10 New Call Center Trends and Predictions for 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the call center industry with a large increase in complex calls and consequently in customer service efforts. And with customer service companies facing internal difficulties, including adjusting to remote work settings, dealing with outdated policies, and trying to keep sales figures afloat amid financial struggles, navigating through a crisis it’s harder than ever.

Surprisingly, even the best contact center software is not enough to polish the service of a contact center today. There are many changes happening in this field and unless companies strive to stay ahead, excellent call center service will remain elusive.

In this post, we have selected the trends that industry experts predict will continue to have a significant impact on call centers. Having a deep understanding of them can help organizations realign their strategy to deliver the customer experience (CX) that callers expect.

10 New Call Center Trends and Predictions for 2022

1) Artificial Intelligence (AI) Is No Longer New, but It Is Here to Stay

The introduction of AI into conversations has sparked a revolution in terms of improving agent efficiency, especially during the pandemic. AI applications have brought many benefits to call centers, including the implementation of call routing and the provision of multi-channel support. AI also helps generate immediate responses based on information assimilated over time and creates patterns that can be more easily addressed. For example, when a customer calls and files a complaint, the predictive power of AI takes over, giving the agent multiple possible responses. Key Points: 

• The role of AI in the contact center environment during and after the COVID-19 pandemic is important.
• Companies should research and adopt Artificial Intelligence options that benefit their call center operations.
• The use of AI applications streamlines contact center experiences.

2) Analytics: The Driving Force

Traditionally, call centers relied heavily on the skill and insight of the manager to drive agent productivity and performance. However, in today’s data-driven world, this strategy is easily overtaken by events, especially by something as big as a global pandemic. There is a paradigm shift in the way call centers drive adaptive management to improve their customer services and increase performance, which has been hit by an unprecedented global crisis. Key Points:

• Analytics is slowly becoming the driving force behind call centers.
• Predictive analytics are vital tools to improve information at all customer touch points.
• Advanced analytics play a key role in keeping the sales team ahead of potential unpredictable situations.
• Companies must start using robust analytics tools to extract information on performance and productivity.
• Statistical dashboards are becoming essential in agent user interfaces.

3) Omnichannel Communication: The New Norm

Omnichannel communication is about unifying communications with customers to standardize service delivery. It’s a way to centralize and optimize customer interactions to provide a consistent experience across all communication devices and channels. A well-orchestrated omnichannel approach enables customers to navigate between a company’s touch points with ease. In addition, consumers are more aware of the omnichannel experience, as shown by a study that reveals that 9 out of 10 users prefer the omnichannel service (Business2Community). Key Points:

• Omnichannel communication is the path to personalized customer experiences.
• “Modern” customers like to interact with brands anywhere, anytime and from any device.
• Omnichannel communication helps customers navigate between multiple channels with ease.
• A study reveals that 90% of consumers want an omnichannel service.

4) Advanced Self-Service Tools

Self-help options, from frequently asked questions (FAQs) and video tutorials to chatbots and virtual assistants, will continue to gain user support. After 2021, the adoption of customer self-service tools will continue to grow. In this spirit, companies must improve the online self-service tools available. Ideally, they should link the content of your FAQs, video tutorials, and troubleshooting pages to the most common customer queries. Key Points:

• Consumers prefer self-service tools to assisted support to resolve certain queries.
• In the modern era, the use of self-service platforms is essential for excellent customer service.
• Businesses should strive to promote available self-service tools.

5) Increased Adoption of Recovery Technology

With the help of Artificial Intelligence, brands are implementing this filtering technology in call centers to detect inaccurate or unwanted communications. AI is a high priority for 83% of contact centers, and 54% of executives report its effectiveness (Informs Connect, 2021). With retrieval technology, it is easy for agents to prevent erroneous messages from reaching consumers. Plus, when a bug creeps through the conversation, it’s quickly noticed and resolved.

Retrieval technology is here to help call centers maintain precision in every conversation. Although it adds a few minutes to call time, it keeps the conversation flowing without negatively impacting customer satisfaction. Therefore, its use in contact centers is truly justified. Key Points: 

• Recovery technology plays an important role in ensuring that conversations are error-free.
• It acts as a message-filtering tool that guarantees the quality and precision of the responses provided to users.

6) Digital Transformation

To deliver a consistent and comprehensive experience, the call center needs the combined efforts of other departments. Therefore, a forward-thinking digital transformation strategy is required. Fortunately, technological innovations such as unified omnichannel and the Internet of Things (IoT) are setting the tone in the industry.

The pioneers of this trend have integrated these innovations across the board to gain better customer connections with every interaction. Additionally, the use of Unified Communication and Collaboration (UCC) as team collaboration tools has enabled users to leverage the collective knowledge of the entire business. In this way, it has been easy to provide excellent customer service through multichannel. Key Points:

• Digital transformation will continue to shape the modern business world.
• With technologies like IoT having an impact on digital transformation, call centers will also reap benefits.
• Digital transformation drives omnichannel communication.
• Businesses need to install the most beneficial unified communication and collaboration tools.
• The digital transformation will normalize teleworking.

7) Commitment to Social Networks

Brands have noticed the change in consumer mentality about the use of social networks. These are becoming an inseparable part of the unified communication system. Brands seek to improve the responsiveness and convenience of the RRSS service. In particular, two-way conversations on Social Media are occupying a central place in the call center service. Key Points:

• “Modern” consumers view social media platforms as viable channels of customer service.
• Customers jump in to complain and post comments across networks to promote two-way conversations.
• Forward-thinking brands are using networks to demonstrate their excellent customer service skills.
• 53% of the world population uses social networks.

8) Cloud Communication in Contact Centers

Today, brands are installing cloud-based platforms that allow remote agents to interact with customers in the same way as they would in conventional call centers. The benefits they bring are too attractive for brands, especially during the pandemic when even call centers had to restructure their operations to accommodate the work-from-home environment. Key Points:

• Technological innovations have made it easier to hire remote agents.
• Cloud communication reduces overall costs.
• In addition, cloud communications give call centers the flexibility to recruit global talent.
• Cloud-based contact centers offer improved security and compliance.
• Call centers using the cloud experience increased uptime.

9) IVR Is Going Nowhere

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is one of the early call center automation trends. However, it should be noted that one in three companies adopted this technology for the first time in response to COVID-19. Meanwhile, 42% of organizations already using IVR increased their use (Statista, 2020).

10) Strong Measurement of Customer Satisfaction

At the height of a global pandemic, customer optimism is at an all-time high. Users are understandably anxious and scared, which tests their trust, loyalty, and security. Future-thinking companies value customer satisfaction highly. As a result, many have implemented mechanisms to collect and analyze customer satisfaction levels. Key Points:

• Call centers now use universal methods to measure customer satisfaction.
• More contact centers will embrace innovation to accurately measure customer satisfaction.
• Communication with employees who provide customer service is crucial, especially in times of crisis.
• Staying in contact with customers is vital to ensure uninterrupted service.
• Informing clients of potential problems that may arise and what possible solutions are helps maintain their confidence.

In conclusion, the competition in the call center sector will be tougher, but the real challenge will be recovering from the impact of COVID-19. The trends highlighted in this post are just one clue as to how things will unfold. To break contact center service in 2021 and for years to come, companies must figure out how to align their business with these trends.

For this, the evolution of the use of emerging technology trends in call centers, such as AI or advanced IVR is necessary. Likewise, the adoption of communication in the cloud will be essential. Use of omnichannel communication and advanced self-service tools should also be made a top priority.

When these trends are strategically implemented, costs are reduced and the internal process is streamlined. Above all, they will help deliver the personalized experience that today’s customers demand.