Contact centers are designed to improve customer experience by offering maximum information to customers; however, a recent survey finds that majority of them fail to meet customer needs.
The survey conducted by Omega Management Group, a provider of customer experience management (CEM) strategy, and Coveo, a provider of Enterprise Search 2.0 and Customer Information Solutions, highlights some of the harsh realities facing customer support departments and the negative impact on customer service metrics.
According to the survey, the biggest challenge faced by contact centers is their inefficiency in accessing the information needed to solve customer issues. This happens because the data continues to proliferate beyond the traditional knowledge base and Customer Relationship Management (CRM).
“It’s clear from the survey results that the concept and promise of moving all customer service content and data into a single repository has failed as information continues to proliferate,” said Laurent Simoneau, CEO, Coveo, in a statement.
Although 70 percent of the survey participants said they have invested in a knowledge base, the same percentage also reported that the knowledge base does not contain the information necessary for agents to solve customer issues.
The survey grouped the companies into two based on their size: companies with 251-500 agents and those with more than 10,000 employees. In the first category, 83 percent said they cannot find the information in the knowledge base. In the second category, 43 percent said the information that contact center agents need to solve customer issues resides in more than 20 different systems.
As today’s customer support infrastructures become complex and knowledge ecosystems comprised of many different information silos, it becomes important for companies to leave the data where it is, and provide ubiquitous access to it regardless of where it resides, according to Simoneau.
“This gives agents, managers and executives a 360 degree view of customer information and the ability to more efficiently service customers, improve customer service metrics, and positively impact the bottom line,” Simoneau added.
The top three challenges faced by contact centers include case handling time (50 percent), customer satisfaction (49 percent), and first contact resolution (49 percent).
The survey underlines the fact that knowledge base operational challenges can have a significant impact on a company’s bottom line. For 30 percent of participants, it could mean an impact from $100,000 to $1 million per year, which includes the 6 percent who put the cost at $1 to $5 million.
“A positive customer experience directly impacts customer satisfaction, renewal rates, and other important metrics,” said Tony Santilli, vice president, Client Services, Omega, in a statement. “The survey data clearly indicates that arming customer service teams with the knowledge and information they need to best service customers is an important step in driving up customer satisfaction rates, and in turn, positively impacting the bottom line.”
Coveo, the pioneer of Enterprise Search 2.0, provides Coveo Enterprise Search Platform and Customer Information Access Solutions to help organizations generate more value from information and knowledge stored across the enterprise.
Last year Coveo announced that its Customer Information Access Solution was named a 2010 TMC Labs Innovation Award winner. The award is presented by Customer Interaction Solutions magazine, published by TMC, and is given to technology companies who are delivering the most innovative and unique products in the contact center and CRM industries.