Each year, as we prepare to say good-bye to the old year and welcome the year that’s ahead, we can’t help but wonder what things await in the new year. Some may dismiss this as being silly since no one can really know the future. However, from a business perspective, “making predictions” can actually be a wise and fruitful task. It provides insight on where things are heading and helps us to be ready for them. Missing business trends can be detrimental; at the very least it can impact our ability to be competitive within our industry and at the other extreme, it can lead to a business having to close its doors simply because it missed the boat on important changes. So, in an effort to keep current and competitive, we’d like to share some predictions for the Call Center industry that will shape our business in 2019.
2019 PREDICTIONS
In a recent article published in callcentre helper.com, several industry leaders weighed in on what they expect to see in the Call Center in 2019. Once all was said and done there were a total of 23 predictions for 2019. From that list, we’d like to focus on the ones we feel will be most impactful.
- Mobile will be the Channel of Choice: Our society is Mobile dependent, meaning businesses must be mobile friendly. In fact, it is no surprise that Mobile apps currently enjoy the highest Net Promoter Score. Since they are literally a tap away, they’re extremely accessible and therefore need to be a reliable way to connect with businesses. In 2019, it will be very important that mobile apps can easily transition to a live call seamlessly and that the agent can easily access the needed customer information for the call.
- Facebook Messenger may be on the way out: Facebook is still a widely used platform with 1 billion-plus users, however recent security breaches are prompting people to look elsewhere. It is predicted in 2019 that we will see organizations using other messaging apps such as WhatsApp.
- Customer Feedback means more: Many expect that 2019 will see the Voice of the Customer work to improve the customer experience. Call Centers will pull customer feedback from many sources and use this feedback to fine-tune their customer service.
- Better Training and Development of Agents: The call center’s primary focus is always the customer experience. However, if the agent does not have the tools and skills needed to help the customer, then that impacts the end result. In 2019, call centers will increase their focus on agent development insuring a greater customer experience as a result.
- Channels will be joined for better service: An additional means of providing better customer service will be the streamlining of multiple channels such as voice, website and messaging apps that will allow for faster service. In addition, Cloud services will continue to expand making streamlining easier.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI): Many expect that AI will be used more within the call center to automate certain processes for greater efficiency.
- Value People over Technology: In this highly technological world, there is still a need for human contact. Forward thinking organizations recognize this and will insure that employees and customers are always more valued than technology. In doing so, technology will be evaluated for its ability to improve the customer experience but not removing the human contact factor.
As we look at these predictions, we see that at Centris, we are right on track for 2019. Our priority has always been to deliver the best customer experience possible. One of the ways we do this is to invest in our agents and train them to provide exceptional customer service. We maintain excellence across all channels of communication and adapt new technologies where it makes sense and where it will further enhance the customer experience.
At Centris, we’re ready for 2019. If you’re ready to improve your customer experience with a bilingual contact center contact us; we are committed to serving your customers and giving them an exceptional experience every time.
