A post-call audit is the only way to truly determine the satisfaction levels of contact centre customers, as it provides "a real-time and realistic view of how they are feeling", says Dave Paulding, Interactive Intelligence's regional sales director for UK, Middle East and Africa.
Despite this, some companies are still reluctant to invest in post-call survey technology, according to Paulding. But he stresses that without some way of evaluating customers' satisfaction, it is impossible to know what they are thinking.
In the current economic climate, it is critical for organisations to know how customers feel about the company's services, Paulding adds. "Perception of service levels is a major reason that customers churn, and retaining customers is cheaper than acquiring new ones."
For most companies, the success of their contact centre is determined by "key performance indicators," he says. The most important are reducing the time a customer spends in the queue and minimising the call abandon rate. Paulding says call abandon targets should be no higher than 2%.
While it is important to measure these elements and get them right, companies need to guard against a false sense of security that their customers are satisfied, according to Paulding. “The contact centre performance metrics might be good, but customers can still have a bad experience.
“The technology that can gauge the mood of the customer, in spite of what they might be saying, will soon be available,” he adds.
People skills
Paulding says the agent's skills and training are as important as having access to the latest technology. He explains that an agent can have access to all the information in the world, without knowing how to use it. “At times when the agent has no skills to deal with the customer on the other end of the phone, the technology is useless,” he adds.
Companies have to offer numerous channels for customers to make contact, he advises. This is because some customers like to call and speak to an agent, while others prefer to resolve issues on their own online, explains Paulding. The contact centre needs to offer a consistent experience, regardless of how the customer chooses to interact.
Companies that get it right in the contact centre game are those that find a balance between technological functionality and people skills, he says. “These companies invest in technology and training for their agents.”
According to Paulding, successful companies don't allow the contact centre's performance metrics to mask the underlying customer experience. “They actively look for ways to improve customer satisfaction.”
Ultimately, says Paulding, contact centres are about people; it is a way that customers interact with and experience a company - often the primary way. “Many companies are so focused on their contact centre technology that they forget this,” he points out.
Paulding concludes that while technology is important, it can only ever be an enabler. It is what people do with the technology that makes it powerful.
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