Best Practices For Contact Centres To Stay Agile
Tamer Elsabrouti, Regional Director of Contact Centres - OSN discusses best practices for securing a smooth and uniform customer experience across diverse touchpoints.
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Contact centres are already embracing cutting-edge technologies such as AI-driven chatbots and virtual assistants. These digital tools effectively handle routine inquiries, thereby freeing up human agents to tackle more complex issues.
The next step involves harnessing data analytics and insights to pinpoint emerging trends and resolve customer concerns. In line with Elsabrouti’s perspective, staying agile and responsive to ever-changing customer demands and dynamic market conditions poses a formidable challenge for contact centre leaders.
“It’s time for contact centres to fully dedicate their efforts in offering multi-channel support, continuously evaluating and refining processes for efficiency and effectiveness, proactive communication, and maintaining a continual training and development programme. Additionally, they need to encourage a customer-centric culture where all employees understand the importance of meeting customer expectations and are empowered to make customer-focused decisions.”
Best practices for seamless CX
Securing a smooth and uniform customer experience across diverse touchpoints, whether online or offline, plays a pivotal role in cultivating customer loyalty, satisfaction, and fostering growth.
According to Elsabrouti, there are six main strategies;
- Define and gain insight into customer journeys, encompassing the different points of interaction, and understand customer requirements, challenges, and anticipations at every touchpoint.
- Implement an omnichannel strategy that allows customers to seamlessly switch between online and offline channels, as well as share customer data and interactions across channels to provide a cohesive experience.
- Personalise interactions and content by leveraging customer data, whether in online or offline contexts, and craft recommendations, promotions, and communication in accordance with individual customer preferences.
- Enable smooth transitions between online and offline channels. For instance, if a customer initiates a query online and later calls for support, the support agent should have access to the online conversation history.
- Collect feedback from customers across all touchpoints and use analytics to gain insights while continuously monitoring and measuring the customer experience to identify areas for improvement.
- Provide consistent customer support across channels, including chat, email, phone, and in-person assistance. Implement a ticketing or case management system to track and manage customer issues across channels.
Metrics managed – For customer service efforts
The most effective way to gauge customer satisfaction is by considering First Call Resolution (FCR) and Customer Satisfaction (CSAT), affirms Elsabrouti. “FCR not only signifies the successful resolution of an issue on the initial contact but also offers valuable insights into why customers are reaching out and how frequently they encounter similar concerns. This information is instrumental in issue identification and mitigation, or ideally, elimination.”
Apart from the most favoured NPS, CES, and CLV, customer service professionals need to leverage Customer Effort Score (CES), Customer Churn Rate, Average Handling Time (AHT), and Service Level Agreement (SLA) Adherence. They can elevate the service assessment process.
“Through consistent monitoring and analysis of these metrics, businesses can continually enhance their customer service initiatives, resulting in improved overall customer satisfaction and retention.”
Contact centre challenges in the media and entertainment sector
In today’s fast-paced world, customers seek accessibility to top-notch content, a dependable service that guarantees uninterrupted enjoyment, and the effective handling of their concerns and feedback, said Elsabrouti.
To meet these high expectations, it’s imperative to implement certain strategies. “Firstly, actively engage in the collection of customer feedback and insights, utilising them to refine and align services with evolving customer expectations and preferences. Staying attuned to the voice of the customer is paramount, prompting adjustments and enhancements in our offerings.”
Moreover, it is crucial to provide our customer service teams with the necessary training and tools. This enables them to efficiently manage a wide range of customer inquiries, handle complaints, and competently resolve technical issues.
“By proactively listening to our customers, providing diverse and accessible support channels, and fortifying our customer service teams, we can navigate the high expectations of today’s entertainment consumers, ensuring they enjoy a seamless and satisfying experience,” he added.
OSN balances excellent customer service with cost-efficiency and scalability.
How? OSN places a strong emphasis on fostering early engagement among different teams and proactively planning for upcoming releases or events. This includes significant content launches, the introduction of new software updates for set-top boxes, channel alterations, and even anticipated technical challenges.
“By establishing early alignment across various teams, we can effectively strategise resource allocation and remain prepared for the most adverse scenarios. Additionally, we develop a comprehensive communication plan spanning all our channels, including IVR, social media, and our website.”
By emphasising preparedness, any organisation can ensure that its customer service teams are adequately equipped and trained to handle various customer needs and requests effectively. This readiness involves much more than having the necessary tools and resources. Service agents need to understand customer journeys and embrace a customer-centric approach, which will help foster customer loyalty, satisfaction, and sustainable growth.
Catch Tamer Elsabrouti speaking at the CX NXT Summit, at Address Dubai Marina, Dubai on 15 and 16 November.
