THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Brendan van Staaden
Group CEO: Interactive Technologies
The contact centre is experiencing an underlying shift in respect of customer service. While some people in the industry may make a fuss about technology being a key driver, many or most of the progressive centres are looking to more dynamic influencers in customer service provision.

We all know that the majority of centres already have their fundamental hardware (kit), switching networks et al in place, albeit that some may be rather long in the tooth. And while such technologies are good enablers, they aren’t necessarily the “nouveaux” distinguishing factor in a sound customer service strategy. Today’s differentiators for progressive customer service organisations are embedded in “bleeding edge” multimedia drivers such as knowledge management, Web self-service, email response management and customer self-help.

Savvy customer demand dictates that delivery channels in the new generation will have to be “power channels” managed by “power users” which identify customer expectation early in the transaction to ensure realistic and relevant first time call resolution. The same will apply to customer self-service channels these too will be “power channels” which will rely on an effective knowledge base and priority management applications to meet the expectation head on.

Outsourced customer service centres in particular are focused on honing their competitive edge and are forced to examine reducing barriers to entry for more attractive propositions to prospective customers wanting to outsource their operations.

Knowledge Management as an influencer will without doubt be key in reduction of training time hence agent time to floor which will sharpen the edge. This, coupled with a sound customer interaction strategy, will translate into effective Customer Relationship Management which will be a telling decider in project award by operations with an appetite for outsourcing.

As the mobile handset becomes more sophisticated, the interaction medium available to users now moves the customer contact into a new realm. The Web, which can now be accessed on the mobile handset and PC as opposed to traditional PC alone, becomes a telling driver for the “uber subscriber” allowing access to a mine of customer-centric information when and wherever.

The customer service centre, therefore, takes on a whole new dimension. The landscape changes, the need for massive service centres diminishes cost of customer service is reduced and value is passed on to the subscribers and users.

We cannot ignore the influence of new technologies on the customer service delivery channels. Users do not necessarily want to talk to agents; they want a more personal environment where information can be accessed in their own time and at their own pace.

Interpretation, language barriers and other forms of misunderstanding will no longer frustrate users. Utopian perhaps, but these factors will certainly impact on our way of transacting, and it’s something to look forward to.