Do you remember when the year 2020 seemed like it was in the distant future? Well, it's only four years from now! And, taking into account the rapid rate in which our digital world is changing, so many exciting possibilities could still happen in less than 48 months.
Preparing your contact centre for 2020 thus means looking in earnest at the trends shaping our social world. The only consistent point in this changing world, it seems, is achieving an exceptional customer service.
Eric Hagaman, senior product manager at Ocular Technologies' partner company, Aspect Software, says customers want to communicate with businesses in the same ways they communicate with each other, resulting in inescapable tectonic changes in the contact centre.
In a blog post, "Will you be able to deliver a great customer service in 2020?" he highlights the following four communication channels: video chat, Web chat, social media and SMS.
According to Hagaman, the dynamics of a video chat are quite similar to a traditional voice conversation. In fact, video chat is just a traditional voice conversation overlaid with the video channel, he adds.
"Video chat is not in common usage yet, but expectations of getting a rapid answer are probably higher than for a voice channel, since the level of engagement in the conversation is likely higher than with voice alone."
He points out one of the most difficult challenges in the brave new world of customer communication is Web chat.
"By 2020, it will be the second most popular means of communicating, but expected response times are fairly short, so it warrants attention to accurate forecasting and scheduling."
When it comes to social media, Hagaman believes this channel is projected to be tied for third place in popularity as a customer communication channel by 2020.
In this newsletter, I have already highlighted the evolution of the SMS, and how it has become the preferred interaction by customers with businesses, instead of picking up the phone. Hagaman confirms this: "Texting is increasingly becoming a standard means for humans to communicate worldwide."
The way we as humans communicate is changing rapidly. Chat versus talk is highly debated and I am sure we'll see much more innovative chat technology soon. For the contact centre, this means that contact centre technology needs to be on par with communication development, and innovative tools quickly deployed to keep up and achieve that ultimate customer experience.
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