Being a contact centre agent involves having technical training to help customers with their issues or requests while showing excellent communication and customer service skills. A contact centre agent applies a series of protocols, depending on the topic of the call, and they follow good practice guidelines.
A good contact centre agent can quickly identify the issue and knows the best course of action. They are familiar with a business’s products or services to better answer questions and optimally turn an incoming call into a sales call when and where that opportunity exists. In addition, agents will communicate with the client while addressing the proper departments to close an open complaint or service ticket as soon as possible.
For these reasons, the workflow in a contact centre has to be optimized. By using specially designed network systems, real-time reporting, and hands-on equipment, businesses can implement influential lines of communication with clients and team members alike. To give a better idea as to exactly what that means for small to large businesses across the board, read on to see ways a contact centre can not only generate new customers but vastly improve day-to-day business operations.
Why Is a Contact Centre Important for a Business?
For a business to keep in touch with its customers, it needs to establish a reliable line of communication. If your company has constant contact from customers requesting solutions, asking questions, or doing any action along the sales funnel, you need a streamlined contact centre.
Your customers want to be able to contact you with no delay. They want you to answer quickly, no matter what available channels they use, and to get the solution fast. You can rise to these expectations by using highly specialized software and technology.
Never Too Small: Contact Centres Are for Small Businesses Too
When it comes to contact centres, most are branches within larger business used to facilitate large influxes of incoming client calls and service requests. It is, however, just as important for small to medium sized businesses to consider how a contact centre and its systems can benefit their operations as well.
While small to medium sized businesses may not have as large of a client base, the aim of any business is to grow and to build on that future growth. This means investing in workflow systems that allow for streamlined communications and customer relations so that even as a small business, any potential enhancement opportunity is capitalized on. It also means that the customer experience a small or medium business offers is as impactful as any larger competitor.
The Challenges of Contact Centre Management vs Businesses
Whether a large, main stream company or a new start-up, businesses face challenges when implementing call centre services and guidelines to meet the needs of their clients. Additionally, in light of the new norm with a world pandemic, working from home has become a main stay in the economy and one that many businesses have had to get used to quickly.
Some of the issues businesses and their call centres face include:
- Higher call volume
As more and more people stay at home, getting the services they need relies heavily on the ability to get in contact with companies over the phone. Long wait times and queues often lead to dissatisfied customers and lower revenues.
- Right product and applications
Finding the right workflow systems to efficiently manage incoming and outgoing communications, including effective CRM platforms and tools, is vital to any business. These systems need to be able to address continuous streams of information and provide stable communication networks.
- Multiple location management
Even small to medium sized businesses have the burden of multiple locations, and keeping their agents in contact and up to date on client information and businesses communications requires reliable software and specialized techniques.
Tools of the Trade: Customer Relationship Management System (CRM)
A well-built, advanced Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to support your Sales, Customer Service, and Marketing is an essential tool to streamline the workflow of any business. A CRM system enables businesses to manage their relationships with existing customers, as well as to track their leads and potential new customers. It also effectively categorizes sales communications, in-house operations, and provides detailed analytics for growth-based strategies.
Partners in Integration
To handle incoming requests from customers, it is crucial to integrate the proper communications hardware with your CRM system. The OpenScape Desk Phone powered by EvotecHLS is what enables your Customer Support, Sales, and Marketing departments to do their jobs efficiently and communicate seamlessly, both internally and externally.
It’s Not Just About the Clearing the Queue
The main skill set of a contact centre agent is related to how well they communicate with the customer to find the best solution for them. It means listening and giving information in a way that is understood. It also requires handling emotions when under pressure and focusing on solving the problem.
More often than not, incoming calls to businesses are from customers who have a complaint or issues with a service. If a call centre agent is not properly equipped with up-to-date information relating to these issues, it can cause further problems for the client. Additionally, it can lead to a breakdown in communication and strained relations between the customer and the call centre representative.
For the agent to do their job efficiently, the CRM needs to immediately provide information on the customer’s plan and previous interactions with the company. At the same time, the Unify OpenScape Contact Centre technology makes it easy to communicate between departments, access knowledge resources, and perform tasks. In addition, all of these can be doneconcurrently while having the customer on the phone with a Unify OpenScape Voice contact centre setup.
To The Last Call
It should be clear by now that operating a successful contact centre involves a juggling a host of different tasks aimed at the same goal: to solve the customer’s problem efficiently while keeping them satisfied with the service. A contact centre agent’s communication skills are crucial in achieving this, but the support of a CRM system integrated with high-performance operating systems like OpenScape can be game changing.
Author bio:- Australia’s leader in Unify OpenScape 4000 integrations, EvotecHLS has been on the market since 2008. With its years of experience, EvotecHLS has become a market leader in unified communication systems, providing a winning combination of engineering excellence and outstanding customer service.
Businesses in Australia and worldwide in need of an advanced CRM solution like OpenScape can trust EvotecHLS to support them through the integration and management of the system. The result is an enhanced contact centre experience for both agents and customers.
