5 Reasons Why Automation is the Secret to Success for Call Centers

Automation is transforming businesses and organizations around the globe. Some call centers fear it will decimate workforces, transform economies or require extensive changes to existing operations. However, call centers that view automation as an opportunity to improve overall call center operations are leveraging an opportunity to save money, improve internal processes and empower agents — and that’s just the beginning. Here are five reasons why automation can be the secret to the success of your call center:

1. Cutting costs

Agents are the most expensive resource a call center has, which makes it all the more important for their time to be maximized. Call centers that automate routine processes such as inbound and outbound calls, can immediately start saving time and money. Call centers can also then take those excess hours and funds and pour them back into the company to train agents, develop new products and services or pursue other business growth opportunities.

2. Preventing human errors

Automation also minimizes errors — or at least makes errors easier to solve. In other words, humans are messy while automation is reliable. When managers and executives find a human error, they may discover it takes a great deal of time and effort to correct it. A machine-based error is different. It’s relatively easy to figure out where the problem lies and how to repair it. Call centers can then ensure that the problem doesn’t happen again, which is impossible to do with agents.

3. Improving internal processes

Besides preventing errors, automation can enhance internal processes. For example, knowledge sharing, which simplifies agent training and support, improves through automation. Additionally, automating functions like data entry and dissemination through solutions like TCN’s List Management Services ensures agents possess the best information on any call while minimizing time wasted searching for and processing data.

Automation can also enhance communications and accountability, ensuring your agents have access to up-to-date information and encouraging interpersonal communication. This is vital, especially when call centers are working with remote employees. All of these components work together to improve overall internal processes and guarantee agents can complete their work, regardless of the size or complexity of call lists.

4. Empowering call center agents

The benefits automation offers to call centers don’t end here. Automation tools like Predictive Dialers prevent duplicate efforts, reduce time wasted dialing dead numbers and mitigate duplicate dialing, annoyingly repetitive calls and agent effort overlap. Auto dialers also free agents from less desirable tasks so they can give more attention to higher-level ones, and some companies may find that automation lets them reduce the number of agents needed during a shift.

This capability is beneficial with consumers increasingly using self-service for simple items like bills, refills and hours and only call to speak with an agent for complex questions and issues. When integrated with IVR, features like Automatic Call Distribution facilitate that process, guiding customers to the agent best equipped to handle their call. The time saved reduces frustration for both the agent and the customer, enhances the customer experience and maximizes agent efficiency and productivity.

5. Ensuring easy scalability

Finally, automation helps with scalability because it limits labor and staff needs, which contributes to the ease of scaling upward and downward or replicating and scaling particular activities when necessary.

Easy scalability is especially important in this day and age where last-minute changes in response to a changing market or a need to work remotely are common. Automation can take the stress out of these situations and ensure your call center is prepared for whatever the future may bring.

Automation is the wave of the future

Automation provides assurances about productivity, keeping agents accountable and providing a consistent, seamless customer experience. It also increases efficiency because agents spend their time talking with customers, not looking for customer data or other needed information.

Automation can also aid right-party connectivity and compliance efforts, safeguarding against contacting people on the Do Not Call list or infringing on people’s privacy. Automation is the wave of the future. Businesses can wait for the trend to crest, or they can use it to their advantage today. Request a demo today to see what automation can do for your call center.