Is your contact center handling email the old fashioned way?
So, you have a contact center and you answer emails, maybe even chat…but how well do you manage those emails and chat sessions? For many organizations, Web mail or Outlook are the applications of choice. While these are great for your office email, there are too many limitations and drawbacks to standard office email systems. They are not the best use of time or resources for a contact center agent, or a good choice for efficiency within the center. (Customers need to know the department or the issue being addressed—they don’t need Suzie’s last name and extension.) Contact Centers using Outlook/Web mail struggle with trying to meet Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as first contact resolution, have trouble allowing email/chat to be monitored live, run into difficulties with transcript retention, and face a host of issues with getting chat on their web site to meet the customer at yet another new contact point.
There are more dynamic email/chat systems that will allow you to better service your customers and not break the bank. Using either an Application Service Provider (ASP) or email management system will give you greater access to monitoring and quality control. KANA, RightNow and eGain all have great solutions for centers that process hundreds of thousands of transactions, but as contact center consultants, we find that ASPs such as InstantService, LivePerson or Talisma—all fine solutions—offer alternative options with distinct advantages.
Those that charge a per-use fee, such as InstantService, are more enticing than a seat/named user license. You will have an annual fee, but that is reasonable considering the peace of mind and reduced need for IT support at your location. Your fee structure will then be based on answered email or chat transactions. Using an ASP gives you a solution that is virtually maintenance free, saving on IT resources and server space. It allows you to manage your email and foray into chat, while establishing best practices and KPIs that will service your customers—and have it up and running quicker and easier than any other tool. In fact, some ASPs can have the entire implementation, from initial contact to production, done within a few days.
For the effort, time and money an ASP offers you more options than standard Outlook for the customer experience. You will gain efficiency immediately with increased productivity levels, and over time the monitoring capabilities will allow you to help agents develop better communication with the customer.
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F. Curtis Barry & Co., a multichannel business consulting company, focuses on the entire direct fulfillment process with expertise in call center consulting and benchmarking.
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