The stakes for delivering bad customer experiences have never been higher with 82% of customers stopping doing business with a company after poor service, according to analyst firm, Gartner. There’s a disconnect between the perceptions of business owners and their customers. Global management consultancy firm Bain & Co has reported 80% of business owners believe their companies deliver a superior customer experience but less than 8% of their customers share that view. Now, with traditional offices dispersed, hybrid and remote working demands that vital data and functions are available wherever and whenever users work. Unified communications and the call centre are core to customer experience enablement and have become essential tools for workers.
However, even before the pandemic, systems were fragmented and complicated to use requiring agents to switch screens between different applications to handle customer enquiries. Research from customer experience management software specialist, Pega, has highlighted that workers it analysed typically switch applications more than 1,100 times a day, toggling between as many as 35 different applications each shift.
As well as being uncomfortable, that’s unproductive compared to streamlined solutions that enable users to access multiple applications via a single pane of glass. What enterprises need are systems that integrate multiple functions and eliminate the forest of tabs and windows users must navigate. Enabling an environment in which users can access the tools and capabilities they need to communicate effectively with customers and take action to address their requirements will result in more efficient workers. These workers will be happier and more comfortable and also deliver improved customer satisfaction, shorter queues and enhanced CX and loyalty.
Total integration of all apps and systems may be a leap too far for many enterprises but there are straightforward steps that can be taken to cut the number of clicks and the frequency at which users need to switch apps. An obvious start is to integrate unified communications as a service (UCaaS) and call centre as a service (CCaaS) solutions and this is exactly what NEC Enterprise Solutions is doing with its new integration of its UNIVERGE BLUE CONNECT and ENGAGE CLOUD SERVICES. The bringing together of UCaaS and CCaaS doesn’t only cut down on the need to switch between apps, it brings voice, video, file sharing, back up, multichannel contact centre communications and other capabilities into a single pane of glass for operators to access.
“This cohesive experience creates smoother workflows and enhances efficiency to address critical pain points such as limited capacity in call centres,” explains Andrew Cooper, the Sales Director at NEC UK.
“The comprehensive CCaaS capabilities of UNIVERGE BLUE ENGAGE are tightly integrated with the UCaaS functions of UNIVERGE BLUE CONNECT to enable users to access robust call centre applications directly from their desktop app. This enables customers and the channel to provide simple, extended or complete packages to users all through the ‘single pane of glass’”
The new integration is launching now in North America with the UK and the rest of EMEA to follow in the first quarter of 2022.
