CHOOSING THE RIGHT CONTACT CENTRE TECHNOLOGY A study of the selection and uses of state-of-the-art technology in today s Contact Centres.

Transcription

1 WHITE PAPER CHOOSING THE RIGHT CONTACT CENTRE TECHNOLOGY A study of the selection and uses of state-of-the-art technology in today s Contact Centres. V01_1111 JABRA IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF GN NETCOM A/S

2 CHOOSING THE RIGHT CONTACT CENTRE TECHNOLOGY SUMMARY In addition to employees, advanced technology plays a critical role in today s Contact Centres. According to Contact Centre managers, the main reason their organisations implement state-of-the-art technology is to improve agent performance. As discussed* in a previous Jabra Business Brief, high-performing Contact Centre agents are ones who have a desire to do their jobs well, act as team players and actively work to meet company goals. In addition to improving agent performance, Contact Centre managers also say they deploy state-of-the-art software to take advantage of new features, such as live updates, which help reduce the risk of downtime and improve sound quality, which help optimise the Contact Centre operation. The chief attribute of satisfied Contact Centre agents is a desire to do their job well. A lesser, but still important, attribute of satisfied agents is that they act as team players and are highly aware of company goals and actively strive to meet them. Satisfied agents are productive, good team members and are positively adopting of new hardware/software. When Contact Centre managers make technology decisions, the overwhelming majority say they seek out software that s intuitive and easy to use. They believe intuitive software will make agents jobs easier and reduce training times. Somewhat paradoxically, however, when it comes to selecting headsets managers choose high-tech features. The particular ones they value most during the selection process include noise-cancellation for improved voice quality and noise protection for agent safety and comfort. The features they say their agents value most include comfort, noise-cancellation, design and ergonomics. In selecting headsets for their organisations, Contact Centre managers have a strong focus on and realise the importance of compatibility between headsets and phone systems and a solution that allows for easy technology updates and configuration of multiple headsets at a time. While state-of-the-art technology is increasingly important to operating a successful Contact Centre, a sizeable percentage of Contact Centre managers are wary of the cost, maintenance and complicated nature of advanced technology. Nearly one-third of those interviewed regard it is an obstacle to performance. This opinion is most prevalent among managers at small Contact Centres. More information at >> April

3 BACKGROUND As with most organizations, Contact Centres are increasingly adopting state-of-the-art technology to run their operations more efficiently and profitably. Technology helps Contact Centres better deploy and monitor resources and allows agents to more efficiently and accurately handle higher levels of customer calls. In December 2011 Jabra and analysis institute Frost & Sullivan conducted a survey of 250 Contact Centre managers in Great Britain, France, the U.S., China and India to investigate the connection between a good sound environment, employee satisfaction and increased productivity. More information at >> April

4 KEY FINDINGS The vast majority of ConTACT CentrE 1 managers say that they invest in STATeof-the-art technology as a means to improve employee performance. 79 percent of Contact Centre managers agreed with the statement, We invest in state-of-the art technology because it s an important investment that allows our employees to perform better. Large ConTACT CentErs, in 2 particular, are leaders in using STATe-of-the-art technology to improve employee performance. 89% of managers in large Contact Centres (those with 500 or more seats) say they use state-of-the-art technology as a means to improve employee performance. 81% of managers in medium-sized Contact Centres (those with seats) say they use state-of-the-art technology to improve employee performance. 72% of managers in small Contact Centres (those with fewer than 100 seats) say they use it to improve employee performance. A secondary reason why ConTACT 3 CentrEs invest in state-of-the-art technology is to TAke advantage of updated software features such as live updates, which reduce the risk of downtime and improve sound quality. 74 percent of Contact Centre managers agreed with the statement, We take technology into consideration because of updated software features like live update, lower risk of downtime and the better quality sound of up-to-date equipment. More information at >> April

5 By a wide margin, medium-sized 4 ConTACT CentrEs are leaders in TAking advantage of the updated software features that STATeof-the-art technology provides. 83% of managers at medium-sized Contact Centres say they take advantage of the updated features that state-of-the-art technology provides. 70% of managers at large Contact Centres say they take advantage of updated software features. 63% of managers at small Contact Centres take advantage of updated software features. When investing in STATe-ofthe-art technology, budget 5 is a consideration for a sizeable percentage of ConTACT CentrE managers. 21 percent of Contact Centre managers agreed with the statement, Technology doesn t interest us; we just need headsets and software that match our budget. Budget is a bigger consideration 6 for large and small ConTACT CentrEs than for medium-sized ones when choosing headsets and software. When asked to agree with the statement, Technology doesn t interest us; we just need headsets and software that match our budget 30% of managers at large Contact Centres agreed. 28% of managers at small Contact Centres agreed. 12% of managers at medium-sized Contact Centres agreed. More information at >> April

6 An overwhelming percentage 7 of ConTACT CentrE managers say they prioritise intuitiveness in software when making technology decisions. 81 percent of managers say their Contact Centre prioritises intuitive software when making a technology decision. The top reasons managers 8 cite for choosing intuitive software are to make agents jobs less STressful and to reduce training times. When Contact Centre managers were asked for the top reason they select intuitive software 38% said it was to make the agents jobs less stressful. 25% said it was to reduce training times. 18% said ease of use. When choosing a headset 9 solution, ConTACT CentrE managers say the top quality they look for is noise-cancellation technology. When Contact Centre managers were asked which qualities they value most in a headset solution 65% said noise-cancellation and improved voice quality. 57% indicated noise protection for agent safety. 51% said comfort. 38% cited high durability/damage resistance. 38% said plug-and-play capabilities. The fact that noise-cancelling technology is the top quality managers seek in headsets confirms a finding * we presented in a previous Jabra Business Brief, says Holger Reisinger, Jabra Vice President of Marketing, Products and Alliances. In it, we found that Contact Centres Managers main focus is increasing employee productivity. Headsets that provide noisecancelling technologies and noise protection are outstanding choices to help Contact Centres reach their productivity goals. More information at >> April

7 While managers most prefer 10 headset features that help increase agent productivity, agents most prefer features that increase their on-the-job comfort. When Contact Centre managers were asked which qualities their agents value most in a headset solution 71% said agents most value comfort. 60% said agents most value noise-cancellation and improved voice quality. 33% indicated design, wearing styles and ergonomics. 31% said intuitive software that is easy to work with. 29% cited high durability/damage resistance. An overwhelming number of 11 ConTACT CentrE managers place an emphasis on compatibility between headsets and phone systems. A solution that allows for easy updates and configuration of multiple headsets AT a time is important to them. 90% of Contact Centre managers rate integration between headsets and phone systems as very important or important. Tight integration between headsets and communication systems can have a significant impact on the customer and contact centre agent experience by improving quality and reducing stress, says Eric Rossman, Avaya Vice President, Developer Relations and Alliances. Jabra s headsets have been tested for compatibility with Avaya solutions through our rigorous, DevConnect evaluation process, to help provide agents with reliable hands-free communication that saves time and increases productivity. Compatibility between 12 headsets and phone systems is viewed as most businesscritical to medium-size and large ConTACT CentrEs. 97% of managers at medium-sized Contact Centres view compatibility between headsets and phone systems as important. 92% of managers at large Contact Centres see compatibility between headsets and phone systems as important. I am glad to see these results, says Holger Reisinger, Jabra Vice President of Marketing, Products and Alliances. It confirms our business model and proves that our efforts of ensuring headset compatibility now positions Jabra as the preferred Contact Centre headset partner. Contact Centre managers across the world can rest assured that with a Jabra headset, they are investing in a portfolio of dedicated Contact Centre headsets with the world s highest degree of phone system compatibility. 83% of managers at small Contact Centres view compatibility between headsets and phone systems as important. More information at >> April

8 Despite the importance of 13 technology in the ConTACT CentrE, a significant percentage of ConTACT CentRE managers have reservations about using advanced technology. 29% of Contact Centre managers agreed with the statement, Advanced technology is an obstacle that gets in the way of our performance due to complicated use and high maintenance. Concerns about advanced 14 technology being an obstacle to performance are more prevalent in small ConTACT CentrEs and less so in large ones. When asked to agree with the statement, Advanced technology is an obstacle that gets in the way of our performance due to complicated use and high maintenance 32% of managers at small Contact Centres agreed. 28% of managers at medium-sized Contact Centres agreed. 22% of managers at large Contact Centres agreed. I was surprised, but not shocked, at how many Contact Centre managers view advanced technology as an obstacle, says Brendan Read, Industry Analyst, Frost & Sullivan. New technology is meant to make jobs easier, not harder. This shows that the industry needs to do a better job of creating reliable, easy-to-use software and demonstrating its ease-of-use and benefits to its customers. Jabra is taking the right step by incorporating this knowledge into its product development. * Jabra Business Brief: Improving Contact Centre Employee Satisfaction and Retention, March 2012, Key Finding 1, Page 4. More information at >> April

9 FIND OUT MORE Different working environments demand different headset solutions. The Jabra range of headsets for Contact Centres and offices offers a wide choice of hands-free communication technology covering virtually any requirement. To find out more about which Jabra headset solutions are relevant for specific working environments, please contact Jabra at About Jabra Jabra is the brand of GN Netcom, a subsidiary of GN Store Nord A/S (GN) - listed on NASDAQ OMX. Jabra employs approximately 850 people worldwide and in 2011 produced an annual revenue which amounted to DKK 2,106 million. Jabra is a world leader in the development, manufacturing, and marketing of a broad range of handsfree communications solutions. With a reputation for innovation, reliability, and ease of use that goes back more than two decades, Jabra s consumer and business divisions produce corded and wireless headsets, plus mobile and in-office speakerphones that empower individuals and businesses through increased freedom of movement, comfort, and functionality. More information at >> April