Highlights:
- Outdated contact center tools can make the job of agents more difficult.
- Implementing more innovative solutions can streamline the job of contact center agents, reduce costs, and ensure customer satisfaction.
- All-in-one cloud-based solutions that incorporate contact center capabilities can help create a more modern and effective contact center.
Contact centers that fail to provide excellent customer experiences stand to lose those customers to competitors.
One of the main reasons for failed customer experiences is out-of-date contact center software. Continuing to use old contact center software will do little to ensure an efficient and effective contact center. On the other hand, up-to-date software solutions can enhance contact center performance and ensure a healthy ROI on new cloud-based solution investments.
The question is, how can you tell if your contact center is in need of a reboot?
Here are a few telltale signs that it may be time for a contact center solution upgrade.
1. Your staff is overloaded with calls
It may be tempting to blame understaffing issues when call volumes are high and agents are struggling to keep up with their workload. But have you considered that maybe the problem is not a staffing issue at all?
Perhaps the real issue is that your agents are working with software and tools that are inefficient and outdated.
If you discover that is the case, it’s time for a more innovative contact center solution. For example, you can look for a contact center solution that includes an automatic call distributor (ACD) to route calls and queue them for the next available agent. That type of functionality can help ease the load off agents, even as incoming call volumes increase. When you leverage the right technology, callers are more likely to end up with the right extension based on specific filters, which can lead to improved customer support efficiency.
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2. You don’t have adequate insight into vital data
To gauge how well operations within a contact center are working, management requires comprehensive analytics and specific data insights. Without such information, contact center management will have a much tougher time identifying what’s working and what isn’t.
The successful management of contact center operations depends heavily on access to real-time performance data, such as the number of callers in line, call abandon rates, and volume fluctuations throughout the day, among others. Outdated systems may not provide this valuable data in real time.
Introducing cloud-based solutions offers management more sophisticated analytics that help pinpoint best practices, efficiency savings, and other potential improvements that can boost contact center operations.
3. Your current telephony system is heavily reliant on repair technicians
Contact center telephony systems that often break down or need frequent troubleshooting do little for contact center operations, and consistently having to rely on repair technicians to get these systems back up and running efficiently is a time- and money-waster. Waiting for technicians to make the necessary repairs can throw a wrench in communications for an extended period of time.
Instead, cloud-based solutions offer contact centers much more flexibility, customizability, and control of the system. In turn, contact center communications are more secure, with guaranteed uptimes of over 99%.
4. Your contact center needs enhanced functionality
Contact center service models change over time, particularly as the needs of customers evolve and technological advancements are made. However, contact center legacy systems are often unable to adjust. An existing interactive voice response (IVR), for instance, may not be able to adapt along with the addition of self-service capabilities.
In situations like these, it may be necessary to implement a more innovative contact center solution that supports a myriad of new capabilities.
5. You have no digital channels
Today, customers expect contact centers to offer digital channels such as chat boxes to help handle their queries. As such, many contact centers are implementing several different communication channels and self-service options to both assist live agents and provide customers with quick and efficient resolutions.
If your current contact center solution does not offer omnichannel capabilities, several serious issues can result. For instance, live agents might have to scramble to access various systems, reporting will fail to be adequately consolidated, and workforce management forecasting won’t be able to ensure accurate scheduling. Fortunately, an up-to-date contact center solution can help deal with these issues.
6. You’re often over- or understaffed
Workforce management forecasting is key to ensuring that your contact center is adequately staffed to manage the daily workload. Without it, over- or understaffing is more likely to happen.
Having too few agents on the floor risks agent burnout and unsatisfied customers. On the other hand, having too many agents on the schedule can cost the contact center more than necessary.
The right contact center solution can help resolve any issues with workforce management forecasting. If your center often experiences issues of over- or understaffing as a result of inadequate forecasting, it may be time to review the tools that your center’s workforce management team utilizes and switch to software that can provide more accurate data.
Regardless of the industry your contact center hails from, having a current and modern software platform on which to handle your customer calls is key. RingCentral offers an all-in-one cloud-based solution that integrates all aspects of contact center operations, including telephone, video conferencing, and team messaging.
Get in touch with a representative from RingCentral today to request your free demo and find out how a new and innovative solution can optimize your contact center.
Originally published Feb 23, 2022, updated Aug 15, 2024
