Most companies are now finalising their customer service budgets for 2024. However, given the economic downturn, there’s likely to be more pressure to look for ways to reduce spending. Customer service is often vulnerable when enterprises look for places to make cuts. This may be because it’s often wrongly viewed as a cost centre rather than a source of competitive…
Providing a high-quality agent experience benefits both contact centre employees and the businesses they work for. Engaged agents provide better service to customers, are more productive and less likely to leave. However, traditionally contact centres have struggled with the agent experience. Much of this is down to the nature of the job. On top of having to help customers with…
Harnessing speech automation enables organisations to increase convenience for customers, improve service levels, and boost efficiency. However, previous speech automation solutions, such as voice IVRs, had significant drawbacks. They were expensive and time-consuming to implement and run. This limited their use to the largest organisations. Performance and understanding were also unpredictable, frustrating customers who gave up and spoke to an…
In a fast-moving world, companies need to embrace proactive customer service to effectively address consumer needs. They must value customer time, minimise effort and deliver service seamlessly. How can they achieve this? Gartner’s Dynamic Customer Engagement (DCE) framework provides an answer. It aims to empower customer service to deliver the “next best action,” saving customers time while reducing unnecessary interactions…
Email customer service may not be new, but it remains popular. According to the ContactBabel UK Contact Centre Decision-Makers’ Guide, it is the most used digital channel and accounts for 16.5% of all interactions – second only to the telephone. Therefore, businesses must prioritise delivering efficient, effective customer service to cater for the people who prefer to use this channel….
Generative AI is currently transforming the way multiple industries operate but what will be the impact of ChatGPT in customer service? Since its launch in November 2022, OpenAI’s ChatGPT conversational AI chatbot has been used by millions of people. As well as the free version, companies can subscribe to a paid service which provides enhanced features and capabilities. The success…
It’s now three months since the introduction of new Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) across social housing. They cover five areas, including the state and safety of properties, and how landlords effectively handle complaints. Housing associations must report on TSMs to the regulator, using a mix of tenant satisfaction surveys and management information. Initial indications suggest that TSMs are highlighting multiple…
Customer service within local government remains a priority as councils aim to meet the changing needs of their citizens. However, data from the Local Government Association suggests that councils will need to spend an additional £2.6 billion per year just to maintain services at their current level of accessibility and quality. This enormous funding shortfall potentially impacts everything that local…
Across many sectors there’s a growing understanding of the importance of the Internet of Things (IoT) in customer service. For the first time IoT-equipped smart devices are now communicating automatically, without human involvement. They are sharing real-time data on everything from power consumption to environmental information and even requests for service. For example, smart printers now message manufacturers when they…
Nerys Corfield works closely with contact centres, acting as an advisor and consultant, particularly as they navigate the selection and implementation of new technology. We interviewed her about what she is currently seeing on the ground in UK contact centres. How is the current economic environment impacting customer service teams? I can see three different impacts on the contact centre…
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