CallCenter executives are confident in the customer service they deliver, according to a survey conducted by Firstsource Solutions at Call Center Week, held recently in Las Vegas.
The vast majority, or 85 percent, rated their organization’s customer service as “exceptional” or “good” while only 1 percent admitted to delivering poor customer service.
Over a third, or 37 percent, of executives cited ensuring a positive customer experience as the biggest challenge facing contact centers today. When asked about the number one obstacle derailing exceptional customer service, 41 percent of respondents said deficient use of data, followed by a weak connection between customer and agent (38 percent), lack of awareness regarding customer concerns (13 percent), and poor management of personnel (8 percent).
“It is not surprising that ensuring a positive customer experience is top of mind for contact center executives,” said Michael Roy, vice president, strategy and advisor relations, Firstsource, in a statement. “Given the intensely competitive marketplace in industries across the board, effective analysis and use of data is becoming more and more ingrained in an organization’s customer service practices. Actionable data analysis is a key element to understanding customer behavior and desires, and refining contact center practices that then increase satisfaction and reduce churn.”
Converting to a multichannel approach was cited by 35 percent of respondents as the biggest challenge facing contact centers today. However, when it comes to integrating social media into the call center, 40 percent of executives find making the brand part of the online relationship with customers to be their biggest challenge.
Adapting KPIs to match social media interactions is the second biggest challenge, as cited by 29 percent, followed by legal liabilities (18 percent), and the agent’s digital communication abilities (13 percent).
“Part of delivering a positive experience is making sure contact centers are able to communicate with the customer in their preferred method, meeting them where they are, agnostic to device,” said Roy. “Yet implementing a multichannel approach is challenging and requires a 360 degree view of customer behavior and propensities meshed with the organization’s capabilities and priorities.”
When looking to implement a multichannel approach, 38 percent cited Web chat as the top priority, followed closely by mobile (26 percent), social networking (22 percent) and analytics (14 percent). The majority, or 79 percent, of executives surveyed either fully utilize or somewhat utilize social and digital media to communicate with customers. Only 2 percent of respondents said they do not utilize any social or digital media channels and have no plans to do so.