Contact Centers: Two Habits of Successful Contact Centers

Following are two tactics to employ if you want to improve your catalog’s contact center operations:

1. Before the revamping process begins, start by outlining your mission, goals, road maps and metrics, noted the authors of “7 Habits of Highly Effective Contact Centers,” a white paper recently released by eGain, a provider of customer service and contact center software and services. Determine your organizational mission and business goals for the next 12 to 24 months.

“Next, build a road map. Create a long-term plan before investing in any new tool or initiative,” note the authors. “Make every dollar count. A road map ensures that every purchase fits into the larger picture. Smart contact centers begin with a detailed blueprint of a customer interaction hub, and then add channels and tools one by one, according to plan.”

2. Be careful what you wish for. No doubt as a contact center manager you want to reduce costs and improve the efficiency of your operations. To answer these twin calls, many contact center managers devise and track metrics that can, in the long run, inadvertently damage their catalogs’ brand images.

Average call handle time is a good example: By expecting reps to spend less time on the phone with your customers, you may end up frustrating callers who were rushed off the phone, says eGain. “Instead of thinking of a customer call as an expense, also look at a customer call as a unique opportunity to delight a customer and a great opportunity to advise the customer about solutions and upsells,” note the authors. “Research shows that a customer who has a problem with a product, contacted the business and had their problem solved well is likely to be far more loyal to the business than someone who has had no problems with the product.”

For more on eGain, visit: www.egain.com.