At the recent CCNG Fireside Live Chat held in December I had the opportunity to provide my reflection on 2020 and what I predict will happen in 2021 alongside two other industry colleagues, Poly and Avtex. I want to share where we need to laser focus our attention in 2021:
Voice channel
Phone calls continue to be the primary choice of contact especially during the pandemic and I don’t foresee the trend of having a human-to-human conversation changing anytime soon. With 2021 around the corner, I predict call volumes will continue to rise as consumer needs and expectations increase.
Automation
Continuing to drive operational efficiency will be a focus and finding ways to improve AHT (Average Handle Time) is not only realistic but achievable and measurable. One quick win to improve AHT is to review your authentication/verify process of your clients. Instead of wasting 30-45 seconds asking 3-5 questions upfront to verify the caller, utilize continuous voice biometrics to authenticate the caller within seconds of speaking to them.
Employee Engagement and Development
As leaders, we were faced with several challenges this year. The true test of a leader is to manage during difficult times. The executive team will need to continue to invest in their managers so they can continue to be successful digital leaders. Leaders will need to provide their contact center teams with the appropriate tools and information to ensure both an effortless employee and customer experience.
Roger Lee is VP Customer Success for Gridspace and long time CCNG member and advocate. Roger is a recognized CX industry thought leader with over 20 years combined experience in finance, contact center operations, and quality.
