Corporate telephony, unified communications and contact centres are merging, improving CX for consumers
In 2022, getting customer experience right is critical for attracting, retaining, and generating loyalty among customers and partners.. Most consumers (68%) in Australia and New Zealand would stop purchasing from a brand if they were dissatisfied with the customer service, highlighting the limited chances companies have to make mistakes.
The challenges for businesses are increasingly complex as the volume of customer touchpoints grows and as new technologies offer more options and capabilities. More consumers are reaching out during the pandemic and 1 in 10 even admit to calling customer service just to hear a human voice. Empathy is a critical part of delivering good customer experiences, with most consumers wanting businesses to listen to them, understand their needs, and provide consistent answers.
As well as having the right teams implementing and leading customer experience strategies, businesses need to ensure they have the right technology to support those teams. Siloes between contact centres and the communications and telephony technologies that run them will inevitably lead to siloed approaches to delivering customer service, which is no longer a business risk leaders can afford to take.
What makes Unified Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS) and Contact Centre-as-a-Service (CCaaS) so important to CX?
The pandemic accelerated the shift to remote working, which led to a rapid growth in the adoption of UCaaS. Amid the growing need for an integrated approach to communications across employee experience and customer experience, and internal and external communications, CCaaS also increased in demand, with Gartner projecting a 29% CCaaS revenue CAGR reaching $17.9 billion by 2024.
The simultaneous growth and convergence of these market segments reflects customers’ expectations of a single, frictionless, and efficient customer experience with brands. Particularly with larger enterprises that they regularly interact with. Anyone who has recently dealt with a bank or telco will know the frustration of having to repeat information to different agents or hearing different messages from a chatbot versus a representative on the phone. Having the UCaaS and CCaaS technologies integrated behind the scenes enables brands and their agents to deliver a seamless and aligned customer experience every time.
Excellent agent experiences lead to excellent customer experiences
Recent research shows that a concerning 71% of customer experience and service agents have considered leaving their job in the past six months, and 69% are considering leaving the sector overall. That’s a lot of unhappy staff in charge of handling millions of customers a day. The pandemic has unfortunately added further pressure and stress to what was already a demanding work environment, leading to mental health challenges and burnout across the industry.
Technology, like AI and automation, can play a significant role in reducing tedious tasks and the burden of repetitive activities to increase overall employee satisfaction and engagement. Despite this, three-quarters of service agents report a lack of technology in their current role. For those that have the benefit of technology in their workplace, the outcomes are clear – fewer errors in the workplace, less menial daily tasks, faster decision-making and better customer experiences as a result.
By giving agents the latest tools and technologies to be able to deliver their best work, they are not only becoming an enthusiastic and engaging face for companies, but also ensuring a consistent and positive experience is had by customers. Integrating corporate telephony, unified communications, and contact centres technologies further ensures agents have the right environment and data at their fingertips to conduct exceptional customer experiences at every touchpoint.