There is no question that customer service is changing quickly. From website FAQs, to live chat options, to social media platforms, there are an increasing amount of channels which consumers can use to reach out for help.
Still, even with all of these bells and whistles, nothing beats the emperor of all customer service options: Speaking to an actual human being.
And the research doesn’t lie: While customers certainly appreciate and use the options available to them, 79% would still prefer to talk to a call center representative over the phone than opt for self-serve online. And, call centers tend to be one of the most-used customer service channels, second only to FAQs. So, given that human-powered customer service is thriving, we call center folks need to ask: What are the key things that should happen on every call to ensure the highest level of customer satisfaction?
Analytics are a key part of any company’s road to success. It’s important for all departments to have benchmarks for success that can be easily measured and tracked. These are often referred to as KPIs (or, key performance indicators). KPIs are measures that indicate how well a company or specific department is tracking towards a clearly-defined goal. 
Everyone involved in customer service wants to understand consumer channel preference. Otherwise, how can you allocate resources between phone, email, chat, SMS messaging and social channels?
These days, customers are savvier than ever. Generic, sales-heavy marketing campaigns no longer have the same impact they once did. Thanks to social media platforms, customers wield more power than ever before. Customer service and call center agents are certainly feeling the effects of this power: They are working harder than ever to successfully meet customer demands to earn rave reviews rather than damaging social media rants from customers. This can place a great deal of pressure on call center agents, so companies must find ways to keep their morale high.
Most marketing decisions today are driven by data. With CRMs, social analytics, Google analytics and e-commerce platforms readily available to most companies, marketing teams are able to pore over and analyze enormous amount of statistics, numbers, charts and trends. From product development to launch strategies and content planning, data is often behind many key decisions being made by company leaders.
Contact centers are like people: We’re all at different stages, chugging along healthily but sometimes faltering along the way.
