Five Steps to Achieving a Customer-Centric Contact Center

If everyone knows that managing customer interactions is critical to call center success, why do so many companies fail to do it? More importantly, how can this be fixed?

Here are five steps you can implement to make your contact centers more customer-centric, provide higher value interactions, and increase revenues.

1. Customer First. Technology, a distant second.
Old cliché but true. Don’t let technology get in the way of engaging your customers. Focus less on implementing technologies to increase operational efficiency, and focus more on the customer experience. A 2013 study from the Economist Intelligence Units suggests that over the next three years, the most successful global organizations will make understanding and interacting with their customers their number one priority

2. Adopt A Unified Approach.
According to research conducted by Aberdeen Group, 60% of all contact centers use a minimum of six channels when engaging their customers. However, within most organizations, because each division manages and stores its own data, the interaction between the customer and contact center is fragmented. There needs to be a central depository of data to ensure your contact center is providing the best customer experience.

3. Agents know best.
Your contact center agents are the windows into the soul of your organization; therefore, they should provide the best possible experience for your customers. Organizations spend nearly $112 billion on call center labor and technology, but many customer service calls are never resolved. Hmmm. Have you ever tried to speak to someone on the phone at a call center? On the rare occasion you do reach someone, do they know what to say? Do they know how to say it? Probably not. Since agents have the biggest impact on your customer service they must be well trained and given the necessary tools to provide the very best customer experience.

4. It’s all in the Data.
Providing contact centers with customers’ historical and real-time data allows for a more intelligent conversation with customers, thus minimizing confusion and frustration for both the agent and the customer. Likewise, with the data at their fingertips, agents can make better recommendations, cross-sell, and upsell, improving the customer experience and at the same time increasing revenues.

5. Forget the Silos.
Take a holistic approach to how you view your customers as they are not one-dimensional. Since customers interact with various channels in an organization, it’s important to understand the complete customer journey with your product or service. In the customers’ eyes, you’re one company so make the experience seamless by having access to customer data at everyone’s fingertips.

While productivity and efficiency are important components of call center success, it is critical that you improve the overall customer experience. For more information on how to create and sustain a customer-centric contact center, contact Cohen Brown Management Group for a free consultation.

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