Back in the good old days, customer service was delivered with a handshake and a smile. Business owners knew their patrons on a first-name basis and took time to “shoot the breeze” with everyone that came in the door. As the pace of life sped up, customer contact changed into a cost per minute activity. No longer did people have time for small talk. Instead, answering questions and processing transactions as quickly as possible became the measurement of success. This efficiency quotient grew and grew until now customer service representatives are evaluated based on number of calls they can take per hour or how quickly they can hang up.

 

As a veteran of the contact center industry, I am frequently asked to speak about how technology has, and will, impact our industry. In general, I believe that technology will continue to offer new channels for accessing information. Yet, when a customer need goes beyond data distribution, one-on-one interaction still will be necessary, just as it is today.

 

Consider for a moment, the accessibility of information fifteen years ago. Cell phones were in existence, but not nearly as prevalent as today. The Internet was just beginning to take off. Online banking didn’t exist and e-mail was mostly used on college campuses. Instant access to information simply wasn’t possible and, consequently, consumers expected to wait for what they needed. Customer service, therefore, was really more about customer contact. Just offering a friendly voice on the other end of the phone went a long way in generating goodwill for a company.

 

The introduction of personal computing devices opened up entire new worlds of communication and collaboration. Consumers can now use home computers, PDAs or cell phones to instantly access information from anywhere, at anytime. In an attempt to meet this increased demand for instant access, companies, and consequently call centers, now supply data through a variety of new channels. 

 

First of all, there are the more obvious changes in communication methods. Our industry has seen an explosion in the adoption of speech recognition solutions. These automated systems are effective at supplying staggering amounts of routine, everyday information. Consumers can also use new technology to ask questions through:

 

 

Technology has certainly given consumers options and empowered them to seek information when they want it and how they want it.

 

 

It’s likely we’ve all had at least one experience of being caught in a web of automated phone options. When companies remove the ability to talk to someone, they reduce the customer’s choices. As I mentioned above, today’s consumers require the ability to make decisions for themselves. When not given the full range of options, the decision they make may be to take their business somewhere else — and the company would never know it lost a buyer.

 

It’s when advanced technology is combined with quality people that businesses deliver the high-quality service and generates customer loyalty and increases profit. While technology makes it easier for customers to reach out for assistance, it also makes it easier for customer care representative to provide the requested help. Support Web sites and databases with individual buying patterns, payment methods, or customer preferences all empower agents with information to answer questions effectively and, in many cases, perform successful up-selling services. 

 

A more efficient operation is another benefit of using technology correctly to deliver customer service. Multiple channels of communication mean that agents can handle several customer interactions at the same time. For example, it is possible to have two or three chat sessions running concurrently without the consumers noticing a delay in response time. In addition, many call centers have used technology to create self-service type scheduling systems and customized workforce management tools that provide real-time visibility into a team’s performance. Of course, you also need higher skilled agents to effectively use these new tools. For example, juggling multiple customers at the same time, while concurrently responding to instant messaging takes practice, patience and experience.  

 

In conclusion, while technology has created amazing tools for accessing information, it simultaneously has created a vast need for highly skilled, well-trained customer care representatives. In a world where “instant” is constantly redefined and new channels provide unique customer access, call centers must work with their clients to carefully combine the appropriate technological systems with the right team of professionals. In this way, both partners can deliver satisfactory results that will enhance customer loyalty and generate sustainable business revenue.

 

-----