How a Single Customer Record Improves Contact Center Engagements

Many customers dread calling customer service because of prior bad experiences. Either they endured several tinny renditions of Beethoven’s Fifth, were passed from one customer service representative to another, or had to repeatedly input personal information. They left the call frustrated and, in some cases, with an unresolved issue.

But that scenario doesn’t have to be yours. With cloud-based call center technology, you can improve not only the customer experience but also employees’ work life. The technology makes it possible to aggregate personal data in a single customer record that crosses communication channels, resulting in more efficient and enjoyable contact center engagements.

Ease Inefficiencies with Single Customer Records

Contact center engagements can become inefficient when customer information spans multiple systems and agents. Take your personal life as an example. When you are referred to a new doctor, the interaction is ineffective and unproductive if your medical history hasn’t arrived prior to your appointment. The doctor is unprepared and has to ask questions you’ve answered time and time again, leaving you both frustrated.

The same situation occurs in the call center when agents don’t have a system that supports a single customer record. Customer service representatives need a single source of truth for every customer interaction. It removes inefficiencies in their workflows, which leads to productivity gains and better first call resolution (FCR) rates.

Single customer records also prove helpful when striving for accuracy. The aggregated data removes duplicate records and pinpoints missing or inaccurate information. It can also help with restructuring your database so that customer information always is easy to find.

Finally, the single customer record empowers call center agents. They possess accurate and up-to-date data, which bestows on them the ability to answer questions with confidence and get to the bottom of the issue – or point you in the direction of someone who can right away.

Reduce Friction in Contact Center Engagements

A single customer record reduces friction and frustration on the part of involved parties, too. Call center agents know the identity of the person calling because the customer’s data and pertinent information automatically displays on the contact center solution dashboard. They can then solve problems more quickly, ensuring a better customer experience and exceeding quality of service (QoS) agreements.

In return, agents know exactly whom they are speaking with every time, regardless of the communication channel. Customers don’t have to input the same data over and over again; their information is saved and securely stored in the contact database, and it follows them seamlessly across each channel, whether it’s email, phone or even SMS texts.

As a result, they can more easily take action on their accounts, such as refilling a prescription or upgrading to a new service offering. They can also update their information as needed and trust that it will parse to the various channels they use.

Enhance Customer Experiences with Single Customer Records

In addition to reducing frustration, single customer records make it easier to segment data according to geographic regions, interests, communication channels and other data points. The capability offers huge benefits. Segmentation facilitates interactions with customers when and where they want them. It also identifies opportunities to upsell existing products and services.

As a result of those improved engagements, customers become more likely to complete surveys and to share their experiences on social and with friends and family. They also tend to stay with the business longer, reducing customer churn.

Manage Customer Records with Modern Call Center Technology

Managing multiple customer records once was an arduous process, but modern technology has changed the reality. You can easily administer thousands of customers with TCN’s cloud-based call center platform. With it, you create a truly blended call center environment, capable of automated outbound and inbound engagements across email, text messages and telephone. The feature not only reduces time spent looking up accounts and dialing numbers, but also ensures compliance with federal regulations and mandates like the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).

You also increase productivity with the platform. Because customer information is housed in secure, reliable Tier-One Telco data centers, agents receive information within seconds of submitting a query. The information isn’t only that produced by TCN’s call center technology; the platform integrates data from other sources, such as CRMs, collection software, and other digital tools.

The platform aids with contact center engagements, too. Agent Transfer and Manager Barge-in, for instance, assist in real-time interactions. Call center agents can transfer calls or, if encountering a customer issue where they need additional help, defer to a manager.

Call Recording supports post-assessments of calls. It scrubs personal identifying information to safeguard privacy and security but leaves the rest of the interaction intact. Agents and managers can review the call, examine what went right or wrong, and take steps to improve future conversations with customers.

Take Customer Care to New Levels with Single Contact Records

It’s time to reinvent contact center engagements and change people’s perceptions of customer service. Additional opportunities to better service your accounts can help retain valuable accounts, which can help boost revenues as well as customer satisfaction.

TCN’s industry-leading call center platform powers easy collection and aggregation of information from all your databases, presenting you with pristine, single customer records that can be quickly found, accessed and updated. Request a demo today to see the results for yourself.