A few days ago I was browsing through the web and found a forum from 2004 that asked the visitors how they imagined the Call Center of the Future. It was a nice exercise to track back how some of the things people imagined six years ago have become a reality today:
- Smarter and more accurate speech recognition
- Higher traffic through use of the internet (email, IM, etc.)
But what struck me most was the fact that basically just two main issues were suggested for the call center of the future: Better Technology and Better Agents.
Let’s look at the first component, Better Technology. As times goes on, we have become accustomed to the idea that technology will keep accelerating its pace. The mentality of this generation takes for granted that the technology of the present will be outdated in just a few years.
Taking this into consideration, it is no surprise to imagine that ten years from now, the Call Center of the Future will have higher sound quality calls via voice over IP (VoIP), much improved voice recognition capabilities, and more interactive response through social media. All of those advances will be provided by continual improvement in existing technologies and we will eventually find a way to acquire and utilize those new technologies to improve the caller’s experience.
The second component, Better Agents, is a human technology, so to speak. What will never be provided by new technologies will be good Call Center leadership and management combined with skilled, focused and well-trained agents. Looking into the future, customers will always expect and demand agents who are able to solve their issues: agents with the ability to offer efficient and definitive solutions. At the end of the day, your customers won’t care if you have 20″ high resolution screens at your center, or if your server is the size of a pecan. What they really seek is for their problems to be solved in a courteous manner, for their order to be accurately taken or for their questions answered thoroughly and comprehensively. The better the experience and interaction with the “human” side of the Call Center, the stronger the likelihood to retain and grow both customer satisfaction and business.
Ten years from now, I can assure you that Call Centers will have new technology and more ways to communicate with customers. What we can imagine today just might be a reality tomorrow. The question is: Will your customers still be hoping for a great service? Or will you reach out and provide great service to them now…by keeping the “human” technology up to date, trained and developed?
Jamie Maddox
Chief Executive Officer
