As well as the great article below, ACXPA Members also have access to a range of additional resources, including our monthly Member Symposiums & Video Library, exclusive industry insights, premium resources to download, discounted training courses, expert articles, and lots more!
Contact Centres and Digital Platforms: A Symbiotic Bond
In the current customer-centric landscape, organisations are confronted with a critical challenge: optimising operational efficiency while delivering exceptional customer experience.
This challenge often presents as a conflict between resource limitations and the goal of providing outstanding experiences.
However, there’s a substantial opportunity in the strategic collaboration between robust contact centres and agile digital platforms.
Self-Service: Empowering Customer Autonomy
The first step in this optimised journey is to maximise self-service capabilities.
Digital platforms serve as powerful tools, enabling customers to independently address common inquiries and tasks.
From chatbots managing account queries, knowledge bases providing troubleshooting solutions to online portals facilitating managing accounts, order tracking and simple service requests just to name a few.
This approach redirects basic interactions away from the contact centre, allowing agents to apply their skills to more complex inquiries and complicated customer scenarios.
Additionally, automating repetitive tasks like data entry and document processing through digitalisation frees up resources for more strategic activities.
Data-Driven Prioritisation: Targeting High-Impact Features
Random implementation of digital features is not effective. A data-driven strategy that analyses call drivers and manual tasks is essential.
By identifying queries that occur frequently and processes that require significant resources, we can focus on developing features that address actual customer needs and reduces the load on the contact centre staff.
This analytical approach ensures maximum return on investment and a considerable redirection of interactions from contact centres to digital channels, streamlining the customer journey.
Feedback Loop: The Human Element
Similarly, it’s crucial to continuously analyse customer engagement on digital platforms.
This feedback loop identifies areas where the customer experience may be lacking.
Recognising these points allows for the refinement of digital interfaces, personalisation of workflows, and strategic direction of certain interactions to skilled contact centre agents.
The human element remains indispensable, providing empathetic support, tailored solutions, and a deeper understanding of unique customer needs, enhancing the experience beyond generic digital interactions.
The Collaborative Advantage: Achieving Operational Harmony
The future of customer service lies not in pitting digital against human elements but in a carefully orchestrated collaboration where each component plays a vital role in creating a unified and exceptional journey.
Digital platforms efficiently manage high-volume inquiries, allowing expertly trained agents to focus on more complex scenarios.
This harmonised approach optimises operational costs while ensuring personalised and memorable interactions for every customer.
Embracing this strategic collaboration allows organisations to transform their customer service strategy into a highly effective system.
This combined approach ensures that every interaction leaves customers with a positive and lasting impression, resonating with satisfaction long after the initial contact.
CX Roundtables - Upcoming Guest
Live and interactive sessions for customer experience professionals in Australia.
Contact Centre Manager Roundtables - Upcoming Guest
Live and interactive sessions for contact centre professionals in Australia.
Next Members Symposium Livestream: Tuesday, 21st May, 2024, 13:30 AEST
The Members Symposium sessions are only available to ACXPA Members!
ACXPA Members can watch the symposium live, and, can watch any of the sessions at any time in their Video Library.
Preview of upcoming Symposium Sessions:
IVR Best Practice
Over 90% of contact centres are using an IVR (Press 1 for this, press 2 for that), and we've encountered many contact centres with over four layers of options for customers to select from. In this session, Nadine will be sharing some best practice tips on IVR design for 2024.
Presented by Nadine Power, Chief Product Officer, Datagamz (and ACXPA National Advisory Board Member)
Tips to Boost Engagement on Calls
Of the five quality competencies we assess as part of the Australian Call Centre Rankings, the 'ENGAGE' competency from the Australian Contact Centre Quality Standards has consistently been at the bottom of the rankings throughout 2023 and into 2024.
In this session, Simon will provide some tips that can be shared with agents on how to increase engagement with customers at the start of calls.
Presented by Simon Blair, General Manager Quality Insights, ACXPA
More sessions announced soon!
(If you're interested in speaking at one of our events, click here to learn more >)