In the market at large, it’s easy to take a step back and assess those companies who put stock in quality customer care and those that do not. There are some with management who believe that the customer interaction is the only thing that sets them apart from the competition. There are others led by those who believe their product alone is so coveted it doesn’t matter what type of experience the customer has, as long as they get their hands on the product.

The latter suggests there wouldn’t be a need for the call center on demand as customers won’t have the opportunity to voice their opinion or get resolution to a problem. We also know that there are very few situations where the customer doesn’t have the upper hand. Even if a product is one of a kind, it can still be replaced by something else; something deemed much more of value in the eyes of the customer.

Therefore, products are fleeting, but quality customer care is not. This couldn’t be more true in the financial services industry. The call center on demand will have to be staffed with individuals who do much more than just take calls and answer questions. These individuals will have to manage more complex inquiries and efficient selling techniques, according to a post in Insurance News Net. Agents will be at the forefront in customer touchpoints, handling much more than a change of address or adjusting the frequency of payments.

In the past, the complex questions and interactions were handled by the financial advisor and insurance agent in the field, the individual who had the relationship with the client. For the younger consumer, however, such relationships are not the norm. Instead, these individuals are accustomed to handling things through the contact center, preferring the nameless, faceless interactions afforded through self-service over face-to-face meetings with financial services professionals.

To survive, companies offering such services have to have cutting edge technology available through the call center on demand, or lose this segment of the market to the competition. To do so, this means better self-service channels that allow the consumer to find answers to their questions and complete simple transactions. It also means better training for contact center agents who can no longer survive by looking up answers to questions.

This shift is changing the dynamic in the industry, but can easily lead to increased revenue for those companies making the investments, and better service interactions for customers willing to go along for the ride.