Embracing Automation in the Contact Center

When checking into a hotel for a conference recently, I noticed that the line for the front desk was 15 people deep while the self-service check-in was empty except for me. Was it broken? Was there something they all knew that I didn’t? Apparently not.  As I checked in, got my keys, and chose my floor, they already had my rewards on file and I could even request any amenities I may have forgotten. 

Then again, maybe I knew something that the others waiting in line did not. Automation is great when your company fully embraces it, and your customers think so too when implemented correctly. 

When I think about those customers waiting in line I think about the many conversations I’ve had around automation in the contact center. How at first glance everyone feels that they want the in-person experience. When we dig further into what customers want, it is simply an efficient customer experience that takes care of their issues.

Automation has come a long way since the days of shouting into the phone “live agent” and getting a confused response from the voice on the other side. Chatbots are a great way to quickly understand where to direct a conversation — to a live agent or just your knowledge base. With IVR technology, the customer gets the answers they need and are even routed to the right department when you properly integrate your CRM. 

Technology has come a long way in the contact center, and how that technology is deployed is one piece of the puzzle. Embracing that technology from the top down and universally is the other. And as evidenced in the hotel check-in, the most important piece of the puzzle. If you are looking to maximize your ROI on your contact center investment, we need to make sure we maximize the buy-in from the team. 

Understanding the entire picture, how this is going to enhance the customer experience, alleviate hold times and work for the agents not replacing agents is a good first step in the process. Understanding the impact and how this will make agents’ lives easier and allow them to focus on what is important: the customer, and resolving their concerns is imperative.

There are the changes you can see and feel on the surface like chatbots, IVR, and agent assist. When you implement WFM to ensure that the staffing is in place at the right time so hold times are reasonable, you alleviate frustration for the agent and customer before it comes to fruition. 

Being able to take all of the data on call volumes, peak times, and planned and unplanned absences & compile the analytics is powerful. Taking action on the data to have a smooth operation in your contact center is even more powerful for your agents, supervisors, and customers. These are the automation that customers won’t even know are there. 

If you thought that automation for your contact center was a good thing you are correct. However, we speak with a lot of customers that have the right technology and just need the roadmap.
We can help. Get in touch and we can assist your customers who are waiting in line get the customer experience you want and they deserve!