CMIQ Research Blog: Liars, Damn Liars and Call Center Technology Salesmen

I couldn’t help but think of Mark Twain when I saw the results of CMIQ’s latest research on call center technology adoption, reliability and usability.

While our respondents and contributors had much to say about the types of technologies and channel arrangements that will surely be in nearly every call center in the future, it is important to consider that, at present, there remain centers and organizations with some trepidation. (See the infographics below.) In fact, more than half of our research participants rated their confidence level in purchasing new contact center technology a 3 or below on a 1-5 scale (with 5 being the highest level of confidence). Primarily, the hesitation stems from a lack of trust in technology providers, especially when it comes to vendors understanding their needs and providing support after roll-out.

Hold on. Before we boil the tar and empty the feather pillows, it’s important to note that the research revealed some areas where organizations can improve and, thus, improve performance in their relationships with technology providers and their wares.

According to our research, technology evaluation and selection teams appear to be lacking some key structure and personnel. That means that initial needs assessments may be going askew and that businesses are unable to clearly communicate their needs and expectations to technology partners. We also found that technology testing is minimal and incomplete in many organizations, so technology implementations and upgrades don’t always go as smoothly as planned and technologies don’t always work to spec out of the box. This can create fiery scenarios during and after roll-out that may not actually be related to the technology (or it’s specified and expected performance).

Every technology is not perfect for your organization, and every provider isn’t the perfect partner for you, but CMIQ’s Call Center Technology Adoption, Usability and Reliability Report should give you some ideas as to where you can ensure that your organization is in the best position to take advantage of technology advances.