For a number of years, the call center has relied on key technology implementations to ensure optimal performance and a robust approach to customer service. For years, that technology was simply a telephone and desk, enabling agents to take or make calls, depending upon the focus of the call center. As technology and the call center industry have both evolved, the call center technology available today can do so much more than the predecessors in this industry may have thought possible. Have you seen this evolution in your own center? If not, you may be missing out on key profit-building opportunities.

Call Center Technology – Routing Those Calls

The proper routing of calls is perhaps one of the most important call center technology innovations to come out of the industry. The reason for this is the level of customer service and the overall quality of experience that can be delivered for the customer simply because they were able to reach the right person the first time. There is little that is considered to be more annoying to the call center customer than being bounced around to one agent after another to finally find one that can resolve their issue. Contact center technology that introduced call routing allowed call center managers to determine call routing rules to suit the needs of the center and the customer to ensure an optimized experience for all.

Call Center Technology – Measuring Performance

As important as call routing is to the call center, the call center technology that introduced methods for measuring the performance of the agents is another important evolution. So much is riding on the performance of the agent that they not only need to be monitored, they also need to be motivated. Call center technology that provides agents with the tools they need to do their job effectively will help to drive better performance. At the same time, call center technology that allows for the capturing of interactions for measurement and reporting provides a strong baseline for improvements.

Call Center Technology – Capturing Interactions

Call Centers today are doing so much more than simply answering or making calls to customers. The call center is the first interaction point between the customer and the company. Therefore, the agent on the call needs to have all customer information at their fingertips, including a call and interaction history. You want your agents to have complete access to all call histories so if customer A made a call last week about a different issue, the agent can ask the customer if the issue was completely resolved. If customer B called last week about a separate issue and is calling again regarding the same issue, the agent should be able to leverage call center technology to determine the steps taken in each situation to ensure problems are immediately resolved.

You may have your own opinions when it comes to the most important call center technology, but one this is for sure in the industry overall – call center technology is essential to compete in this space and deliver the level of experience your customers demand.