BLOG: Agents need to be empowered now!

Sadly, it’s an all too familiar scenario. You are just about to finish your conversation and hang up, and then you think, wouldn’t it be really useful to have that information on file so you make a simple request to the call centre agent – “Can you email me …” Apologetically and slightly sheepishly, “sorry we don’t have that facility..” comes the reply.

Technology is fundamental to enable agents to meet customer expectations, but with recent research from Rostrvm Solutions claiming that a lack of technology in call centres is jeopardising customer satisfaction, it seems the issue is far from being resolved. In this age of multi-channel communication, it is surprising and extremely worrying how many agents still don’t have the multi-channel capability at their finger tips. Consumers expect to be able to interact with a brand in the way they want either on the phone, via email or through other digital channels, and this expectation must be met.

Of course, we mustn’t ignore the influence of the human dimension. It has been proved that 70% of our decision to buy is based on how we are treated as people but companies are guilty of sometimes forgetting the very simple fact that customers are people who look for quality of service when price and product are often so similar. So agents need to be equipped with the right tools that allow them to seamlessly combine different communication channels on demand. Providing our agents also with real-time access to all past interactions with a customer, including text transcriptions of previous chats and emails, scanned copies of letters received and dispatched, as well as call recordings and comments allows a satisfied outcome to be reached.

If we are honest, many companies are still wasting money by employing different channels in an isolated way; providing disjointed, blanket marketing messages resulting in the lack of a ’single view’ of the customer. If an organisation truly understands how to use the right message with the right communication channel at the right time, it can increase revenue, reduce operating costs and increase its word of mouth advocacy.

Agents need to be empowered now!

by Neville Upton, Jul 17 2008, 11:08 AM