GuideUC&C13 Nov 2018 · 4 min read

Contact Centre Vendors

Contact Centre solutions and platforms are a set of programmes and services designed specifically to help improve the performance of your agents, increase their efficiency and ensure all callers are given the best level of service they can get on a consistent basis (CX = Customer Experience).

Rob Scott

What is a Contact Centre solution?

Although the use of AI and chatbot technology is rising in contact centres at a dramatic rate, a recent survey carried out by Sift Ltd, reported that 79% of customers still prefer to contact customer service by phone (real agent not automated), thus finding a solution that can adequately support all channels is of crucial importance.

Fortunately, at present there are many vendors out there offering Contact Centre solutions that can do exactly that and you can use the UC Today reviews section to find a vendor which matches your business most adequately.

What is Omni-channel? (The Omni-channel Contact Centre)

Voice is no longer the only mode of communication worth considering in the world of customer service. In a world where consumers demand more personalised, innovative experiences, contact centres need to evolve, embracing new channels for the average client conversation.

The "Omni-channel" contact centre is designed to support customers on their preferred channel, whether it's social media, SMS, email, video, or voice. What's more, omni-channel solutions keep every potential touchpoint connected, so that context can flow from one channel to the next, supporting a more informed discussion with each customer.

Already, omni-channel has proven itself to be a powerful strategy for any contact centre. Research by the Aberdeen Groups shows that businesses with an omni-channel strategy see a 91% year-over-year increase in client retention rates.

Understanding the Age of Omni-channel

The term "omni-channel" is an extension of "multi-channel." As new technologies have delivered more ways for companies to connect with their customers, countless contact centres have embraced multi-channel services, supporting their consumers through email, instant messaging, and phone calls. The only problem with multi-channel strategies is that each available channel is disconnected from the others. A person can't start a conversation on email and simply escalate it to a phone call without having to explain their issue all over again.

Omni-channel takes the frustration and repetition out of the customer journey, by connecting every platform together on the same back-end system. Some of the most recent omni-channel contact centre solutions even come with contextual pop-ups that provide agents with personalised information about each customer as they strive to answer a question or solve a problem.

The omni-channel experience gives customers complete control over the kind of support they can get from their favourite companies. In the age of customer experience, the omni-channel contact centre can be a crucial point of differentiation for any brand.

Benefits of the Omni-channel Contact Centre Solutions

Omni-channel contact centres provide a complete, connected experience for customers while giving agents and supervisors a Birdseye view of the customer journey. With an omni-channel contact centre, you can track how each customer engages with your brand, and come up with better ways to boost service and enhance agent productivity. Some omni-channel contact centres even integrate with other tools like UC systems and CRM platforms.

Omni-channel solutions:

Improve customer satisfaction by providing your consumers with the support they need, on a platform they feel comfortable with.
Deliver useful customer insights by allowing companies to track consumer movement across multiple channels, and measure metrics like first-time
Boost agent performance by providing each employee with useful information about the people they serve. The more informed an agent is, the quicker they can offer a resolution to a problem and move onto the next customer.

The key to successfully implementing omni-channel into your contact centre is mapping out the customer journey and implementing solutions for every touchpoint that client may want to use to engage with you. A successful omni-channel strategy can quickly transform a standard one-time purchase, into a loyal, long-term customer.