The concept of big data continues to float around in the business intelligence space, promoting the value of investing in bigger resources and applications that allow for the management and analysis of an increasing amount of information. When the contact center is also involved, the opportunities are endless.
Contact center transformation takes place when untapped big data resources are identified that can deliver hyper intelligence. This is good news for the customer who seeks better attention and care. It’s great news for the customer service division that wants to set their brand apart from the competition and build considerable customer loyalty.
Even with its promises, is big data really being used effectively in the contact center? The reality is that information can come from a variety of sources, including social media networks, corporate documents, recorded customer service calls, Web interactions, emails, text messaging, video conferencing and so much more. If this information isn’t captured and catalogued correctly, the contact center can’t do anything to improve processes or outcomes.
True transformation relies on the correct use of the available data. For instance, trending topics on social media networks don’t necessarily have lasting value. A company has to be able to separate the valuable flare ups from the unexplained that don’t translate into opportunities. To determine the difference between the two, contact centers have to be able to leverage different levels of data storage and tools to capture information, analyze it and report on actionable activity.
When combined with the traditional resources used in the contact center environment, this new data can offer a whole new level of customer insight that was previously unavailable. It can also help drive real-time decisions on how best to handle customers and the overall workflow in the contact center. As the primary focus in the customer service sector over the last 10 years has been how to improve the customer journey, the enhanced visibility in big data can certainly open new doors.
Edited by Blaise McNamee