A study carried out by Avocado55 has highlighted that around 44% of relevant contact centre technology capability simply isn’t being used by the organisations that are paying for the solution. This doesn’t mean that the incorrect tool is being used, but that an already well-matched solution for the organisation just isn’t being used to its full potential.
In this article, we take a look at how this common issue can affect a business negatively, and what can potentially be done to turn this around.
Limited return on investment
Contact centre technology, whether we’re talking about WFM, CTI, CRM or any other types of platform used in this sector, isn’t cheap. This significant investment by the business needs to pay its way in order to be justified. However, when it isn’t being fully utilised for all relevant capability, the return that the organisation benefits from will always be limited. By ensuring that all of the appropriate functionality is being used to its full potential by a necessary personnel, the business can start to see a greater return on their investment.
Reduced efficiency
The whole purpose of contact centre technology is for different systems to work together effectively in order for staff to be able to carry out their role to a good standard. However, when current platforms are not being used to their full potential, there could be significant efficiencies being missed. This might not only mean that staff could potentially be able to complete certain tasks more quickly, but also that various different systems could possibly be able to communicate with each other or match information up better, which can make entire processes easier for everyone.
Reduced insight into customer activity
A huge benefit of various contact centre technology is being able to see how customers engage with your business and ensuring that records and details are updated cross-platform. For example, the system should log and be able to differentiate between different contact events, such as if the same customer contacts by telephone one time and via online the next. Underutilised contact centre tech can fall down in this regard, if not set up optimally for all relevant features and functions to work in conjunction with each other and to give the business a much richer contextual picture of customer activity.
Customer experience limitations
It might not only be contact centre employees who are losing out on efficiencies and ease of use with technology that isn’t being used effectively, it can also result in customer experience being of a lower standard than it needs to be. If a customer has to go over the same ground every time they contact you because your systems aren’t effectively ‘joined up’, then this can be hugely frustrating. A poor customer experience can lose you ongoing or repeat business, and can also affect brand reputation.
It’s possible to avoid many of these potential pitfalls by having your current contact centre tech assessed by specialists, to see which parts of the system can be optimised for your business to increase your return and reduce the limitations you’re currently experiencing.
