No Jitter is part of the Informa Tech Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

5 Trends Driving the Essentials for Modern CX

AdobeStock_241442994.jpeg

Illustration to show digital engagement, good customer experience
Image: nirutft - stock.adobe.com
The events of 2020 profoundly changed the way we live, work, and do business. Contact centers and customer support teams often were on the frontlines, rising to the occasion despite the pressures of sudden remote work requirements, rapid technology changes, and sensitive customer scenarios.
 
This has changed business requirements and priorities for contact center technology. So, whether you’re evaluating new solutions or simply staying up on the trends, you need to understand what’s driving rapid innovation and how organizations are already putting those innovations to work.
 
Let’s discuss the five trends driving the modern customer experience as support channels have become the primary way to connect and manage experiences for organizations and their customers.
 
  1. Digital Engagement — One top trend your call center must get right is digital engagement. Consumers are already accustomed to receiving new levels of service online. And they’re increasingly turning to chat, text, or messaging apps instead of a phone call. With the increased reliance on digital support, a business can’t afford to get these interactions wrong.
  2. Remote Work and Operations — Offering remote work and operations to provide global coverage and secure top talent, trending slowly for years, was forced into action in 2020. Some organizations made the transition to remote work quite literally overnight. One day, your team was commuting to the office and settling in at their desks. The next, they’re swapping breakfast plates with a laptop on the kitchen table to get to work. While it ranges from company to company, some remote work is now permanent and needs a workforce solution to address their key challenges.
  3. Collaboration Tools — With remote workforces gaining traction, collaboration tools are another trend. Collaboration technologies bring teamwork to the digital world and meet a critical need for supporting daily operations. Chat rooms and gifs have replaced water cooler conversations and hallway high fives. The shift to remote work has made collaboration tools such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Slack must-haves for any modern contact center.
  4. AI and Automation — With interaction volume spiking in 2020 due to customers contacting businesses, healthcare providers, and government agencies for information and support, organizations looked to AI and automation to help manage the influx. With this trend, customers were able to get the needed answers, faster. AI’s potential is great. Forrester estimates enterprises that blend AI technology with humans can improve customer satisfaction by 61%, operational efficiency by 68%, and agent productivity by 66%.
  5. Cloud Platforms — Companies must now react fast, prioritizing speed and customer experience over cost savings and efficiency. This is where the need for cloud platforms has spiked and will continue in the coming years. There is a significant increase of spend on public cloud services and the getting the right cloud platform can be your playground for hypergrowth.
Hard as we try, no one can predict the future, but we can follow these trends to be ready for it. We also can prepare for the expected, expect the unexpected, and refuse to navigate these uncharted waters alone. The experiences you create are just as important as the products or services you sell. Look for solutions that equip you to provide seamless experiences that consumers will remember — backed by a partner you can trust and a team that will be with you all the way.
 
To learn more, download the 2021 Contact Center Buyer's Guide.