Advancements in communications technology have certainly changed the way companies can interact with their client base. Where customers once relied on the telephone to get in touch with the desired company, these individuals are now relying on social media and other innovative means to get what they want. Call center solutions that incorporate these new innovations help the organization stay at the forefront of the industry.
These changes across the market are leading to a complete shift in the customer care division of the standard organization. The contact center is now evolving into a customer engagement center, one with multiple channels for interaction based on the preferences and needs of the individual customer.
Recent research from Gartner (News - Alert) explored the customer engagement center and what it means in the market today. The research firm refers to the customer engagement center (CEC) as a logical set of technologies and business applications that are engineered for the sole purpose of providing customer service and support, regardless of the channel.
The CEC is designed to provide not only service as customers move through the different communications channels, but also to retain the context of the customer and deliver the appropriate business rule to best determine the next action, process or information that should be used to further engage the customer. In the past, such as center was referred to as a customer service contact center. The growing need for deeper engagement on multiple channels drove the new focus.
Applications based on CRM CEC tackle a wide variety of tasks, such as engaging prospects and customers across multiple channels, order management, handling trouble tickets, case management, problem diagnostics, advisory services, problem resolution, returns management and account management. A heightened focus on engagement can apply not only to the commercial sector, but also to not-for-profits and government agencies.
The point with the CEC is that it is taking the value of the customer to a whole new level. Agents and call center solutions focused on the total experience from call placed to call completion are held to a higher standard. It not only improves the experience for the customer, but contributes to higher revenue, better customer loyalty and improved opportunities for growing the customer base.
The multichannel call center solution from VoltDelta (News - Alert) is designed to leverage key contact center technology to engage customers in a way that meets with their preference. Customers not only select their channel of interaction, all channels are integrated with complete data sharing and knowledge of the customer so each and every caller receives a personalized experience. Features include proactive outbound calling, true agent and automation integration, SMS messaging, cross channel delivery platforms and social media support.
As the industry continues to evolve and customers demand more from their call center interactions, companies will do well to make the necessary investments to support a move to the customer engagement center.
Edited by Rachel Ramsey