
This is a growing problem, with 45% of companies admitting that their channels are disconnected. Disconnected experiences categorically prevent companies from developing the necessary 360-degree view of their customer journey. They also inhibit the delivery of a seamless and omnichannel experience.
Disunity between channels ensures dissatisfying experiences at a fundamental level. If companies cannot facilitate a seamless transition for customers moving between channels, they have no chance of delivering the coveted FP3 (frictionless, personalized, predictive, and proactive) experience.
A Lack of Automation
To understand why this disharmony exists, we can look to the ongoing presence of insufficient and unsuccessful use of automation. According to CCW Digital research, 33% of companies noted they are experiencing high levels of agent effort, which is undoubtedly related to the concerning lack of technological assistance.
Automation continually tops the lists of hottest topics in customer contact, and for good reason. These technologies work to simplify tasks and processes so that employees can handle more volume and perform complex work. They also promise efficient customer experiences, stronger agent output, and greater satisfaction across the board.
Therefore, without these cutting-edge tools, integrated channels, and effective automation solutions, companies are increasingly creating more effort for their agents. As agents struggle to jump between tools, look across channels, or access relevant insights from CRM and knowledge systems, they are unable to deliver efficient, satisfying experiences for customers. They also endure their own frustration, leading to churn.
Remote Work Challenges
In normal circumstances, this is a notable problem, but the prominence of remote work has compounded the impact on agent effort. The distributed environment has added workflow complexity and simultaneously removed the possibility of in-person support, making the inevitable adoption of this technology even more critical. Difficult systems and processes now have even greater consequences for the agent experience and customer journey.
Ultimately, we cannot understate the fact that customer-centricity hinges on powerful customer intelligence. Despite this reality, many companies consistently neglect to consider data reporting capabilities when sourcing technology. This is evident when considering the fact that 32% of companies note that they maintain insufficient data about their customer and agent behavior and sentiment. To uncover this vital customer intelligence there must be an improvement in fragmented channels and an emphasis on automation to optimize analytics capabilities.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Considering the alarming state of disconnect in the current customer experience, it’s obvious there needs to be some change. Mindful of this reality, customer-centric brands will not allow these results to stand in 2021. They will continue to evaluate their entire customer contact operations to identify the best possible use cases for automation, and successfully implement valuable technologies.
To read about other key challenges outlined and uncover necessary solutions, download CCW Digital’s State of Contact Center Technology Market Study.
Photo by Anna Shvets PEXELS