CLOUD MIGRATION
ILLUSTRATION PROVIDED BY PRETTYVECTORS ADOBE STOCK
CLOSING THE CUSTOMER SERVICE GAP
HOW MOVING SOLUTIONS , DATA TO THE CLOUD
Technology cycles come and go , but with cloud and digital transformation becoming so pervasive , the contact center space has never been poised for so much fundamental change .
Legacy-based contact centers have long operated separately from the rest of the organization , using purpose-built technology , and managing customer-facing staff who had minimal interaction with internal employees .
This model worked well when customer service was essentially the domain of the contact center , and telephony was the primary channel of communication .
In this world , premises-based technologies provided IT the control needed to manage large-scale operations , along with high availability of service to support agents .
The technology landscape has evolved considerably recently within the contact center and also among consumers .
28 CONTACT CENTER PIPELINE
BOLSTERS THE CX . BY JON ARNOLD , J ARNOLD & ASSOCIATES
This would not be problematic if everyone adopted new technology at the same pace , but consumer adoption has outpaced contact centers , with the result being a customer service “ gap ” that is not easily narrowed .
To better understand why that gap is occurring - along with how contact center leaders should respond - there are two important drivers to consider .
DRIVER 1 – CHANGING CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS .
The concept of customer service has long been built around a reactive model where customers would call the contact center and attempt to address their concern either with an agent or an IVR menu for self-service .
This approach was highly transactional , and really only well-suited for a narrow range of needs . To a large extent , this model is still pervasive , but as customer expectations have changed , the shortcomings have become more pronounced . Today ’ s customers are more tech-savvy , where everything is at their fingertips , and they don ’ t want to wait long for anything .
• Rather than wait on hold in a call queue , they ’ ll try to bypass that by using text or social media channels .
• Rather than accept slow or poor-quality service , they can just take their business elsewhere , and perhaps even share their breakup stories on social .
... THE CONTACT CENTER SPACE HAS NEVER BEEN POISED FOR SO MUCH FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE .