No matter what industry they’re in, contact centers are always under pressure to cut costs. But no one wants (or can afford) to sacrifice customer experience (CX) along the way, which presents a challenge: do more with less.
The mandate from CEOs is clear; 70% of senior executives rank improving CX as a top priority, yet they expect their contact center teams to deliver exceptional experiences at 30% lower cost to serve, according to McKinsey.
How can contact centers deliver the seamless experiences customers expect while keeping costs under control? Smart investments in the right areas can help. Here are four potentially self-funded ways to optimize CX with limited risk and budget.
1. Speed up your ability to put insights to work
In order to know what customers really want and how to give it to them, as well as spot bottlenecks that prevent you from delivering exceptional CX, brands need to have a data-driven CX strategy – but that’s easier said than done. Use conversation and business intelligence to gain insights you can quickly put into action.
Tools like speech analytics let you take a real-time look at what’s being said during customer interactions and gauge customer sentiment, offering a clear view of what’s working and what’s not. And the right analytics tools can help you make sense of all the data you’re collecting.
Brands that strategically use conversation and business intelligence will benefit from accelerated innovation, better and faster decision making, improved agility, and increased efficiency.
2. Make your knowledgebase smarter
Many contact centers struggle with knowledgebases that don’t meet their needs. They’re plagued by content that’s hard to understand, duplicate, missing, inaccurate, out of date, or misclassified. The result? Associates lose precious time (and frustrate customers) looking for the information they need.
One way to fix this is to leverage AI to realize your knowledgebase’s full potential and put information at associates’ fingertips faster. When they can get relevant information quickly, experiences improve for associates and customers alike.
When TTEC’s own help desk associates struggled to access the information they needed during calls, a generative AI-enabled tool helped increase the knowledge base’s accuracy and made it easier to navigate. Most associates (86%) who used it said they used it for every or every other call, 83% said it reduced stress on the job, and average handle time fell for all tiers of associates.
3. Customize learning with AI-driven training
Associates are the front line of any brand, and to perform their jobs well and efficiently they need the right training from the outset. Cutting-edge training tools mean you don’t have to adopt a one-size-fits-all training model.
Use AI-powered, personalized learning paths that incorporate real-time feedback and coaching and simulate customer interactions. These tools meet associates where they are, speed up time to proficiency, and improve associate performance, all of which improves CX and reduces costs. And AI eliminates much of the guesswork, tailoring training curriculum to your brand’s unique needs.
When employees feel well-trained and supported in their roles, they perform their jobs better and are more likely to stay on the job. Contact center turnover rates are stubbornly high, so reducing attrition is a significant benefit, and investing in employee experience and training can help attract and retain top talent.
4. Efficiently manage your workforce
Workforce management is critically important, but it can be filled with pitfalls that lead to wasted time and resources. Have you taken a close look at how your workforce operates and where it can be improved?
Focus on workforce optimization to discover how integrating systems and processes and streamlining operations can improve accessibility and efficiency.
Make things easy for your employees by seeking out a workforce optimization platform that offers simplified system administration and maintenance, real-time collaboration, and intuitive interfaces and navigation.
Get expert CX help if you need it
It may seem daunting to invest in these crucial CX areas without breaking the bank, but you don’t have to do it alone.
Working with an expert partner is a great way to tap into proven solutions, strategies, and best practices. With the right people and technology in place, you can make your contact center more efficient and cost-effective, while still delivering experiences that delight your customers.
