The way we buy goods has changed dramatically in the last few years, and it’s only going to continue to evolve. Think about it, people really enjoy, and in some cases even rely, on the convenience of using the internet to make purchases of products like clothing and food. You can trust that they’re going to expand their horizons at some point, eventually employing the online space for big commitment purchases, like vehicles. The industry is not fully there yet in that regard, but it is well on its way.
The internet has become the go-to information source for vehicle consumers, especially in South Africa. In fact, the time each consumer in the country spends researching cars online grew to approximately 14.44 hours last year and made up 59% of the total vehicle purchasing process.
Why though? Simple, because instead of having to walk into a dealership, consumers can now browse a range of different car brands, find out about all their features, safety ratings, and specials online. On top of this, they can access reviews and competitive studies from third-party sites from the comfort of their own home, or anywhere for that matter, thanks to mobile devices.
Customers are clearly getting smarter and savvier. They want convenience, and they’ll settle for nothing less. What then, can car dealerships do to ensure that they are the ones providing it? How can they transform themselves from a traditional model into a more modern one that will appeal to clients today, and well into the future?
Convenience through automation and value
The fact that third-party car-buying services even exist should be a red flag for dealerships. The traditional purchasing process, one that entails many hours of tedious paperwork, clashes heavily with customers’ demands for convenience. Dealerships’ customer care department needs to be handling all the nitty gritty stuff in the same way these car-buying services do. That sort of functionality alone will greatly improve a client’s overall experience.
After-sales services are also becoming an increasingly more important element for dealerships to concentrate on. As belts tighten with the downward sloping economy, clients are paying closer attention to incentives that offer additional value. They’re more inclined to make a purchase that will provide perks in the long run, and it’s up to the dealer to meet them halfway with benefits beyond the initial sale.
This makes even more, sense, given the fact that clients are keeping their vehicles for longer periods of time before they go about sourcing a new one. In the United States, for example, car ownership is up to 6.5 years from the 4.3 seen back in 2006.
An online showroom
Clients today are choosing to spend a lot of time online before they even set foot in a dealership, therefore a dealer’s website should be designed to be as intuitive and appealing as possible.
Offering a client everything they need to know about their next vehicle in a virtual showroom, in an easy to digest manner, could be all the persuasion they need to visit their nearest car dealership to complete the transaction. Armed with their findings, they’ll be able to walk in and narrow down their choices to a final decision in a much shorter space of time.
Speedy service solutions
Nobody enjoys the inconvenience of having to take their car in for a service. It’s an annual affair where a client knows their entire day is going to revolve around that single activity – getting their car to a dealership, and then having to collect it much, much later. Is there no alternative solution?
Some dealerships today are offering one-hour services, where a client can conveniently pop in and out in that space of time. This sort of functionality requires a very efficient team to pull it off correctly, however.
Cars of tomorrow don’t even require a trip to a dealer for a service. Tesla, for example, runs a futuristic model where they can perform their work remotely. They simply send software updates to the vehicle, and if a mechanical change needs to be made, they go to the customer.
Embrace future technology and trends
We’ve all heard the age-old saying, “The customer is always right.” Does anybody actually know exactly what the customer wants though? With technology at the level, it is, it’s becoming much easier to answer that question. Thanks to the likes of big data, dealerships now have the means to analyse information which can highlight trends and insights. These can then be used to craft services or products tailored to a client’s wants and needs.
Virtual reality is another technology that can be utilised by dealerships for the benefit of their customers. Envision being able to visit a dealership, walk around, and look at vehicles, all from the comfort of your home. Better yet, picture being able to climb into a car virtually to take it for a spin. Granted, that experience can never replace the real deal (at least, it won’t anytime soon), but it does give a client some indication as to what they can expect from their future vehicle, all without having to leave the house.
The dealer of the future provides exceptional, modern customer service
What are auto dealerships going to look like tomorrow? Will showrooms still be vast spaces filled with an entire range of vehicles, or will they scale down into smaller stores that focus only on making the final transaction? Will they even worry about offering test-drives and services? There’s no telling.
Given existing customer practices, however, it’s clear that the focus needs to be on offering convenience and value. With technology reaching new heights, it’s up to the dealer to figure out how best to employ it, so they stay relevant in a world where brick and mortar doesn’t seem to be a priority anymore.
Drew Schnehage, Commercial Director: Innovation Group South Africa
How Insurers are Catering to the Digital Customers of the Future
Switching insurance providers has never been easier for consumers than it is in the digital age. A price comparison website can provide multiple quotes in seconds. A quick trip over to an insurer’s Facebook Page or Hellopeter profile condenses thousands of word-of-mouth customer experiences into a quick online read, and more and more advanced chatbots are an omnipresent force on practically all insurers’ websites, able to answer customer questions with no human intervention at all.
It’s safe to say that all these developments were not dreamt up by the businesses themselves – they were demanded by increasingly switched-on and digitally minded consumers, and the insurers that are excelling today (not to mention those that will thrive in the future), are those that take those demands seriously.
What was once a drawn-out process of choosing a policy and filling out forms can now be done without so much as a phone call. Consumers are always-on. They are digitally savvy, and their service-level expectations are constantly rising. Today’s top insurers are those who have adjusted their business models to match and are making use of every digital tool at their disposal to ensure a competitive edge. Here are just three ways the insurance industry is catering to the customer of the future.
Social Media
On top of being one of the most widespread advertising techniques in the industry today, social media is being used for a wide variety of functions by consumer and insurer alike. A simple inbox message or even a post comment can turn a lead into a customer if handled correctly – just as a single mismanaged negative comment from a policyholder can irreparably affect a business’s corporate image. Social media also allows for a better understanding – and therefore more effective targeting – of potential policyholders. According to Karin Kruger, Operations Director at Innovation Group, the worlds of the consumer and the insurer are becoming more blurred together by the day.
“With such a complex mix of risk and opportunity, the savvy insurer will likely be placing far more emphasis on the management of a wide array of social media channels – and it’s already happening. Research by LIMRA, the world’s largest association of life insurance and financial services companies, discovered that 93% of life insurance companies had social media programs in place.”
Smart Devices, Sensors and Wearables
It’s more than a fad. Smart watches, mobile apps and vehicle telematics are the basis of many insurers’ rewards programmes, winning customers discounts and value points for going to the gym and eating right (in the case of health insurance), as well as driving carefully in the case of vehicle insurance.
Customers, far from being wary of the amount of information their insurers are collecting about their day to day activities and movements, are scrambling to take part because of the value it offers them as well. Insurance is no longer about population averages. It’s about personalised data – and when your client database goes into the millions, only the power of digital is able to personalise risk profiles as quickly, and in as much detail, as needed. Kruger continues:
“Telematics, in particular, is providing a far more accurate picture of how customer behaviours affect insurance, and fairness is the end goal for both parties. Studies show that 67% of consumers are willing to be tracked in one way or another if it could result in a reduction of their premiums.”
Big Data and Analytics
Gone are the trusted old call centres of yesteryear. Today’s top insurers have contact centres that boast enormous data storage and computing power, all in the name of a more personalised customer experience. Modern PBX systems can route a customer’s call to exactly the right person to handle their query with no receptionist intervention necessary. Agents are able to call up a customer’s client history and risk profile at a moment’s notice and offer tailored premiums based on that data in a heartbeat. The ability to record calls and gather data about their duration and outcomes also allows insurers to better train their customer service agents for a more seamless experience, and extremely detailed reporting capabilities allow for improvements to the whole process on a month-by-month basis.
Digital technologies are helping the development of the insurance sector in the areas of speed, relevance, context, personalization and empathy. And it can only be to the consumer’s advantage that insurers are adjusting to these in order to close the gap between what customers want and what they are delivering.
Innovation Group Australia is pleased to announce the appointment of George Nitsou in the newly created role of General Manager, Claims Transformation.
George joins Innovation Group from IAG where he held a number of senior roles. In his most recent position, he delivered transformational change across the claims operation in their Satellite Division.
With over 20 years’ experience in the insurance sector, George brings with him extensive experience in customer service delivery, change management, business process improvement and claims management.
In his new role, George will be responsible for leading the development and implementation of Innovation Group’s claims strategy and exploring opportunities to maximise operational efficiency and deliver greater customer experience to our Insurance and Fleet partners.
Congratulating George on his appointment, Rod Wood, Managing Director of Innovation Group Australia, said: “We are delighted to welcome George to Innovation Group. His wealth of experience in operational management and transformation projects makes him ideally suited for this role. He will be a great addition to the senior management team and I am confident that he will make a valuable contribution to our claims operation.”
George Nitsou added: “I am excited to be joining Innovation Group at a time of transformative change. I look forward to working closely with the leadership team to further develop their already extensive claims services and build on their success.”
Alternative workplace programmes, in various forms, are one of the fastest growing business trends changing office environments around the world. Faster and more accessible internet connectivity, cloud computing and the smartphone revolution makes it much easier for people to work in ways that would have been inconceivable just a decade ago. And it’s understandably exciting to employees.
The benefits of such a working arrangement are well documented, but they’re certainly not for everyone. For one, it goes against everything you look forward to during the working day: working in a team, being with friends and colleagues, and achieving success together. That’s important because, especially in the context of the contact centre industry, the team is king.
Being there for the customer
The contact centre lays at the heart of an organisation’s customer service operations, and despite advances in mobile technology, one thing hasn’t changed: the customer’s schedule. Contact centre agents may jump at the thought of working different hours, but customer interactions, and most business processes in general, still require someone to be there when customers come knocking. The technology is certainly there to enable remote agents, but management and logistics hasn’t reached a level of maturity any customer-centric business should be comfortable with.
That doesn’t mean that your workplace shouldn’t be a little more flexible, and many contact centres are. Technology, like headsets that screen out all sound except the agent’s voice, is allowing for more creative use of the spaces agents work in. Open plan offices, shared workspaces, satellite offices, and many other creative solutions are helping to add flexibility to the workforce without risking productivity, security, or customer service standards.
The adverse effects of taking work home with you
Alternative workplace programmes are also not always so forgiving on your home life. Granted, many have lauded them as a major driving force behind a better work-life balance, but studies are showing that this is more difficult to achieve than one might think.
Home working has also been shown to blur the lines between work and home life. It makes going home and forgetting about work impossible and can cause feelings of stress, team disconnect, and isolation – not something everyone wants in today’s already trying times. This is especially true for individuals who thrive in the office environment, relying on daily interactions and energy from colleagues to excel.
The bottom line
Working at a contact centre can be a lucrative career worth pursuing, but those who apply should be ambitious and motivated. The contact centre is both a place for personal growth and a great way to earn precious experience in understanding customers, a skillset every business wants. It’s also one of the most important jobs for any business that puts the customer experience at the top of its list of priorities.
Vimal Jairam, Head of Customer Service: Innovation Group South Africa
Karin Kruger, Operations Director at Innovation Group South Africa, discusses why the evolving contact centre agent role will be vital in reshaping the industry, along with customer perception of businesses and brands, and millennial career options.
“Good day and welcome to our convenient automated self-service customer care line. Please listen to the available options and make a selection. Press 1 for billing. Press 2 for administration. Press 3 for…” 5 minutes later and you realise you got side-tracked and stopped listening.
“You have not made a selection, please make a selection so we can better assist you. Press 1 for…”You growl in frustration. Here we go again! This time, you pay close attention, finally making a selection… only to be redirected to another series of prompts. And all the while, you’re just waiting to hear the only thing that can save you from that frustratingly robotic automated voice.“…or press 9 to speak to an agent.”
Finally!
This is the contact centre of today, or at least, this is how most people think of it. In their minds, the contact centre agent is a dying breed, rendered almost entirely redundant by new technologies. But surprisingly, the opposite is true.
Millennials are so in tune with their tech that they’re practically bionic, and most of us baby boomers wouldn’t know how to use 90% of the apps on our phones without them. The same can be said for the technology which the contact centre of tomorrow will operate on – we’ll need savvy digital natives who we can rely on to run it. That’s why the introduction of new technology into the industry is actually gradually increasing the need for agents, and reinventing them at the same time.
Gone are the days of the contact centre agent as a disembodied voice on the other side of the phone – an easy target for angry callers to vent their frustration on. Instead, the customer experience orientated contact centres of tomorrow will require agents to fulfil a more exciting multi-facetted role.
They will be well-versed communication specialists on all platforms, whether it be over the phone, email, WhatsApp, Facetime, or social media. They will work with data provided by personal user preference profiles, speech analytics and biometric identifiers to deliver the best possible, personalised experience to callers, while ensuring the security of their confidential information. And finally, they will be master communicators and networkers.
Clearly, digital transformation in the contact centre industry is being built around agents, not over them. So, like the motor in any machine, they will be at the heart of the contact centres of tomorrow, driving memorable customer experiences. Since their attitude toward their job will be a great determining force in garnering brand loyalty and stimulating growth for businesses and brands in the long run, their value as staff in the modern working world is about to skyrocket.
Yes, the contact centre of tomorrow is primed to become one of the most exciting career tracks for the multi-talented and ultra-connected millennial generation in the years to come. And it’s the companies that are ahead of the game, investing in new business processes to take the industry further that will attract the best candidates. This should be every organisations aim if they hope to disrupt and succeed in this digital era.
So, ask yourself, are you ready for the contact centre of tomorrow?
Karin Kruger, Operations Director: Innovation Group South Africa
We’ve all heard the buzz around FinTech lately – in fact, most of us use it every day without even realising it. It is revolutionising the ways in which we bank and transact, as well as save, lend and borrow.
There has, however, only been a marginal uptake by the insurance industry of the variety of new technological tools at their disposal. The 2016 PwC Global Fintech Report shows that:
In the digital age, customer service plays a critical role as a key competitive differentiator and a means to attract and retain a steady stream of clients. For these reasons, the biggest game-changers that InsurTech is currently supporting are big data analytics (to generate better, faster risk assessments and enhance underwriting capabilities) and responding to rapidly shifting customer needs and habits through a better UX.
And that’s just the beginning. Even bigger disruption is thrown into the mix when we take into account the world of IoT, with trendy wearables and smart sensors adding to the avalanche of data that only cutting-edge FinTech applications are able to transform into meaningful consumer insights. In every industry, the prevailing shift is toward personalisation of services to individual consumers’ needs. Insurance is far from immune to such demands from their own clientele, especially considering the number of smaller, more agile players entering the market with nothing more than some clever technology driving them forward. InsurTech can help insurers stay relevant and agile by building more defined groupings of risk, allowing products to be priced more competitively and dynamically price premiums according to the observed customer behaviour. In the digital age, every customer expects an individual insurance solution that fits them perfectly – and if their current provider cannot provide it, it’s a certainty that consumers will flock to a provider that can.
So, how can established insurers, begin to take advantage of the rising tide of InsurTech solutions?
The most successful are unafraid of change – and know just who to ask to help them innovate. Many international incumbents are carefully monitoring trends in technological innovation hotspots. They are also exploring strategic partnerships with start-ups and small tech players to stay on top of the latest innovations and how they can be applied to the insurance arena. Many are even investing in strategic acquisitions and getting involved with start-up incubators to make research and development of such products an everyday internal function within their organisations, granting them the ability to address specific issues as and when they want to, rather than waiting for an appropriate solution to come along.
To some insurance providers, InsurTech is seen as a threat, but to those that will survive and even thrive in the coming disruption, it’s more of an opportunity – to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and deliver new products and vastly improved services to new markets as well as existing customers.
This is only the tip of the iceberg. A tremendous influx of capital, cash and start-up talent threatens to completely reshape the industry within the next two to three years. Without a doubt, Insurtech is here to stay.
Drew Schnehage, Commercial Director: Innovation Group South Africa
Balancing the demands of a connected and digitally advanced consumer base, a waning economy, and shrinking budgets, the automotive industry is on the precipice of big change.
Future thinking and strategies will have to include ways to balance the adoption of new technology to improve sales, amplify marketing, and cut costs, without sacrificing tried and trusted processes that would put business continuity at risk.
According to Andries van Staden, MD of Innovation Group South Africa, there are three big digital disruptors impacting the automotive industry:
“It’s not an understatement to say that the largest driving force behind the automotive industry’s evolution is the connected customer.
“Before reaching the showroom floor, the digitally savvy consumer has already done extensive research on the make, model, and colour of vehicle they want. The focus of the traditional dealership model has changed and consumers no longer spend hours over a weekend browsing for the vehicle they want,” says Van Staden.
That’s not to say the internet doesn’t present a tremendous opportunity. In a digitally competitive environment, greater collaboration between original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and dealerships become key in the attraction as well as retention of clients. The internet offers an unparalleled distribution channel.
“Not only does it minimise the number and expense of retail outlets, but it enhances inventory control and significantly extends geographical reach,” he says.
It’s not just the customer that’ll be connected, but the car as well. In the future, customers will expect navigation and driver assistance, like collision mitigation, to be installed in even the most affordable family sedan. And if competition and innovation continue at the current rate, we’ll see even the most affordable vehicles able to display information like directions directly onto a transparent display superimposed over the windscreen.
“It won’t be the fact that cars know where the nearest restaurant or petrol station is that will change the driving experience, that is until they can drive there themselves, avoiding accidents and traffic along the way,” says van Staden. “Ultimately, convoy platooning by smart cars should do away with accidents and congestion altogether.”
To do that, smart (autonomous) vehicles will remain connected to the outside world indefinitely, through the use of the internet of things (IoT) devices. We’ll see street lights, wireless application protocols (WAPs) and other vehicles continuously communicating with a host of internal devices – engine monitoring, predictive maintenance, road logistics, visual sensors and GPS navigation to name a few.
Digital disruption and technology advances are also creating a shift in the market segmentation and the demands for connectivity in these segments. Aspirational customers still want connected, semi-autonomous vehicles that regulate their fuel efficiency and performance intelligently and without the need for driver input. But lower income markets and first-time buyers want fuel efficiency before performance and cost before connectivity.
Says Van Staden: “That’s not to say that aspirational buyers don’t want applications in their cars that enhance the driving experience, save them time and positively contribute to their lifestyle, but it’s not going to be the driving factor in their purchasing decision. In fact, affordability and economic stability play a key role for the aspirational buyer. The likelihood is that, before considering the purchase of a digitally savvy and connected vehicle, they will most likely navigate to car sharing services like Uber.”
In the premium sector, where connectivity and features override affordability, the opportunity exists to make use of the digital advances to market smart, value-add services that make the journey a more seamless, less frustrating and more entertaining one.
Innovation Group, a global business process outsourcing company and equal opportunity employer, is paying homage to the impressive women who helped shape the company by asking these ladies to speak for themselves this Women’s Month.
In every industry and sector of business, women are on the rise. And Innovation Group is proud to be one of the organisations championing their ascent, most recently welcoming another powerful female presence to its ranks, with the appointment of a new commercial director, Drew Schnehage.
“I’m very proud to be part of a company that is so passionately dedicated to the advancement of women,” says Schnehage. “It’s an organisation that has changed numerous women’s lives and they’ve helped shape Innovation Group in turn. I think it’s safe to say the company wouldn’t be where we are today without them.”
Innovation Group shares Schnehage’s sentiment. BPO organisations provide invaluable support services to their clients – including many companies run by women – and as Innovation Group’s female workforce has grown, so has its success. Today, more than half of the company’s workforce is female, with thirteen women holding senior management positions. These stats speak for themselves, but Innovation Group wants to remind its clients, fellow businesses, and the public to look beyond the numbers.
Anyone who uses social media will know this Women’s Month is also Women Crush Wednesday. In the spirit of connecting and sharing, Innovation Group is joining in on the fun, proudly presenting you with a few #WCW frontrunners among its staff, to pay tribute to women both in and outside of the boardroom:
Karin Kruger: Operations Director
Karin joined Innovation Group in November 2016 to drive positive change in the company, including growing the female presence. She is strong, assertive and especially committed to maintaining the company’s people-focused culture – the very reason she fell in love with Innovation Group in the first place. Karin treats her work not just as a job, but as a quintessential part of her lifestyle, and is a shining example to the other ladies in the company.
Delia Gross: Head of Direct Sales
Delia is Innovation Group’s mother hen. Blessed with a strong maternal instinct, she is always looking out for everyone else. Friends, family, colleagues, team members or strangers – it’s all the same to her. She’s a constant reminder to those around her to strive to be the best version of themselves. If there’s one lesson every woman can learn from her, it’s that a whole lot more gets done when women work together to build each other up.
Karin van der Berg: Head of Claims
Karin has always credited Innovation Group for their equal treatment of female and male staff. “The new and old Management and Executive teams were just so uplifting, positive and excited to grow this company, that it rubbed off on me,” says Karin, who champions the policy of treating everyone with the utmost respect at work. “It makes it a pleasure to do what we do and work where we are.”
Naye Sihoyiya: Direct Sales Agent
Naye is a powerful and constant force of positivity at Innovation Group. Driven and always up for a challenge, she doesn’t need anyone to tell her that she’s equal to the task, whatever it may be. She already knows it. Naye is also exceptionally committed to the company, extolling its sincerity to its culture and values, and remaining grateful to Innovation Group for the profound effect that working there has had on her life.
Faith Nnete: Manager, Telephony
Faith is celebrating a decade at Innovation Group, having climbed her way up from Helpdesk Administrator to get to where she is now, through unfaltering enthusiasm and hard work – though she applauds the company for helping to make it all possible. “The thing I love most about my job is that my opinion matters,” explains Faith. “I am able to investigate a telephony solution, present it to my superior and implement that solution once approved. Supporting and maintaining a system that I was a part of implementing gives me a great sense of ownership and pride.” And Innovation Group is just as proud to have Faith among its ranks, with her constant willingness to learn and grow.
Precidise Moyo: Campaigns Specialist
Starting as a Sales Professional in 2012, Precidise was recognised nationally through the Contact Centre Management Group (CCMG) as the best Sales Professional in the country in 2014, before being promoted. However, she remains humble, always eager to interact and contribute to the sense of pride Innovation Group has for its people, work ethics, culture and most of all, a sense of family.
“Innovation Group would like to thank its staff for their devotion and support today, not just to the company, but in helping to pave the way for a greater equal opportunity society,” continues Schnehage. “I look forward to making my own contributions in the weeks, months, and years to follow, both professionally and personally. And I’m sure that after reading these brilliant women’s stories, so will many others.”
Innovation Group is pleased to announce its partnership with Fleetcoach to offer an interactive driver coaching programme designed to proactively help organisations reduce the risk of accidents for their fleet vehicles.
Fleetcoach is a practical, online coaching programme that’s based on research into the skills and attitudes that keep drivers safe on the road. Using video-based simulations taken from Australian roads, the programme is designed to reduce unsafe driving behaviours by training drivers in the essential skills such as hazard perception and situation awareness.
Fleetcoach is a product of more than 20 years’ worth of internationally published research. The team have spent more than 10 years using this research to educate and coach drivers to be safer road users.
Craig Cockerton, Chief Operating Officer at Fleetcoach says “Work-related crashes account for 1 in 3 occupational fatalities in Australia. This alarming rate relates directly to risky driving behaviour. Our clients use Fleetcoach to improve their people’s higher-level driving skills, to really make them safer on the road and show their commitment to a strong Health and Safety culture.”
The online driver coaching program will expand Innovation Group’s suite of risk mitigation services aimed at helping organisations manage the risks associated with workplace driving.
Tony Brand, Fleet Services General Manager at Innovation Group says “It’s important we continue to develop new and engaging strategies for drivers to avoid taking risk whilst driving. With Fleetcoach, we can help our customers improve driver safety and prevent costly collisions with the latest interactive technology. We’re excited for this collaboration.”
Innovation Group combines leading analytics, technical expertise, and sophisticated technology to help fleet management companies achieve maximum fleet efficiency and meet duty-of-care obligations.
Take Fleetcoach for a test drive at testdriveau.fleetcoach.net/innovation
It has been said that data has become the world’s most valuable resource – even more valuable than oil, because of its potential to revolutionise the way we do business. Just as oil and the internal combustion engine revolutionised transportation for every sector and industry, the application of big data to help drive cost savings and improve efficiency is practically limitless in any business environment, when applied creatively.
The state of technology today means that a business’s customers have access to thousands of options when seeking out a product or service, and access to other customer reviews of each business at the click of a mouse. Customer service – as one of the only remaining available avenues for a business to differentiate itself – is at the forefront of the data revolution. Businesses in every sphere of operation are frantically seeking out ways to use the insights gathered from big data, to maintain their competitive edge and retain customer loyalty – and for a large organisation, that means applying data in the contact centre.
Data gleaned from customers is everywhere. In a stock-standard working environment, it is being gathered and recorded in many ways throughout the day, from call recordings and email archives to website enquiries and social media reviews. The contact centre is responsible for generating much of this data, but the difficulty comes in sorting, organising, processing and extrapolating that data into something meaningful – an actionable insight that can tangibly improve the customer experience and the ability of contact centre agents to immediately meet the customers’ specific requirements.
A big part of keeping your customers happy is the ability to predict their needs. That’s why a modern data management system is vital. Automated analysis of voice calls can enhance performance of call centres by measuring and shortening call-waiting times. Speech analytics can offer insights into agents’ ability to reach resolutions to customers’ problems quickly and professionally. Depending on the business involved, a fully digitised contact centre means that many tasks can also be entirely automated, saving precious hours of labour on mundane tasks, like providing order and delivery status updates via phone, or appointment reminders over text or email. It also opens up the option of exploring the utilisation of RPA’s (robotic process automation) to further streamline mundane tasks that don’t have to be performed by live agents.
All of this has one end goal in mind – to personalise the customer experience to never-before-seen levels, while freeing up even more time and resources in the contact centre. Providing agents with instant, updated and highly relevant information on their customers is one of the best ways to accurately anticipate exactly what each caller wants, and to provide it in a way that creates an outstanding customer experience.
Contact centre data management has become so pervasive and multifunctional over the past few years, that many organisations have difficulty grasping all the ways it can streamline their customer service operations. For this reason, it is essential to deal with experienced and knowledgeable providers, who can guide them through the variety of applications available today and to make the right choices regarding the features that would be most valuable to their business and their customers.
At Innovation Group, we have built our success on helping our clients achieve just that. We aim to create and implement cutting-edge digital management systems that bring business processes into greater harmony with people’s lives, to improve the customer experience, save time, and open the possibility for insight and better planning for the future.
Karin Kruger, Operations Director: Innovation Group
