Five Top Predictions for Contact Centres in 2020

It’s set to be a big year in 2020, with the increased use of technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and customer experience (CX) are set to be the big brand differentiators. So, what else should be on your watch list for 2020? Here are our top five predictions:

1 – Getting the channels right for CX

Tim Kimber

It’s important to understand how and where your clients are contacting you. Are they coming through your website? Picking up the phone? Identify a couple of key channels and invest in them to ensure people can communicate with you in the way that they want.

Chatbots and AI usage is on the rise and rightly so, there have been big improvements in this technology meaning that basic queries can be easily sorted. There should be a holistic approach towards customer contact, ensuring that all conversations that take place are centralised and easily accessible by agents as required. A customer should be able to continue a previous conversation on the same query and across different channels.

2 – Agents’ roles will change to problem solvers

With more of the menial tasks managed by technology, agents’ roles will change to manage the more complex issues that emerge. Ensure your employees have the skills to handle these types of calls efficiently. Solving these queries effectively and confidently will mean training staff to ensure they have the right tools in place to handle challenging calls. Upskilling employees could reduce churn as agents feel more confident and able in their roles.

3 – Increased use of AI

The integration of AI in contact centres has increased over the last few years and can be a vital part of customers’ contact with businesses. It can effectively manage low level queries, ensuring that customers have a low-effort experience in resolving their issues. This can enhance customers’ interactions with companies while also increasing productivity within the business, as more calls are quickly solved.

AI and technology is set to improve over time, meaning that more and more tasks will be handled without agents’ involvement. Now is the time to look at what AI can offer contact centres and whether your company can move towards advanced solutions. Establish what is needed to help customers with their queries and create the best solutions for them.

4 – Monitoring calls in real-time

Being aware of the conversations taking place in real-time is a big boost for supervisors. They can ensure agents are compliant with policies and procedures and holding positive conversations that have value for customers.

Technology can be used to monitor conversations, picking up keywords, and can flag when problems arise, meaning supervisors can step in when there are difficulties. This could boost confidence as agents know that they are supported during complex calls. It will allow the company to understand the types of conversations their agents have, and how they manage them. This information can be used to develop training as required for employees so they can handle calls effectively.

5 – Customer-centred metrics

As the landscape shifts towards CX as the priority, consider the metrics used by your contact centre. Are they going to help you assess your performance against ensuring great CX?

Revisit Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to ensure you are operating at the optimum level for your clients. Gartner’s research suggests that CX is set to be the primary brand differentiator from 2020 as customers look for better relationships with the brands they choose. Customer loyalty is tied to their experiences, and people won’t hesitate to change companies if they believe they will have more positive encounters with them.

While the focus is on customers for 2020, ensure your CX is low-level effort that exceeds their expectations rather than trying to impress your customers (Gartner, 2018).

Put your customer at the centre of your business plans and evaluate your contact processes. Are you providing them with the information they need? Rate your CX – is it where you need to be? If not, what do you need to do to improve it?

Read Vonage’s guide to learn how you can quickly transform your contact centre into a centre of your company’s CX efforts by focusing on a few key capabilities orchestrated in tandem with your CRM.

Guest Blog by Tim Kimber, Product Marketing Director, Vonage