Call Center executives are confident in the customer service they
deliver, according to a survey conducted by Firstsource Solutions at
Call Center Week, held recently in Las Vegas. The vast majority, or 85
percent, rated their organization's customer service as "Exceptional" or
"Good" while only one percent admitted to delivering poor customer
service.
Over a third, or 37 percent, of executives cited ensuring a positive
customer experience as the biggest challenge facing contact centers
today. When asked about the number one obstacle derailing exceptional
customer service, 41 percent of respondents said deficient use of data,
followed by a weak connection between customer and agent (38 percent),
lack of awareness regarding customer concerns (13 percent), and poor
management of personnel (8 percent).
"It is not surprising that ensuring a positive customer experience is
top of mind for contact center executives. Given the intensely
competitive marketplace in industries across the board, effective
analysis and use of data is becoming more and more ingrained in an
organization's customer service practices. Actionable data analysis is a
key element to understanding customer behavior and desires, and refining
contact center practices that then increase satisfaction and reduce
churn," said Michael Roy, Vice President, Strategy and Advisor
Relations, Firstsource.
Converting to a multichannel approach was cited by 35 percent of
respondents as the biggest challenge facing contact centers today.
However, when it comes to integrating social media into the call center,
40 percent of executives find making the brand part of the online
relationship with customers to be their biggest challenge. Adapting KPIs
to match social media interactions is the second biggest challenge, as
cited by 29 percent, followed by legal liabilities (18 percent), and the
agent's digital communication abilities (13 percent).
Roy continued: "Part of delivering a positive experience is making sure
contact centers are able to communicate with the customer in their
preferred method, meeting them where they are, agnostic to device. Yet
implementing a multichannel approach is challenging and requires a 360
degree view of customer behavior and propensities meshed with the
organization's capabilities and priorities."
When looking to implement a multichannel approach, 38 percent cited web
chat as the top priority, followed closely by mobile (26 percent),
social networking (22 percent) and analytics (14 percent). The majority,
or 79 percent, of executives surveyed, either fully utilize or somewhat
utilize social and digital media to communicate with customers. Only two
percent of respondents said they do not utilize any social or digital
media channels and have no plans to do so.
About the Survey
The survey of 100 call center professionals was conducted by Firstsource
at the 14th Annual IQPC Call Center Week event on June 10-14,
2013 in Las Vegas.
About Firstsource
Firstsource Solutions (NSE: FSL, BSE: 532809, Reuters: FISO.BO,
Bloomberg: FSOL@IN) is a leading global provider of customised business
process outsource services to the telecom & media, banking & financial
services and healthcare industries. Its clients include Fortune 500,
FTSE 100 & Nifty 50 companies. Firstsource has a "rightshore" delivery
model with operations in India, US, UK, Ireland, Sri Lanka and
Philippines. (www.firstsource.com).
Media inquiries:
Prosek Partners for Firstsource
Michelle
Tabach, 212-279-3115 ext. 211
mtabach@prosek.com