Contact centers remain vital to the success of brands and companies, as they’re the primary contact point with consumers. They’re used for many things, ranging from addressing customer concerns to selling products and conducting market research. Unfortunately, they also have a relatively poor reputation. Whether it’s long waiting times or poor outcomes, they can result in the distaste some may have for these businesses.
However, that isn’t to say that you should resign yourself to these problems. In this post, we’ll cover some of the pitfalls you need to avoid if you want your contact center to succeed where others may not.
Skimping on technology
In an effort to lower costs, some contact centers make the mistake of foregoing the latest equipment and tools for outdated ones. However, the reality is that it ends up costing them more than they realize in the long run. After all, newer technologies offer more opportunities to improve operational efficiencies and reduce human error. For example, equipping agents with predictive dialers will not only enable them to get better results, but will also allow them to adhere to TCPA compliance standards. And this is important because noncompliance can lead to legal repercussions and a small fortune in fines.
As such, you must never skimp on technology. Don’t be afraid to invest in it if needed because it’ll eventually generate excellent returns for your company.
Taking your employees for granted
When it comes to contact centers, your greatest asset will always be your employees. However, many experience high attrition rates, forcing them to constantly recruit and train new agents and costing them more money and time than they can afford. It also compromises their level of service quality, resulting in consumer dissatisfaction and lost sales. While many factors result in attrition, it often boils down to unstimulating environments, long hours, insufficient pay, lack of benefits, and inadequate growth prospects.
Therefore, you must never take your employees for granted. Make sure they have everything they need to do their work, and don’t forget to acknowledge their efforts, be it through words of appreciation or monetary bonuses. You’ll be surprised at how much of a difference it’ll make.
Ignoring surveys
No matter the industry, customer feedback will always be essential, and it isn’t different for contact centers. For this reason, you must never ignore surveys. Instead, welcome them. After all, doing so won’t just allow you to find any potential problem areas and address them immediately, but it’ll also show that you care about their insight and help build a much stronger relationship with them. Even something as simple as a response of gratitude to their surveys can go a long way, so be sure that you reply to them.
Conclusion
Mistakes don’t always just happen—they’re also caused. In fact, in many cases, most are avoidable. So if you’re running a contact center, make sure that you steer clear of these pitfalls. The fewer errors and oversights you make, the better your chances of achieving success in this industry.