Recent research by Avocado55 has shown that only 56% of the capability of technology tools used in customer management, analytics and WFM is being utilised, meaning that 44% is being wasted, with organisations paying for features and functionality that they’re not even using.
Why aren’t businesses making the most of the contact centre tech they use and how can this be rectified? In this article, we take a look at the main reasons why this underutilisation is happening so that businesses can take steps to rectify this.
Those using the tool didn’t choose the tool
A common issue is that those responsible for the teams using the platform were not involved in choosing which technology was implemented and are not fully on-board with this specific solution. Sometimes this is because it’s a legacy system and sometimes it’s simply that they weren’t able to provide input when the technology was being decided upon.
They may be unfamiliar with the capabilities of the tool for this reason, and therefore only utilise the parts of it that they are fully aware of, lacking the time or motivation to dig deeper to see what else it can do.
Lack of awareness about the tool’s full range of capabilities
Technology tools used in contact centres are often chosen by the owner, usually after a demo and evaluation process. They can be complex platforms, with multiple features in different areas. There will usually be some key functions of the platform that are essential to the business and therefore that is what is understandably prioritised.
However, this can mean that other features of the platform aren’t looked into with as much depth during the test or demo process, which can leave the organisation not fully aware of what the tech can do that could benefit the business in other ways.
Poor onboarding or success management from the tech vendor or partner
A huge part of ensuring that a contact centre makes the most of the tech and tools at their disposal is with robust and thorough onboarding, training and ongoing success management from the vendor or software provider. If this support is lacking at any stage, it provides opportunities for elements of the tool’s capability to fall through the cracks. Ensuring that providers of the tech fulfil their responsibilities is essential for success and effective technology utilisation.
Outdated versions of the platform are being used
The very nature of contact centre technology is that it’s always evolving and improving. While this is generally of great benefit to staff and customers, the rollouts and updates of the latest iteration are not always implemented properly, as this can sometimes mean downtime – every contact centre’s worst nightmare! This can mean that older versions are left installed that don’t include all of the features that are now available, so it simply isn’t able to be utilised fully in its current form and it loses credibility within the organisation.
Updates aren’t communicated effectively
If regular updates to contact centre software and platforms are implemented straight away but not fully understood by those using it, this can also cause problems, with the knowledge gap getting wider each time. The solution provider needs to effectively communicate the updates and those responsible within the organisation needs to ensure that this follows down the whole chain of users.
If you think that your current technology isn’t being utilised effectively, we can review this and ensure that your usage is optimised to bring maximum benefit and return for the organisation.
