Call center agents are having to make significant changes to the infrastructure of the traditional call center during this extended pandemic. Customer service has been flipped on its head as agents work from home or maintain minimum distances away from one another in the office. Call center managers are dealing with this extended distance as well as they seek to keep the customer experience and quality assurance standards at a high level while overseeing calling operations remotely.
Quality assurance for call centers has always been paramount, but call center agents have actually been working toward these standards in a freer environment for a long time. Call centers around the world have been shifting away from the bulky onsite infrastructure that used to be necessary for a successful call center. Here are some ways call centers have been adapting during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adopting Cloud-Based Solutions
Call centers have known for years that the outdated machines running mechanical prompts and rigid call programs are on the way out. This is just the next great trend in a movement reasserting the dedication to great customer service over the phone. Cloud-based services have been making great strides in the market place and allow for much greater flexibility and coding for agents while on calls with clients. The ability to mark freely with additional comments or callback remarks makes for greater customer satisfaction and helps top performers increase their efficiency on the phones to even greater heights.
The cloud-based model is also perfect for working with the restrictions in place due to COVID-19 lockdowns that prevent many of us from freely moving about our cities and towns. The majority of American call centers are found in southern states and away from the dense cities in the north and along the coasts. This means an increased burden in the ability to effectively move from home to work and back again. With fewer transportation options than in urban hubs like Chicago, New York, or San Francisco, call center agents must find ways to take their work home with them instead.
The cloud software packages that have reached the top of the market are incredibly mobile and can assist contact center agents in placing or receiving calls from their kitchen table while still maintaining a close link with their team leader and QA analysts.
Scripting Changes
Cloud software also has the power to transform the scripting procedures your office uses to place calls with clients. Instead of the rigid behavior of older models, you can include notes and bullet points within script documents that are preloaded into the calling platform. This gives your agents far greater control as they motor through scripts while having the ability to backtrack, address issues that come up naturally through the conversation, or redirect with prebuilt responses that would not be included in the older software hierarchy. This model gives your customers a far greater quality of service while also making the job of your agents an order of magnitude easier.
Call centers everywhere are moving to this cloud-based infrastructure that requires less hardware to operate and makes for a much smoother experience for your customers throughout the entire call. Whether your center operates in order to place sales calls or you exclusively field customer complaints, moving to this model will give your agents a better level of flexibility in dealing with the issues your customers have while also marking far more efficient insights for callbacks or quality of service remarks that must be included in a client’s file after a hangup. Create a more positive customer experience by making the switch now.
