Running a contact center is an eternal quest to reduce costs and increase efficiency while also improving customer and employee experiences. This alone is no small task. Adding hybrid working into the mix probably hasn’t made it easier since it requires new policies and workflows; however, there are good reasons why 54 percent of contact centers plan to maintain their hybrid work model moving forward.
For one thing, it reduces expenses. With a hybrid work model, contact centers located in areas with a high cost of living can hire skilled workers from lower cost areas. This can help cut spending on overhead for facility related expenses, including real estate, utilities and in-office amenities. Hybrid work also reduces absenteeism, which is great news because it usually drives up costs and frustrates customers with longer wait times.
But the benefits don’t stop there. Hybrid work also improves contact centers’ agility, allowing them to easily add their preferred number of agents to handle volume spikes and continue operations in the face of the next natural disaster or social crisis. In today’s climate, we all know how valuable agility can be.
Perhaps the most important aspect of hybrid work is that employees are happier with it. This directly correlates to better experiences for customers, who have higher standards for service than they did before the pandemic. Research indicates that 79 percent of contact center professionals prefer a hybrid work environment. They appreciate the more flexible work/life integration and freedom to choose how they can be most productive.
TTEC expands on this in a recent article stating, “The days of the mega-centers are waning—the future is fast, nimble and spread out.” Hybrid work is here to stay, so as contact centers prepare for the future, we have some tips for providing great customer service.
THREE TIPS FOR DELIVERING GREAT HYBRID CUSTOMER SERVICE:
1. Give your customer service representatives the right audio tools to create real customer connections.
According to Forrester, “Service delivered by human agents (not robots) is what drives positive customer outcomes.” Creating real customer connections, building strong relationships and delivering positive outcomes requires crystal-clear audio. When customers and representatives can hear each other well, mistakes and misunderstandings are avoided, while issues are resolved quickly and effectively.
2. Maximize your move to the cloud.
In the 2021 Global Contact Center Survey, Deloitte Digital found that 32 percent of organizations were running cloud contact centers and 75 percent expected to be doing so within the next two years. Wherever you are in your cloud adoption journey, providing your customer service representatives with the right communications equipment will help you get better results from your investment.
3. Increase employee morale.
According to a global survey, the contact center attrition rate in 2021 was at 42 percent, which is comparable to pre-pandemic rates. However, McKinsey&Company research has found that only 38 percent of contact center agents are extremely satisfied with their jobs. Retaining happy employees means ensuring they feel like an important part of the team, no matter where they’re working. With professional-grade audio and video equipment, employees can enjoy seamless, natural conversations as if they were all in the same room, fostering authentic connection and increasing morale.
TAKE YOUR CONTACT CENTER TO THE NEXT LEVEL
Your communication technology choices are the foundation of your customer and employee experiences. To make the most of your hybrid model, everyone must be seen and heard clearly, no matter where they’re working.
Read our eBook, “The New Hybrid Era: New Advantages for Contact Centers,” to get practical advice on using audio and video solutions to create better customer connections, make the most of your cloud investment and boost morale.