What Contact Center Leaders are Considering for 2021?
As we approach the end of what has felt like the longest year of all time, many of us are hoping for a more positive 2021. There has been so much out of our control, but strong leaders know they can at least proactively plan in hopes for a smoother new year. So, how have the events of 2020 impacted planning? Strong contact center leaders are considering the following:
How has 2020 changed which metrics are important to focus on?
Consider a new strategy for which key performance indicators (KPIs) you use to measure the success of your contact center.
Why? The stress we’ve all felt in our personal lives and mental health can affect our agents’ work, so strong contact center leaders should handle agent performance metrics cautiously. In addition, the needs of your customers may have changed due to the pandemic, potentially becoming more in-depth or unfamiliar to agents. Increases in average call handling time or decreases in customer satisfaction metrics may be directly affected. However, contact center managers should be aware of agents’ KPIs relating to their active working time to see if there are patterns in after call work or time agents aren’t in a ready status as more and more agents are working from home, and could move that way permanently.
How can you over-deliver positive customer experience?
The pandemic has not changed what customers expect so it is crucial that organizations adjust to meet the demands of this “new normal.” Organizations of all sizes have had to shift to stay successful during the pandemic– from small restaurants adjusting to more takeout and easier online ordering, to Adidas giving a percentage of specific sales directly to charities supporting Coronavirus relief.
When planning for 2020, leaders of all contact centers need to ask themselves the following questions and address them in their plans for Q1:
- What specific challenges are our customers having now?
- How does our contact center need to adapt to the needs of our customers?
- What assets do our contact center agents really need to successfully handle these challenges?
- Is it appropriate to voice how my organization is contributing to the wellbeing of the community? If so, how?
The strongest leaders are consistently planning to over-deliver to their customers.
Is there technology that could be implemented for improvement?
With the number of contact center agents continuing to stay home and work, many contact centers have decided that different technology is needed to have a more efficient contact center.
if you’re planning a migration or addition of new solutions that will require integration between on-premise and cloud, or a hybrid of both, or if you’re looking to integrate multiple applications that all aren’t in the same place, an iPaaS is one of the most efficient ways to accomplish this.
A self-service iPaaS solution like DaVinci provides organizations with scalability to grow and adapt to a rapidly evolving technological landscape. For example, if your organization decides to change phone systems from premise to cloud, migrate to a different CRM or even build custom applications, an open framework offers limitless possibilities. If operational processes continue to change in 2021 and beyond, organizations will be prepared.
How can I continue to strengthen company culture?
Establish protocols for how your company’s employees should present themselves to your customers, then establish a way to make your culture a part of your companies’ daily life. Agents and managers may not be in physical offices together where a company’s vision statement, mission statement and values are plastered on the wall or reminded of in meetings. However, it is important for all team members to remember “why” their work brings value to the overall vision of the company.
- Look for ways to include vision and mission statements when planning work or reviewing performance.
- Have contact center managers remind agents in all-staff meetings or introduce an all-staff meeting where employees can bring up celebrations or issues.
- Acknowledge and promote employees that continue to act in-line with company values
It has been a crazy year. Let us plan (and hope) for a smoother, more positive 2021!
