Call Recording Featured Article

As the pace of technology quickens in the retail world, so too does the customer’s ability to move on to the ‘next big thing’ should the mood strike them. That’s a good thing for consumers, but not so great if you’re the retailer they’re leaving. That’s why it makes good business sense to assure you’re utilizing the best of workforce optimization (WFO) practices, social media connectivity and comprehensive employee training to keep your people on track.

A look at one company, for example, takes a deeper dive into a scenario where making the most of the technology available can help a company keep a customer and make points with them as well.

The company in question is an unnamed Fortune 500 clothing retailer, with a chain of popular women’s wear outlets and multiple contact center locations in the eastern United States. They've been experiencing rapid growth, having added five new locations in the last six months. 

The contact center is built on leading communications technology and monitoring tools where orders are entered into the CRM (customer relationship management) software, from either the website or handled through the telephone, and immediately routed to the proper store location and designated for pickup as though customers ordered right off the rack. Using a workforce optimization suite, the team plays back recorded events from phone calls, emails, web chats, Twitter, Facebook (News - Alert) Messenger, and SMS, as well as any other active channels. The team of supervisors will then evaluate and score the events to ensure proper dialogue and resolution. The goal is to have their agents cultivate the ultimate customer experience.

But in one possible scenario where things didn’t go as planned, if a customer had a bad shopping experience at a local store, they might be inclined to make their next purchase online. However, in a worst-case but likely scenario, the customer took to Twitter (News - Alert) to express their dissatisfaction.

That’s where the contact center’s social media monitoring tools can detect the Twitter activity and issue a reply via Twitter from an available agent. The agent can then express an understanding of the customer’s issue, and tell them normally there would not have been an issue.

Further, in an added option the monitor can immediately assure the customer that the next time they entered the store, they would have a more satisfactory experience. Perhaps offering an incentive, like a 30 percent off coupon, might help them get what they are looking for at a fantastic discount. The customer is then advised to keep the store in the loop on any future experiences. 

Bottom line? A sale is made, a customer retained and an employee is recognized for salvaging a possible nightmare scenario.

By combining the WFO suite's e-learning features within an agent portal, and utilizing social media to its best advantage, a relationship is strengthened and the company comes out looking great. How much could your company benefit from a successful WFO implementation?