Money is an integral part of a business. You’ve probably heard the saying that it takes money to make money, and in many ways, that’s quite true. Whenever a financial issue arises, departments that are not regarded as high-priority are often given limited funds or scrapped altogether. A business may consider advertising and marketing a priority and contact center of no comparative importance when considering their bottom line. The customer service team at the contact center may not seem to be an obvious place to spend your money. However, the contact center and customer service team is one of the most essential teams in your business operations. The contact center is the direct link between your business and the customer.
The need for a Call Center
A call center can benefit any business, no matter the size. Call centers offer customer service and sales functions to your business. The sales department relies on contact centers to take customers’ orders, schedule appointments, and help your online customers with purchasing, ordering, or making outbound sales calls. Customer service handles phone communications, checks and responds to the company’s emails. It also helps retain valuable customers and helps to defray customer acquisition costs by encouraging word-of-mouth marketing and referrals to new customers from their own personal network.
Ways to Invest in a Contact Center
Invest in artificial intelligence (AI)- Robotic process automation (RPA) and artificial intelligence are changing call center operations and strategies. Businesses can take advantage of call center AI, and with an effective approach, they can optimize how they use agents for improved customer service. Investing in an omnichannel that handles more than one communication and a “smart tool” is the way to improve business and customer experience. Machines are tasked with mindless operations, and contact center agents can handle sensitive customer issues that require that special human touch.
Invest in your customer agents- Customer agents are the face of the business. If they are happy, they will carry the products well and endear the customer to the business. It only makes sense that customer agents at the contact center receive adequate compensation and are included in discussions on improving customer experience. This will lead to your representatives being excellent ambassadors of your products. Customer agents should also be trained to handle customers of various temperaments to improve sales effectiveness.
Invest in Contact Center hardware- Faulty hardware such as phones, computers, and lines out of service can cost your business money. The business should ensure the phones and computers are fully operational. Internet and telephone connectivity should be stable to efficiently facilitate the work that the center needs to do.
How Contact Centers Improve Your Business
A study conducted in 2018 indicated that America has about 7,400 contact centers, handling various functions such as your lost amazon packages to serious technical issues. Having a contact center can help you in other ways as well.
It represents your business values, mission, and brand image.
Since your customers cannot enter your head to know your brand image, they often assume based on advertisements, social media marketing, and other marketing strategies. However, the customer service team at the contact center can fully control this perception. They speak directly to your customers and, as such, are responsible for representing the business brand while conversing with customers and potential buyers. Studies show that 73% of customers stick to your brand due to the friendly customer service they receive from the agents. Therefore, investing in a contact center through exemplary customer service will help you relay the brand image you want customers to perceive.
Happy employees lead to happy customers
If your customer service employees feel unappreciated, they will channel that frustration to your customer, and you are likely to lose business. Statistics show that 87% of employees are likely to work harder for your customers if they are happy with their jobs. Your contact center employees should feel appreciated and respected. This way, they are motivated to do their best to serve the business’s customers the right way, making them feel appreciated and respected.
Investing in contact centers can result in referrals.
Happy employees result in happy customers who are likely to tell their friends, co-workers, and families of your product. One study suggested that 77% of customers are prone to advertise their positive brand experience with friends. This chain reaction of happy customer service will transcend to happy customers and more new customers.
Excellent Contact Center gives your business a competitive edge.
Companies are always looking for ways to improve their image and gain a competitive edge. The goal is to be the best in the industry, and you don’t just want your competitors to know this; you want your customers to know it as well. An excellent contact center can provide you with that differentiating factor. It is estimated that 60% of customers will shift allegiance to another brand after one poor customer service experience. A good call center will prevent the loss of customer loyalty by solving their problem during the first interaction.
Proactive Contact Center offers your business marketing opportunities.
Adapting active customer service is a cost-effective way of investing in a business. Proactive customer service reaches out to customers to solve problems that the customers might not even know exists. This approach reminds the customer of your product, and they are also aware that you are working around the clock to remove any impediment to their user experience. Proactive customer service can also be used to introduce and promote new products and services. For instance, if you create a new feature on a product, the customer service team can use a ticketing system to check on the clients who had previously reached out to the company. They could then explain these features and their benefit to the clients, especially if these new features tie into the customer’s prior issue. This creates the impression that a solution was created just for them. This feeling will inevitably go a very long way.
Contact centers are key for the success of your business and improving the bottom line. They are the direct link between your business and customers. Even if you have a low budget, investing in call centers is a worthy investment that can produce healthy ROI if done well. Improving contact centers involve spending money on hardware, call center software, and customer service employees. The advantages of contact centers, however, show that this investment is worth it.