5 min
If we study the quality and modernity of the technology used by call centers, we would see that there is a wide spectrum. Some of them use almost outdated software that doesn’t even provide basic statistics. Others instead use advanced contact center technologies that provide valuable customer information and have capabilities that deliver unique and satisfying customer experiences.
Most call centers fall between these two extremes. But given today’s technical landscape, organizations are making their way to innovation. This could mean gradually replacing outdated applications with modern software, or replacing everything at once. Whatever the route and speed, contact centers have to go to the same destination: software that takes advantage of advanced call center technologies to satisfy and retain customers.
What Are the Advanced technologies of a Call Center?
Technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, providing contact centers with capabilities that would have been difficult to imagine just a decade ago. These technologies are, for example, natural language processing, machine learning and other types of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to make organizations smarter and improve their ability to offer unique, proactive and personalized customer service.
Additionally, advanced call center technologies are often cloud-based, providing organizations with the agility and scalability they need to effectively react to changing business conditions, unexpected shocks, and consumer preferences. Being in the cloud also makes it easier for contact centers to integrate their core operational applications and service delivery channels, making the business more efficient.
The contact center of the future is predictive, proactive and hyper-focused on CX. To get there, organizations need the right technical tools.
Examples of Advanced Call Center Technologies
1) Bots
Bots are Artificial Intelligence-based technology that mimics human speech to interact with people in a natural and conversational way. They can be deployed across multiple channels, including online chat, private social messaging (like Facebook Messenger), and IVRs. Natural language processing allows bots to communicate in writing or verbally, and machine learning helps them get smarter over time.
Bots are good at enabling self-service for simple transactions and can answer common questions. They can also be combined with the assistance of an agent for a more agile interaction. For example, a chatbot can collect customer information and send it to an agent to complete the transaction.
Bots are good at enabling self-service for simple transactions and can answer common questions. They can also be combined with the assistance of an agent for a more agile interaction. For example, a chatbot can collect customer information and send it to an agent to complete the transaction.
2) Interaction Analysis
Interaction Analysis is an AI-based analytics tool that can examine 100% of interactions to identify key contact drivers, identify issues, determine customer sentiment, and even produce phone call transcripts.
Call centers have traditionally relied on ACD (Automatic Call Distribution) provisions or informal feedback from QA agents and analysts to understand why customers are calling and if there are new problems to solve. Interaction analytics produces near real-time information that enables leaders to be proactive.
In addition, since interaction analysis can calculate customer sentiment, it provides a much more representative view of quality and customer satisfaction, which can be broken down on an individual basis. This allows supervisors to conduct more specific agent training and more proactive communication with customers who expressed frustration or anger during recent interactions.
3) Predictive Behavioral Routing
Predictive behavioral routing takes customer-agent matching to the next level by taking into account customer personality, communication style, and preferences. This ensures that the agent you are targeting has the problem-solving skills and a compatible personality to increase the likelihood of establishing a good relationship.
This type of routing should be viewed as another way to customize agent-assisted interactions. In this case, the company matches a customer with an agent who is qualified to offer highly personalized interactions.
4) Video Chat
Now that everyone is used to interacting through video calling platforms, it is a reality to think that the adoption of video chat will have significant traction. A CX study revealed that 26% of call centers offer video chat support and both customers and companies give them good satisfaction scores.
While video chat is not necessary for all interactions, it can be a great way to provide product demos and training, conduct medical consultations, and assist customers trying to assemble or configure your products. The visual aspect of video chats also allows agents to read body language and facial expressions for clues about how customers think and feel.
5) Virtual Assistants
Automated virtual assistants powered by AI assist agents with troubleshooting efforts during customer interactions. As conversations unfold, these assistants use natural language processing to listen and interpret the problem. They can retrieve information and potential solutions from multiple systems and present them to agents, as well as suggest next steps and perform some administrative tasks.
Also, given the high levels of agent turnover that characterize call centers, this technology can help new agents to always be up to date.
6) Unified Agent Desktops
For agents to deliver exceptional CX, they need to have the right technical tools. They shouldn’t have to switch between four or five apps while helping clients, however, that is what many of them have to do. The result is a clunky interaction that takes longer than it should. Not only is the CX adversely affected, but this scenario also creates a bad experience for the agent.
Advanced call center technologies include unified agent desks that consolidate the functionality they need into a single interface. This may include: all supported digital and voice channels, back-end business systems, knowledge bases, scheduling tools, agent dashboards, and quality management software.
7) Gamification
Gamification can be a great way to improve agent performance and motivation, commonly leading to better CX. Gamification functionality can be found in performance management software and typically includes an agent interface, a leader board for group competitions, and a virtual store where agents can redeem their points. Successful call centers focus on continually improving performance, and gamification provides an effective way to inspire agents to hone their skills.
In conclusion, contact centers use advanced technologies in creative ways, customized for their business models and tailored to meet the needs of their customers, resulting in unique CX and operational improvements.
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