Improving business operations is a hot topic these days. In fact, you could say it's an exciting topic. That is when approached in the right way.
In this article, we won't ramble on with abstract concepts on how to improve your business processes. Instead, we'll talk about how cloud contact center software can help enhance your operations with concrete and measurable solutions.
Improving business operations 101
Improving your business operations comes down to a never-ending cycle of reviewing the processes you are using, eliminating inefficiencies, replicating positive experiences, and optimizing the processes that require it.
Cloud contact center software helps optimize processes by facilitating an omnichannel approach for sales, marketing, and customer service, resulting in a marked improvement in the customer experience. Moreover, cloud contact center software gives your business the flexibility to keep up with industry trends without having to rebuild your entire infrastructure from scratch. Finally, it would be impossible to improve your business operations without measuring performance (KPIs) through proper data visualization, an area where cloud contact center software stands out remarkably.
Delivering true omnichannel solutions
In recent years there has been much discussion about the differences between multichannel and omnichannel in both marketing and sales. And it makes a lot of sense. Leading companies such as Amazon have been driving a trend that favors "customer-centric" processes. What does this have to do with cloud contact center software, you may ask? Actually, more than you might think.
Contact centers have evolved from traditional call centers that only served one channel (voice) to a fundamental part of the omnichannel strategy.
Cloud-based contact center software goes beyond serving customers through different channels. Next-generation cloud contact center software offers an incredible level of integration with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software. This is how an agent can interact with a customer and have vital information at their fingertips, thus delivering unsurpassed service. Customer history of previous purchases, notes from other agents, the status of pending requests, and all sorts of relevant information are just a click away.
But there is more, much more.
Beyond data, cloud-based contact center software provides real-time customer sentiment analysis, an invaluable tool that allows the agent to address any type of challenge optimally. In other words, the use of state-of-the-art technology allows cloud-based contact center software to deliver a seamless customer experience regardless of the channel (mobile device, website, phone, or brick-and-mortar store). This is precisely the goal of the omnichannel approach.
Improving customer experience
A direct consequence of integrating sales, marketing, and customer support channels is a world-class customer experience.
In this sense, cloud contact center software adds value by using cutting-edge technologies such as Conversational Service Automation (CSA). In addition to the benefits described in the previous section, the combination of Conversational AI and Conversational Robotic Automation (RPA) provides the ability to take the customer experience to the next level.
You can think of cloud contact centers' AI-driven bots as a kind of additional channel, capable of interacting intelligently 24/7 and even making decisions based on pre-programmed triggers and AI-driven sentiment analysis algorithms. Why is this crucial?
A recent Gallup study has confirmed that millennials pay more attention to online experiences than any previous generation. In other words, they are demanding customers who expect fast and efficient results. A bad experience is a luxury that no business can afford with this type of customer since brand loyalty is the first casualty in most cases. Nothing worse than losing a customer for not living up to expectations.
The best remedy to prevent this type of situation is to provide superior customer experiences through skilled agents supported by advanced AI-based bots.
Keeping up with trends
Following the mandatory shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, flexibility has become an invaluable asset for businesses. The world has had to adapt in the blink of an eye. In this sense, one of the biggest challenges for most businesses has been to migrate a good part of their staff to a remote work scheme.
The role that cloud contact center software has played during this transition has been crucial. This is because the infrastructure used by the "Contact Center 2.0" is easily adaptable to different needs. This flexibility allows businesses to use the same IT resources and agents to provide remote support to staff working from home.
One of the simplest examples that can illustrate this point has to do with helping staff achieve a secure connection from home. Such secure connections are important, especially in mission-critical areas where using a "naked" Internet connection is unacceptable. To that end, an agent can guide staff step-by-step through the process and even verify the connection’s security. Moreover, since center software such as Samespace's is cloud-based, agents can also work remotely. The possibilities are endless.
Better data visualization
Measuring performance is a vital aspect of enhancing your business operations. Detecting both strengths and weaknesses is crucial to lower costs and increase profits. In this respect, cloud contact center software can be a powerful ally.
If you think about it for a moment, cloud contact center software as Samespace’s is in a way a hub where information from a myriad of sources converges. ERP systems, CRM platforms, and databases of resources of all kinds are used in conjunction with advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to improve the customer experience.
All of this information can be leveraged to create customizable dashboards with widgets that display the relevant information for each use case. The ability to create granular reports through the use of advanced filters allows supervisors, administrators, and managers to have a particular view of operations. The cross-referenced information on customer satisfaction, sales won, closed service cases, and more offers a handy tool for decision-making and measuring performance.
Conclusion
Rarely does a tool manage to offer such a complete solution as cloud contact center software does. This is due to its ease of integration with the main business areas, such as sales, marketing, and support. That's why cloud-based contact center software can help enhance your business operations while keeping you one step ahead of the competition.
If you are looking for a way to simplify your operations, better serve your customers, measure your KPIs in real-time, and optimize your processes, don’t hesitate to contact one of Samespace's specialists. We will be happy to answer all your questions.