{"id":1730,"date":"2022-11-04T16:32:04","date_gmt":"2022-11-04T16:32:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/solutionsreview.com\/crm\/?p=1730"},"modified":"2023-08-08T21:22:47","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T21:22:47","slug":"four-common-contact-center-challenges-you-can-start-solving-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/solutionsreview.com\/crm\/2022\/11\/04\/four-common-contact-center-challenges-you-can-start-solving-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Common Contact Center Challenges You Can Start Solving Now"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Contact<\/p>\n

As part of Solutions Review\u2019s\u00a0Contributed Content Series<\/a><\/span><\/span>\u2014a collection of contributed columns written by industry experts in maturing software categories\u2014Ryan Studer, the VP of Product at Khoros<\/a>, outlines some common contact center challenges companies can start solving today.<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Customers often turn to digital contact centers when they’re vulnerable\u2014when they need support, important product or service information, social validation, and more. When brands meet these customer needs with a positive, supportive contact center experience, customers are likelier to recommend the brand to friends and family.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>A positive contact center experience boosts brand affinity and creates lasting customer loyalty. <\/span><\/p>\n

However, a negative experience with a digital contact center can permanently turn a customer off of your brand, especially if they feel the brand is untrustworthy. <\/span>Gartner<\/span><\/a> reports that 89 percent of customers will leave a brand that breaks their trust. Digital contact center leaders can’t take that risk, so looking for and shoring up weak spots is essential.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Digital contact center leaders report four pain points: increased customer inquiries coupled with staffing shortages, customer privacy concerns, increased customer expectations, and agent burnout. Though these contact center challenges aren’t uncommon, preparation and the right strategies can make solving them a straightforward endeavor. Below are four solutions to contact center challenges you can begin implementing today.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pain Point #1: Staffing for Inquiry Spikes<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Increasing staff to handle inquiry spikes might feel like the right solution. After all, many hands make light work. Hiring more staff only throws a Band-Aid at the problem\u2014one that’s <\/span>really <\/span><\/i>going to hurt when you pull it off.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These new hires tend to only go to the departments that need them most. The resulting silos don’t effectively streamline the customer experience<\/a>, frustrating both agencies and customers. Not only is this an inefficient strategy that develops silos and increases your budget, but it also creates repetition and roadblocks for customers and negatively impacts their experience with your brand. When customers contact a brand, they want to give their information and tell their story <\/span>once<\/span><\/i>, not repeatedly.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Solution<\/span><\/b>: <\/span>Effective Digital Tools<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Digital solutions that allow agents to see every channel in a single platform eliminate silos, thereby streamlining and improving the customer experience. When agents have a holistic view of a customer’s historical interactions with the brand, they can serve customers better and resolve issues faster, and customers don’t have to repeat themselves.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Other digital solutions, like <\/span>AI chatbots<\/span> and interactive voice response technology (IVR), improve the customer experience by helping customers resolve inquiries faster. These technologies support agents by handling simple, frequent customer questions, freeing up agents to help with complex issues. With this technology, your contact center can handle more volume without adding more staff.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pain Point #2: Consumer Privacy Concerns<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Privacy is increasingly important to consumers. <\/span>Forrester predicts<\/span><\/a> that many CX leaders will reevaluate their approaches to designing user experiences, with a focus on privacy and consent. Tech giants are taking steps to improve consumer privacy: Apple’s iOS updates allow users to choose what data apps can access, Google removed cookies from Chrome, and Facebook prevents tracking sensitive topics.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Digital contact center leaders also need to offer a secure experience for customers. Agents often handle customer credit card numbers, security numbers, account information, or other personally identifiable information (PII), and customers want to be assured their information is safe.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Solution: Secure Communications\u202f<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Security should be a top priority regardless of your customers’ comfort levels around privacy. Secure forms of communication, such as encrypted messengers and protected phone calls, keep information safe. It’s also crucial for employees to practice good cybersecurity hygiene by regularly looking for potential vulnerabilities and either limiting access to or not storing unnecessary PII.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pain Point #3: Increased Customer Expectations<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Customers (and agents) live through a time of increased stress: political unrest, supply chain issues, inflation, and an ongoing pandemic all mean tensions are high, and patience is minimal. Protecting your brand and agents is essential, as is ensuring a positive customer experience.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Solution: Make Life Easy for Customers<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

While you might be unable to reduce prices or eliminate all delivery and process issues, your brand can support customers and agents by offering a seamless experience across the entire customer journey. Focus on three key strategies:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n