For some time, the most innovative and forward-thinking contact centers have been engaged in a transformation. Thanks to the rise of new tech aimed at improving the customer and agent experience, processes can be changed without waiting weeks for internal technology teams to implement, new compliance regulations can be quickly adopted, and the bottom line of the business is improved.
These new technological trends within the contact center industry are becoming vital to ensuring firms can stay ahead of the competition. To deliver the best customer support solutions and not get left behind, contact centers have to continue to innovate. The future of contact center technology is bright.
What are some of the major trends emerging in contact center technology? In this article, we’ll explore the emerging trends within the industry and what they tell us about the future of contact center technology.
Emerging trends in contact center technology
Focus on tackling the complexity of the agent experience
A significant change within the industry is a bigger focus on the agent experience. Research has proven that happier agents mean more satisfied customers. With this direct link between agent and customer sentiment, there is a focus on making sure that agents are better equipped than ever through higher-quality training, coaching, and guidance. The more specific the task can be, the less opportunity there is for agents to ‘freelance’ and make mistakes.
And yet, the complexity of their roles is ever-increasing as organizations try to match rising customer expectations. Without clear guidance and coaching, agents can find themselves in tough situations they’re not prepared for, making their job incredibly stressful. Agents who feel less overwhelmed in the workplace can get more done, providing customers with clearer responses and solutions to their issues.
With more focus on the agent experience, cutting through the complexity, contact centers can not only reduce their agent churn rates but also improve the customer experience.
Advancement in real-time analytics
Another important advancement in the contact center industry is the use of real-time analytics. While this is by no means a new feature within the industry, its importance – and scope – is becoming clearer than ever. The requirement for comprehensive internal infrastructure is very important. As more companies adopt real-time analytics as part of their day-to-day business dealings, that infrastructure grows and improves.
More contact centers are investing in real-time analytics so they can understand performance in real time. Waiting for monthly reports prevents contact centers from being proactive in their transformation, and instead, they have to be reactive. Real-time analytics enables performance to be measured instantly so that changes can be swiftly deployed.
Unearthing data-driven solutions
Contact center data takes many forms, from call logs and performance metrics to service metrics, such as the number of calls waiting in a queue. Trends show that companies are taking this information more seriously than ever and finding the best ways to implement that data into their daily performance. With so much analysis now, contact center firms can closely monitor performance.
The volume of data is one thing; using that data sensibly is another thing entirely. This is a major part of the trend: contact center data is being used in ways that can make a material difference to the business. Businesses can use this data to help support their agents in real time and also make decisions on things like operational efficiency and templates for dealing with problems.
Today, data is far more reliable and actionable. In the past, data was often scattered and limited in what it could tell us. Contact centers that want to learn how to become data-driven can make this process easier than ever, thanks to the technology standard available to firms today.
Getting to grips with generative AI
While AI’s usage in many industries can be controversial, it has been proven to be highly beneficial in the customer support industry. From chatbots and creating scripts through to templates to help agents through customer interactions, generative AI provides exceptional solutions and enhances the agent and customer experience. Agents can benefit from generative AI to help them resolve basic tasks and overcome the more menial parts of the day. This allows the AI to do much of the heavy lifting on behalf of the agent, allowing them to focus on the tasks that need their specialist skills. It cannot be overstated how important this is for agent morale and making people feel valued at work.
Agents who no longer have to spend much time in their working hours doing menial tasks can be far more effective daily. This allows for more specialist skills to be used, making them feel both more useful and improving efficiency for the contact center at the same time.
Keeping security front of mind
Security standards are more important than ever, especially when one factor in the quality – and quantity – of data that a contact center holds. While companies have been quick to adopt generative AI into their business, there has been a realization that a vast amount of data movement is happening at that point.
This can bring potential security risks when handling and moving data around. However, because we can now host large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT in Microsoft Azure, we can both benefit from their presence and reduce the risk of a lack of data security.
This makes handling data and keeping data secure so much easier, bringing vital AI tools into the same systems companies use daily.
Looking to adopt these contact center trends?
If you want your contact center to achieve greater results, better customer experience scores, and improved agent engagement levels, keeping up with the latest technology trends is essential. At Creovai, we provide the assistance you need to implement these solutions into your business today.
Our team can help implement the effective solutions described above. Modernize your contact center business by ensuring you do not fall behind the latest technological trends. Make the job easier for your staff to make life easier for those who contact your team(s). Improve security and automate as many tasks as you can without making staff feel like they are being replaced.
Heighten the opportunity for your business to grow, making the use of real-time analysis and data that previously was not accessible or worthwhile. Build a better future for your business. Remove the constraints you face, and make every working day easier for your staff all at the same time.
These are vital trends within the industry for good reason. Introducing them into your day-to-day operations can only be good now and in the future.
