2015 Contact Center Data Survey. Facts & Analysis

Transcription

1 2015 Contact Center Data Survey Facts & Analysis 2015 Consero Group. Reproduction Prohibited.

2 INTRODUCTION Contact Center Data Survey The Contact Center function is more important than ever to a company s customer experience strategy. Whether through phone, , or digital channels, call center representatives must be prepared adequately to deliver positive and consistent customer service in a market filled with sophisticated consumers. Heads of Contact Center are charged with ensuring that their agents are properly trained, while also making sure that all of the channels in which they operate are well integrated. With the proper resources at their disposal, this group of executives will be poised to handle many challenges and opportunities, and deliver uniformly great customer service, in the year ahead. Survey Structure And Methodology This survey was developed in connection with Consero s 2014 Contact Center Forum, an invitation-only event hosted in December The survey below contains fifteen questions designed to highlight the areas of focus Heads of Contact Center face today. While the survey was limited to 39 participants, the answers provide valuable insight into the perspectives of these senior executives. Table Of Contents 3 Budget & Resources 4 5 Channel Integration 6 9 Strategy & Operations Looking Ahead 12 Conclusion 13 Consero Consero Group. Reproduction Prohibited.

3 BUDGET & RESOURCES Two Thirds Of Contact Center Executives Have Sufficient Access To Resources Necessary To Manage Their Operations Effectively A little over half of contact center executives surveyed experienced an increase in budget over the past year. A majority (67%) also reported that they have sufficient access to resources necessary to manage their operations effectively, which is a positive sign given the importance of the contact center function to an organization s success in managing customer experience. Just under half of contact center executives surveyed are not satisfied with the quality of training provided to their service center agents. Because agents are the main point of contact for customers, this may be a significant area of focus in 2015 for contact center executives. Figure 1: How has your contact center budget changed over the last 12 months? Increased 56% Decreased 13% No change 31% Consero Group. Reproduction Prohibited.

4 BUDGET & RESOURCES Figure 2: Do you have sufficient access to resources necessary to manage your contact center operations effectively? Yes 67% No 33% Figure 3: Are you satisfied with the quality of training provided to your service center agents? Yes 53% No 47% Consero Group. Reproduction Prohibited.

5 CHANNEL INTEGRATION Phone Is The Primary Channel For Receiving Customer Feedback For 54% Of Contact Center Executives Surveyed Channel integration plays an important role in delivering a successful customer experience. When asked what channels are integrated into their contact center operations, phone, , and the self-service portal topped the list. Social media, online chat, and paper were also named as part of the contact center channel integration effort for a small majority of executives surveyed. For 54% of executives, telephone remains the primary channel to receive customer feedback. Social media, self-service portals, and mobile are channels that contact center executives least use. Figure 4: What customer interaction channels are integrated in your operations? (Please select all that apply.) Phone 100% Social media 46% Online chat 44% Mobile 31% Paper 39% 90% Self-service portal 67% Fax 5% Consero Group. Reproduction Prohibited.

6 CHANNEL INTEGRATION Figure 4: What customer interaction channels are integrated in your operations? (Please select all that apply.) Phone 54% 8% Self-service portal 3% 10% Call monitoring 13% 3% 7% 3% 54% Social media 3% Online surveys 7% Mobile 3% 10% 13% 3% Other 8% Other responses included post-call surveys and NPS Consero Group. Reproduction Prohibited.

7 STRATEGY & OPERATIONS A Total Of 58% Of Executives Believe Their Call Center Representatives Are Engaged With Their CX Strategy Only 28% of respondents experienced an increase in the number of centers they oversaw in In looking ahead, just 18% plan to increase the number of center locations in the next year. A total of 28% are planning on centralizing their operations, which is a strategy that may help reduce costs and improve customer communication. Fortunately, 58% of respondents reported that their call center representatives are engaged with their customer experience strategy. While promising, there remains some area of improvement to ensure that every agent delivers top-notch customer service consistent with the organization s CX strategy. Additionally, 44% of Contact Center executives use at-home/virtual agents as part of their call center strategy. Figure 6: How has the number of contact centers that your department operates changed over the last 12 months? Figure 7: Are you planning on centralizing or decentralizing (including outsourcing) your contact center operations? 64% 69% 28% 28% 8% 3% Increased Decreased No change Centralizing Decentralizing Not applicable Consero Group. Reproduction Prohibited.

8 STRATEGY & OPERATIONS Figure 8: Is outsourcing a current priority for your contact center strategy? Yes 28% No 72% Figure 9: Do you plan to increase the number of your contact center locations over the next 12 months? Yes 18% No 82% Consero Group. Reproduction Prohibited.

9 STRATEGY & OPERATIONS Figure 10: Are your call center representatives sufficiently engaged in your customer experience strategy? 58% 42% Yes No 58% 42% Figure 11: Do you use At-Home/Virtual agents in your customer care strategy? 56% 44% Yes No 44% 56% Consero Group. Reproduction Prohibited.

10 LOOKING AHEAD Fifty-Six Percent Of Contact Center Executives Do Not Believe Their Technology Infrastructure Meets The Needs Of Their Operations When asked about their main areas of focus in 2015, an overwhelming but not surprising 90% of contact center executives surveyed placed improving customer experience at the top. First contact resolution (36%) and channel integration (36%) followed as top priority areas for the respondents. In turning to the greatest anticipated impediment to their department s progress in 2015, 38% placed budgetary constraints as their number one obstacle, and 21% named senior management buy-in as their main challenge. Technology may also be a focus for this group of executives in 2015, as 56% of respondents do not believe that their technology infrastructure meets the needs of their contact center operations. Furthermore, 62% are unsatisfied with the level of insight they are able to extract from their data and analytics. Figure 12: What are your main areas of focus in 2015? (Please select all that apply.) Cost reduction 18% Improving customer experience 90% Sales performance 28% First contact resolution 36% Talent management 30% Channel integration 36% Other 8% Technology implementation and increased use of social media were named as other top areas of focus for Consero Group. Reproduction Prohibited.

11 LOOKING AHEAD Figure 13: What is the greatest impediment to your department s progress in 2015? Budgetary restrictions 38% Data privacy/security 5% Senior management buy-in 21% 38% 5% 21% 10% 15% 10% Workfoce management 10% Integration of your call center efforts 15% Other 10% Figure 14: Does your current technology infrastructure meet the needs of your contact center operations? Figure 15: Are you satisfied with the level of insight you are able to extract from your data and analytics? Yes 44% Yes 38% No 56% No 62% Consero Group. Reproduction Prohibited.

12 CONCLUSION Lessons For The Industry Heads of Contact Center have their plates full in the months to come. From improving their technology infrastructure to training their agents adequately, this group of executives will need to leverage their existing resources to deliver the best customer experience possible. In doing so, Heads of Contact Center will be able to maintain a competitive advantage to help ensure their organization s future success Consero Group. Reproduction Prohibited.

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