Is Your Contact Center Ready for 2013's Challenges?

What’s ahead for call centers in 2013? While we can’t know for sure, we certainly have some pretty good ideas. Analysts have identified a few key trends for 2013, generally further developments of trends that already reared their heads in 2012.

These will include:

Cloud-based deployment options. As more and more call centers either switch to the cloud model or contemplate it, the technologies will continue maturing and differentiating themselves from one another in terms of precise deployment models and feature sets.

Incorporating social media into the multichannel mix. Call centers may not wish to hear it, but social media are here to stay, and an increasing number of customers expect to be provided with the means to receive customer support via social media. This means it has become more critical than ever for call centers to integrate social media into their mix of voice calls, Web, SMS and self-service. Social media have become simply more channels through which customers will choose to contact you. You need to be ready.

The impact of smart phones and tablets. As more and more Americans (and global customers, as well) carry smartphones, more and more of everyday life will be accomplished via apps. Customers already expect to pay bills, check balances and do other banking tasks via mobile apps. They also shop, find entertainment and communicate and collaborate via mobile apps. If your company doesn’t have a game plan to provide dedicated service to mobile customers, you’re falling behind your competitors.

The need to accurately capture “the voice of the customer.” While your agents may be listening to your customers in a one-on-one way, are you, as an organization, really listening to your customers? Capturing the voice of the customer involves the right mix of call recording and analytics technologies that allow you to not only capture calls, but make sense of them in a way that helps your operations.

New methods for measuring agent effectiveness. In this economy, no call center can afford to have agents who drag down KPIs in particular and operations in general. In a medium-to-large call center, or a call center organization distributed among multiple locations and even home agents, determining agent effectiveness becomes tricky. If you can’t identify agents’ weak spots, you can’t correct them.

On Tuesday, January 29 at 11:30 a.m. EST, unified communications company Interactive Intelligence (News - Alert) will host a Webinar that will address all these topics and more. The Web event, entitled “Key Contact Center Trends and Priorities for the Upcoming Year – How You Can Be Ready,” will feature Forrester (News - Alert) Research Principal Analyst, Art Schoeller, and Interactive Intelligence Chief Marketing Officer, Joe Staples, who will help guide attendees through some of the most important contact center trends in 2013.

For more information or to register, click here.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO Miami 2013, Jan 29- Feb. 1 in Miami, Florida.  Stay in touch with everything happening at ITEXPO (News - Alert). Follow us on Twitter.