Rebooting Call Logging: Call Analytics, CX, and the Cloud

Exploring call analytics for customer experience

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Unified Communications

Published: June 22, 2018

Rebekah Carter - Writer

Rebekah Carter

The concept of business analytics goes back much further than you might think. In fact, you could argue that it extends all the way to the first time a shop owner decided to use the trends he noticed in his existing customer purchases to try and encourage better profits. Analyticsanalytics were even used by the car manufacturer Henry Ford to improve the quality control of his assembly line back in the 1900s.

Of course, analytics as we know it today has transformed significantly from the solutions we had 100 years ago. Today, the rise of cloud technology which ensures information can be collected and stored in the same unified space, the introduction of AI and speech analytics, and dozens of other evolutions has officially transformed the way customers and companies connect.

Why We’re Taking Call Analytics to The Cloud

The cloud is far from being the only data management model for today’s contact centres – but many experts agree that it is the best. Cloud technology and the rise of “unified communications” means that companies can load various forms of customer data into the same platform. That includes voice information transcribed into text, instant-messaging and web-chat data, and even purchasing patterns. When all your data exist together in the same place, this removes the silos that could otherwise prevent an in-depth understanding of how your customers interact with your company.

The cloud contact centre environment, such as the solutions offered by innovators like Kakapo Systems, or Tollring with their iCall Suite, allows companies to streamline the way they gather and assess data so that they can improve the customer experience at scale. It ensures that organisations can keep an eye on providing next-level support to their clients, and the other on reducing costs and maintaining efficiency. At its core, Akixi offers a call logging platform that are based on the cloud – that means you don’t have any pesky software to download and install.

The Importance of Call Logging and Data Mining

One particular benefit of cloud-based analytics is the fact that it allows companies to efficiently store a host of information – including the data gathered from speech analytics. Though there are many ways that companies can improve their customer service, speech analytics now allows businesses to assess everything from purchasing trends to customer sentiment. It’s no wonder that MarketsandMarkets suggest the speech analytics space will be worth $1.6 billion by 2020.

Speech analytics can accomplish a lot of incredible things. It can help to manage customer conversations and automatically sift through relevant information. The more data you mine from your company conversations, the higher your insight into everything from sentiment, to agent efficiency, and upselling opportunities. As the world begins to recognise the value of speech data, various companies have popped up, offering solutions for today’s customers. For instance, the iCall Suite by Tollring is built on six core modules of analytics to assess and improve customer experience.

Gathering the right information for customer experience doesn’t just create better consumer loyalty either. It also has a direct impact on the company bottom line, as it can empower contact centres to follow best practices and patterns that reduce customer churn and improve opportunities for cross-selling. What’s more, because the analytics software you access exists on the cloud, there’s no need to pay for a substantial initial investment. Your outgoing expenses become more manageable, allowing your company to scale as necessary throughout the year.

Using Call Analytics to Improve Agent Performance

At its core, call analytics on the cloud is the ultimate solution for customer experience. It not only allows you to gather relevant information about your consumer’s preferences and expectations, but it also helps you to do something valuable with the data you collect. As Steve Tutt of Kakapo Systems says:

“It’s about getting the analytics, responding to them in an actionable way, and coming up with a better CRM experience.”

Though all contact centres are different, many of them share the same unique challenge. Today’s customers no longer want the same old experience from companies. Every client wants to feel as though their customer journey has been tailor-made for them by the brand in question. While a universal training manual might be a good start to ensure your agents don’t make any glaring mistakes, companies will be better served by training manuals that use the empirical data they’ve gathered from their audience across the years.

In fact, some solutions, such as solutions from Red Box Recorders allow for the automatic transcription of call centre conversations, and the integration of that data with CRM tools like Salesforce to provide a more complete end-to-end customer experience. On top of that, call centres can also explore opportunities like real-time analytics to support agents during the actual conversation. When all of the right data lives in the cloud, it can be easily translated into a list of best-practices and training strategies to support better relationships with customers in the long term.

Reducing Churn in the Call Centre

Call centre analytics and the cloud are the way forward for today’s companies. They allow businesses to identify key pain points for customers, and train agents to respond to those issues accordingly. For instance, if you know there’s a feature product with your problem, you can instantly tell customers that the problem is identified, and the tech team is working to resolve it. This restores customer loyalty and improves CX immediately.

Over time, customer demand naturally evolves, but the cloud provides a consistent environment in which companies can store their data, and access new forms of technology to respond to customer need on a scalable basis. This technology revolution is gradually bridging the gap between customer expectation and agent performance. In fact, one study found that Australian companies adopting speech analytics could improve customer outcomes and reduce churn significantly.

As things like artificial intelligence, IoT, and speech analytics become more advanced, the amount of data that the average call or contact centre has access to will only continue to grow. Embracing the cloud, the new state of call logging software, and the opportunities for data management that exist in the future is the best way for today’s brands to stay ahead in their CX strategies.

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