“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” This lovely phrase we all learned as children comes to mind when thinking about omnichannel (OC). It’s not new, or untried, but it is still an elusive goal for most centers. Some OC efforts have been held back by the low volume of new channels. But… Read More »
Omnichannel is everywhere – vendor marketing, analyst articles, conference sessions, client wish lists. While touted as a new concept, it doesn’t seem all that different from the multimedia routing and reporting (MMRR) that have been around for years and have been so difficult to achieve. So it’s fair to ask: What’s really new? Omnichannel seeks… Read More »
In spite of the fact that nearly every “call center” is now a “contact center,” we observe little substance to the discussion – much less action – around multi-channel Workforce Management (WFM). With “omnichannel” one of the most frequently heard buzz words in our industry, we decided it was time to look at planning, forecasting,… Read More »
Reports of the decline of human interaction in the contact center are premature. While it might be a noble goal to obsolete phone calls, email, chat, and text, the need for dialog is still strong. Sometimes self-service fails. Some customers dislike self-service. Some transaction s are not well-suited to self-service. Whatever the reason for wanting… Read More »
Omni-channel is new buzz word to promote “seamless” and “integrated” customer interactions across all modes of contact. It’s not a new concept. For years, it’s what people intended for “multi-channel customer contact.” They just haven’t been able to achieve it. So to make old things new again, the market has a new word. Unfortunately, changing… Read More »
As I work with contact centers across all sizes and vertical markets, I hear a consistent theme focusing on serving customers in excellence. So why aren’t more customers raving about their experiences? And why do some centers excel in service while others only talk the talk? While there are no simple answers, I can offer… Read More »
Multi-channel customer contact is not an option for today’s contact centers; it’s a necessity. Phone calls may still rule, but the alternatives to real-time voice are too numerous and significant to ignore or treat as second class. Most centers handle each medium in distinct organizational siloes, informally. Few companies integrate channels or use sophisticated tools… Read More »
Multichannel customer contact is a fact of life. Unfortunately, so are organizational silos and divided ownership of the media that your customers use, or want to use. In an increasingly complex customer interaction environment, there’s no time like the present to get your corporate act together. Start with a discovery process that takes inventory of… Read More »
In a world of expanding customer contact channels and the departmental silos that go with them, is it possible to optimize the customer experience and deliver on business objectives? The answer can be a resounding “YES!” given a carefully constructed multi-channel strategy, an effective governing body, and the right people, processes, and technologies to support… Read More »
If there was Pulitzer prize for achievement in ambiguous terminology, contact center “analytics” would certainly be in the running. Seemingly every vendor has a solution – e.g., speech analytics, data analytics, text analytics, performance analytics, customer experience analytics – with no consistent naming convention to describe the target use. If you are planning to purchase… Read More »