If we were to use one word to describe the trends taking shape in the contact center industry today, it would be “modernization.” The legacy approach to contact center management, comprised of numerous siloed systems, an abundance of tools, and disconnected customer and agent experiences, simply does not meet the needs of today’s customers. In 2022, expect contact centers to ramp up their modernization efforts in numerous areas, including:
Improved AI and Automation
By 2030, the global call center AI market is expected to reach $9.94 billion. This growth is fueled in no small part by consumers’ ever-increasing demands for faster and more connected customer experiences. AI and automation have the potential to help deliver on these expectations, with recent QuandaGo-sponsored research by CCW Digital finding that contact centers leaders are in fact prioritizing these critical areas:
- Improving AI and automation for customer interactions—chatbots, intelligent routing, etc. (46%)
- Improving experience quality within digital channels (40%)
- Better mapping and orchestrating customer journeys (37%)
These priorities underscore that contact centers are laser-focused on creating better, more efficient customer experiences—and AI and automation have the potential to make this a reality.
Empowering Contact Center Agents of the Future
Another key benefit of AI is the ability to automate routine tasks. This in turn opens up new opportunities for contact center agents, with 30% of companies saying preparing their employees to take on more complex and/or consultative work will be a top area of focus this year.
In addition, more remote and hybrid opportunities are giving organizations access to a wider agent talent pool. Does this mean that 2022 will be the year contact center leaders address the perennial agent recruitment and attrition challenge? We’ll be exploring this topic further in a subsequent post so keep an eye on this blog for more.
One thing is clear, however—CX and contact center leaders must review their workflow models and career paths to ensure they support the emergence of new types of agents, including remote customer service reps and experts in a particular field or subject.
Integrating Messaging Platforms
As we’ve witnessed, better delivering on consumers’ high expectations for customer service continues to be a chief prioritization area for 2022. And in the omnichannel age, a key component of doing this effectively is ensuring that companies can reach customers on their channel of choice—and continue the interaction across digital channels for the duration of the customer journey. This can include triggering back office workflows and connecting to back office employees for completion.
Will 2022 be the year contact centers and customer experience overcome fragmented environments and realize the benefits of the trends outlined above? Access the full CCW report to learn more about what we can expect from contact center modernization efforts in the months ahead.
If you’d like to see how QuandaGo can help you stay on top of these trends, reach out to us here for a quick chat or a DEMO.
