Call center technology can do wonderful things for your contact center environment, including route calls to the right agents, integrate training into the typical workday and provide real-time monitoring of all agent and transaction activity. With so many technology solutions available today – and budgets tighter than ever before – how do you select the technology solutions you need to drive measurable performance?

Here, you will have a first-hand view of the top 5 contact center technology solutions you need to be sure to have within your contact center. This does not mean you should limit yourself to just the 5 listed here. Instead, you should make this list your priority and make any add-ons to your solution after this point. The top 5 contact center technology solutions you should have within your center are IVR (Interactive Voice Response), Call Routing, CRM, Call Monitoring and Customer Surveys.

IVR

Interactive Voice Response is an interesting technology solution if you examine the market. Too many directories claim IVR is a cheap substitute to interacting with a live person, indicating they miss the point of the technology altogether. IVR is not in place to negate the need for the live agent, but to enhance the customer experience when moving through the system.

The IVR solution should be in place to allow the customer to conduct self-service steps as he or she so desires. IVR contact center technology designed to enhance the environment will also integrate with the contact center itself so the caller can either by-pass the self-service segment altogether or simply provide the standard information and then access a live agent.

Call Routing

You would be hard-pressed to find a consumer who has not been frustrated with transfers within the contact center at some point in time. This is especially true if IVR solutions are in place to capture standard information so the caller can be transferred to the right agent.

Call routing solutions truly aim to satisfy two needs: streamline processes within the contact center and minimize call time for the customer. If the call routing solution in place does not accomplish one or both of these goals, the solution is not a right fit for your contact center technology.

CRM

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) has been a key focus in contact center technology for so long now that some believe it is little more than a buzz word. In truth, however, CRM technologies help to improve the overall experience for the customer, while also integrating key customer information within the contact center to help up-sell and cross-sell solutions. When integrated correctly into the contact center, CRM enhances the value of the interaction.

Call Monitoring

Contact center technology provides little value to the contact center if it does not help to drive efficiency and productivity in the process of reaching key performance indicator initiatives. With call monitoring, supervisors can ensure that agents are following the proper procedure on a call, identify areas where training could improve performance and recognize key strengths to encourage the agent in their role.

Customer Surveys

While customer surveys are not always the first topic to emerge when contact center technology solutions are being discussed, they are very important in the overall process of running a successful contact center. Technology that allows the center to launch surveys to capture the customer’s perception of their experience helps the center to identify key strengths and weaknesses and make improvements where necessary.

Contact center technology solutions lend considerable value to the contact center when selected and implemented correctly. And, while this list is certainly not all-inclusive, it does highlight key solutions that should be integrated into your contact center in order to drive overall success.