Better the Technology, Better the Call Center
It’s no secret by now that call centers are incredibly important to a business’s success. It’s been covered in-depth by a variety of blogs and news outlets. Call centers are essential to a business because they combine customer service and sales into one room. So since call centers are so essential, how do we make them better? The answer is the same when you ask how to make anything better: technology.
Supportive Technology
Whether you realize it or not, call centers are way more than just phones and people. In fact, they’ve been more than that for a while now. A mainstay in the call center industry for quite some time is the use of supportive technology. Several health care organizations utilize a digital care coordination model to reduce the average customer call length. This model allows customers to give information before speaking to a representative so the call center is better equipped beforehand to help the customer in a timely manner. The model used is similar to the automated programs most use when refilling prescriptions at their local pharmacy.
Cloud Communications
One piece of technology that has started to be utilized more by companies and their call centers is cloud communications. This is occurring because of the widespread use of remote call centers. We’ve all heard of “the cloud,” but mainly with cell phones and computers. Well, call centers are beginning to use those same cloud communication technologies to transfer data that is accrued each day. If a business is located on the east coast and uses a call center in the west, the customer information gained by the call center will need to be given to the business in one way or another. Cloud communications give both call centers and parent companies the opportunity to instantaneously gain the information needed to perform day-to-day operations.
Digital Transformation
For the future of call centers, it’s safe to assume we’ll see more digital transformation. But in order for that to happen, businesses and their call centers will have to develop a digital transformation strategy. Digital transformation is the application of advanced technologies that many believe have restructured modern business environments. As we head toward the future, it is only natural to assume more technological advancements will occur. The real question is: what are we going to do once those advancements become available?
To answer that question, companies will have to have their own strategies for handling digital transformation. Advancements such as unified omnichannel communications (a singular experience for consumers across all channels) and machine-to-machine communications via the Internet of Things (a network of physical devices, appliances, etc. that are embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators and connectivity that enables them to connect and exchange data) have forced companies to determine a way to not only afford the new technology, but also implement it as fast as possible.
In Conclusion
To wrap it all up, it’s always safe to assume game-changing technology is on the way. Many call centers have been using game-changing tech for a while, and others are just now starting to use it. Regardless, better technology complements professional call center agents – resulting in better call centers. How a call center and its parent company handles this new technology is up to them, but the need for technology in call centers is undeniable.
