Of all the hubs within an organization that are known for collecting data, the contact center takes the crown. Agents filling seats in this important center are not only answering customer questions, they’re also gathering vital customer data. In some respects, this data is necessary to ensure the right experience for the customer. In others, it’s an overload of information to manage.

With a hosted contact center, that management gets a little easier. When you trust a third party to support your customer service initiatives, they tend to bring more to the table than the ability to allow you to answer customer calls. They also empower you to make the most of your customer interactions so you can use the information you receive to its greatest value. Now, customers aren’t just calling in to resolve an issue; they’re calling in to share information.

That information then needs to abide by a plan. With a little forethought and imagination, you can put together a strategy that works in your environment. The key is to simplify the process and use the company that provides your hosted contact center solution to its full value. That means you need to clearly define your business goals; create specific strategies and actions that will help make those goals a reality; and choose specific metrics that demonstrate incremental progress toward your goals.

At that point, master data management gets a little easier and the results you need to produce are actually realized. In other words, the 25 percent reduction in potential revenue gains companies see (according to Gartner (News - Alert)) when master data management is missing can be avoided. The proper management of data also helps to provide new opportunities for customer relationship management (CRM) leaders who want to effectively utilize big data resources, like the hosted contact center.

To simplify it, this approach means the enterprise can actually make something happen with the data resources they have. For instance, if a customer expresses an interest in a complimentary service when on the phone with an agent but doesn’t have time to pursue, the agent can make note on the account for the agent interacting with the customer in the future. Likewise, information that a customer shares on a standard call could be captured in a recording and then mined for cues on needs and wants pertaining to additional product offerings.

The point is, there’s a lot to offer in a hosted contact center model that can complicate the process when it isn’t handled appropriately. Therefore, put a simple plan in place, partner with a proven cloud provider and manage the data according to your needs. In doing so, you’re much more apt to get greater value out of each interaction.