SEGMENT ANALYSIS
Contact Centre OUTSOURCING
allow customers to look for solutions and resolve queries on their own and Convergys shares some real world examples of how technology has helped cut down the dependence improve client key performance indicators: on agents. A large North American telecommunications company saw a 27% But where to draw the acceptance rate for highly targeted IPTV and DSL cross-sells in their retail stores after implementing a Convergys Cross-sell/Upsell Solution line? Subramanya. C, Chief A top 10 North American retail bank implemented the Convergys Intelligent Technology Officer, Hinduja Self-Service Solution and increased IVR containment from 89% to 93%, Global Solutions, says, “All resulting in a substantial annual savings a customer wants from us One of the largest PC manufacturer in the world experienced a 32% increase is to ‘know her’, ‘help her’ in the average number of posts worked per agent per week using the and ‘remember her’. The Convergys Social Interactions Solution knowing and remembering parts can always be automated. However, helping always involves human made by enterprises to cut down call volumes in order to reduce costs. Although non-voice interactouch.” So striking the right balance between automation and live support is going to be the tions are going up at an alarming rate, it is not key. Sitel shares a similar opinion that the idea will likely to takeover voice anytime soon. Experts be to cut down costs through technology without say that if the percentage ratio is around 80-20 right now, this is expected to shift to 60-40 by sacrificing the human touch. 2015. Narsapur adds, “Non voice communication The Need For “Super Agents” is expanding at an alarming rate. So the situation is not inconceivable where the two will be Nothing is going to eliminate the need for agents very close in volumes.” But one thing is clear now. in a contact center. In fact the agent’s role has only become more complex now with the emergence Voice is no longer going to dominate customer interactions, its only going to be the part of a bigof multiple channels. Cholak, says,“The use of ger service offering. alternate channels for customer care will undoubtedly continue to grow, but the agent will remain a critical focal point in a diverse range of chanNew Ways to Interact While 2011 Convergys Customer Scorecard Renels.” Agents have to be trained not for one but every type of interaction possible. Whatever be search found that consumers clearly still prefer the medium that a customer opts for, the agent to talk to agents when dealing with a company, has to be prepared to listen and deliver the right their interest in other channels is strong, with 13% saying they’ve used mobile applications or text kind of response. What these changes mean for service providers is that they need to train contact messaging for customer care, 11% saying they’ve center agents for each and every channel of interacused social media for customer care, and 7% saying they’ve used webcam or video support with an tion. Cholak adds that the need today is for ‘super agent for customer care. agents’ that are adept at all interaction methods, especially in handling interactions with the ultimate multitasking communicators, the Millennials. “These Humanization of Technology agents could be moved around a call center to acEnterprises are using technology to interact and count for channel volume changes in a given client’s engage with their customers in innovative ways, so program, driven by new product launches and other that cost is optimized and the effort is much lesser. Artificial intelligence tools and Self service options high traffic, multichannel events” he says.
Contact Center Technologies Helping Enterprises
70 | September 2012
GlobalServices