What Are The 3 Main Characteristics of a Connected Company?

Meeting user expectations in the changing environment of the new world of remote work demands much higher levels of agility from organizations, and puts an even greater focus on improving customer service.

As companies prepare to take advantage of a revitalized global economy, the phrase “we’re all in this together” applies to everything, not just the call center working to adapt to fluctuating spikes in contact volumes and new network social channels.

The key to success today is becoming a connected business where all parts of the organization work together to deliver exceptional customer experiences. These are driven by insights that lie at the heart of the contact center and are backed by a pragmatic approach to digital transformation.

But what do connected companies have in common? What are the benefits of connectivity for customers? Let’s see what are the 3 main characteristics of a connected company.

What Is a Connected Company?

The “essential” attributes of all the connected companies are the following:

1) No More Silos

Successful organizations intuitively understand, or learn from experience, that disconnected IT systems, information, ways of working, and even corporate culture are the main barriers to improving customer service. Connected companies are 100% focused on eradicating these harmful silos to achieve a complete connection. Leaders are responsible for inspiring a connected spirit, one based on collaboration that transcends departmental functions and job roles, from C-level executives down to sales and marketing, product development, IT, finance, human resources, manufacturing, operations and, most importantly, the customer service team or call center.

2) Increased Workforce Engagement

Connected processes, information, and corporate culture motivate staff to improve in their roles and collectively impact positive customer outcomes. Connected companies recognize the importance of empowering their employees with flexible work practices and open and transparent communication. They offer tangible opportunities for personal development by providing constructive feedback on performance by creating carefully designed training and online learning. Connected companies never skimp on technology and make a concerted effort to provide staff with the right tools to do their jobs and improve customer service.

3) Outstanding CX

Successful organizations are driven by customer experience (CX), where everyone works toward the same goal of delivering exceptional CX. Connected companies introduce processes that are simple, customer-centric, and designed to be implemented across the organization. These processes, facilitated by connected information systems, enable integrated customer service that translates into loyal customers, a better corporate reputation, and higher profits.

However, the reality of many organizations, especially larger ones, is that they are often divided by disparate systems and disjointed ways of working. One of the biggest barriers to becoming a connected business is the lack of data that can provide a clear picture of what makes customer service and benchmarking excellent internally and against competitors or industry peers.

The Connection With the Contact Center

The beauty of aspiring to connectivity is the opportunities it provides to:

1) Elevate the Role of the Call Center

As an organization’s showcase and often the first point of contact for users, the call center is a ready-to-use data center, packed with living, breathable customer information emanating from millions of customer calls, messages from text, emails and chats, among others. These powerful insights are the critical first step to connecting across the organization.

2) Encourage Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing

It is about letting the call center lead the way in sharing customer success stories, insights and learning to help all parts of the organization succeed in meeting CX corporate goals.

3) Unleash the Potential of Digital Transformation with a Cloud-based IT Upgrade

Today’s integrated solutions capture every customer interaction along with everything that impacts the customer journey, such as agent engagement levels, and whether processes and systems are holding them back. The path to connectivity is a great opportunity to discover the value of Artificial Intelligence (AI). In addition to automating tasks, AI tools process unlimited amounts of customer data, powerful intelligence that can be shared with other departments to make a real difference in business information and decision-making.