Contact centers have faced some serious ups and downs in the past few years. Just a year ago, we made some bold predictions around the direction this industry would take – and now, the results are in!
While customer empathy, hybrid work, and improved contact center technology were definitely hot topics, there were some 2021 trends we didn’t see coming – namely the shortened customer journey, customer demand for immediate support, and of course, the Great Resignation!
Find out how we scored in our latest resource, Contact Center Trends 2022. As for the upcoming year, take a sneak peek at our predictions below:
Trend #1: Customer intelligence.
As a call center leader, you likely have a host of data sitting in your system waiting to be leveraged. From performance metrics to customer feedback, contact centers have a wealth of intelligence at their fingertips to inform their processes, operations, and strategies.
So why are we only now using customer intelligence efficiently? Customers today want information at the same speed as their social media communications — instant. We argue that these modern customer expectations force contact centers to focus on daily interactions over data analysis.
Fortunately, there are a few trends on the horizon that may free up contact centers from the daily grind. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now advanced enough to help crunch the data and make predictions and optimizations in a fraction of the time. What’s more, it can assist agents by automating the tedious parts of their work, allowing them to focus on building quality customer interactions.
Trend #2: Remote contact centers.
Many call centers adopted a hybrid work model after the COVID-19 pandemic. Only 10% of contact center executives reported no remote work options. Most contact centers already have 10-40% of their agents working from home, with relatively flexible working arrangements.
2022 will see the rise of completely virtual-based contact centers. And, many businesses will continue to hire third parties to manage their agents. Plus, implementing remote call center software is easier than ever before, The biggest challenge that will come with this trend lies in maintaining and investing in strong security protocols.
Trend #3: Improved work environments.
With looming headlines of the labor shortage, contact centers must invest time and money into agent engagement to reduce agent attrition and attract new talent. One way to do this is to invest in their work environment.
Every contact center is different, and therefore their needs will be as well. Consider the agent experience and focus on addressing pain points. For instance, offering competitive pay and benefits, flexible shifts, and creating workspaces that support focus and productivity.
Monitor the impact of your changes by measuring KPIs such as agent attrition and CSat. Happy agents result in happy customers!
Want to see more trend predictions for 2022? Download our latest report, Contact Center Trends 2022.
