Call Center Software Trends, Goals, and Strategies to Kick Off 2022
Chief Marketing Officer
Call centers exist in many shapes, sizes, and industries. They all have different objectives, goals, and strategies that help accomplish their mission.
Over the last several years, we have witnessed a pandemic, a global shutdown of economies, as well as supply chain constraints. As we move forward and look towards 2022, we need to keep in mind what we have just been through and maintain perspective. With 2022 already shaping up to be better than the previous year, I wanted to outline a few call center trends, goals, and business strategies that will help propel your call center into the new year.
Everything we discuss here will tie back to providing good customer service.
2022 Call Center Software Trends
Building Better Customer Relationships
No matter how great your product or service is, customers will most likely choose to continue doing business with you based on the level of service they receive. Agents can use simple customer service tips to improve customer experiences.
Providing Proactive Service
2022 will see more contextual and proactive service. Having context for each interaction will help consumers feel more valued as a client. Asking questions like, “How are you enjoying your [service or product]?” Or, “I see you recently placed an order. Are you calling about the order [order #]?”
These contextual interactions will help agents do their work more effectively and provide better customer service.
Natural Language Takes Shape
Natural Language is becoming more and more integrated into everyday software applications. TCN uses Natural Language to help facilitate call center compliance using standard verbiage to build rules and automate compliance.
WFM, Analytics, and More
Going above and beyond the visibility of standard reporting can unlock unseen potential in a contact center. Workforce Engagement and Voice Analytics solutions will help you make the most current and informed decisions and are going to be more and more prevalent in the coming years.
Execute Strategy While Focusing On Your Goals
Does your tech stack integrate?
Take a look at your whole tech stack and see where your inefficacies are. Weak points within an organization can be bolstered by simple software and can be a central part of your call center strategy. Tying CRMs and other services together will open the door to a more unified customer experience.
Make an effort to be digital-first with self-service and transactional communications. As new opportunities arise, consider solutions or ideas that have a digital-first mindset. This approach will help transition your call center into the next decade as more platforms, services, and your customers move digital. The key is to meet your customers where they are.
More and more consumers are engaging through nontraditional channels such as chat and social media. We outlined a few ways you can let your call center software do the work for you. Moving simple transactions that can be directed away from agents will free up precious resources.
Check out a few of our integration partners: Salesforce, Zendesk, and other billing processors to learn more. TCN makes things easy by smoothly integrating with your favorite apps and services.
Review security policies
It is good practice to review security training and policies as part of an annual review, especially as you get your agents back to work after the pandemic or for those who have shifted to a work-from-home situation. Chances are, your agents will be fielding a lot of questions on whether there is a relief plan in place for a particular bill or service. Be ready to handle those ahead of time.
Check out TCN’s Complete Guide to TCPA Compliance for more information.
Agents: retrain, retain, reward
Your agents are your most valuable assets and are the front lines and face of your call center or business. Offer rewards and retention bonuses to show that you care about their success. Start training small and build on what they already know to help boost their confidence.
For more help, check out this guide on What Makes a Great Agent.
Setting Your Call Center Up for Success in 2022
If you are considering a new call center solution (or just looking), you need to take a look at TCN Operator. You will quickly see how easy switching to TCN can be. We continue to build on our already award-winning platform with constant feedback from our users. With 24/7 customer support and no long-term contracts, you’ll get all the help you need whenever you need it.
For a closer look at Operator, be sure to request a demo and start leveraging the most powerful contact center platform in the industry.
I think we can all agree that building a proactive customer experience will always be a goal and current trend for any call center. With changing demographics and upcoming generations, the call center industry (along with the supporting software providers) will be ready to answer the call (pun intended) for an even better service model.
Get more insights and help your call center agents succeed in 2022 by reading our Guide to Managing Call Center Agents.