5 Contact Center Trends in 2021

09 Jan 2021

Due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, many call centers experienced a surge in call volume. Even those who were well prepared for a crisis that had recovery plans in place were still caught scrambling. That being said, call centers were forced to rewrite the rulebook in order to improve customer experience during these unexpected times.

If the spike in call volume wasn’t enough, call centers were faced with transitioning into a work from home environment. This combination revealed the weaknesses in call centers all over the world.

We have integrated our state-of-the-art modern contact center that provides multi-channel services for government customers. We are a firm believer in providing the best customer service, especially during a crisis.

Let’s take a look at the factors that should go into a high-performing call center in 2021.

1. Work Anytime, Anywhere.

An industry where you would typically see thousands of employees working in tight corners could make it hard to envision a different work environment. COVID-19 has taught us that working from home is the new normal, and if done correctly, it can have many advantages.

Working from home allows you the flexibility to engage emergency staff during high volume times, as well as provides employees with a more safe and comfortable workstation.

If you are able to implement high-functioning work from home procedures, it will allow for call centres to be able to pivot and support high volumes quicker and more effectively.

Male call centre worker working from home in his dining room.

2. Digital First

The key here is to keep up to date with all available call center technology! Your content management system must allow users to choose live-voice, webchat, chat-bot or IVR interactions. With all these systems in place, you can provide exceptional customer service that people rave about and will ultimately keep them coming back to your business.

By expanding your call center with omnichannel capabilities, you can serve more clients without adding more agents. With the proper digital channels in place, you can provide the support you promised and reduce wait times; that is exactly what customers want and expect.

3. The Best Agents at Your Fingertips

There are 3 things customers expect from a call center experience:

Fast response
Omnichannel options
Ongoing customer service

These 3 factors can only be executed properly with highly trained and experienced agents. It would be an excellent investment to offer your agents tools that practice scenarios they will have to deal with on the job. Many gamification learning tools implement Artificial intelligence (AI) training that gives immediate feedback on an agent’s strengths and weaknesses.

It is also crucial to have a highly trained and secure centre where multilingual agents will meet callers’ needs. Our call center offers just that. Our highly trained staff are ready to ensure you are serviced with optimal response times and are satisfied with our service levels.

Female contact centre agent in front of her computer wearing scrubs and a headset.

4. Social Media

Social Media is adapting every day and is becoming a necessary point of contact between brands and customers. Offering a high functioning website is a critical aspect of companies online presence; at the same time, social media provides convenient two-way communication.

You can follow Accerta on Facebook and LinkedIn to keep up to date with all company updates or reach out to us at any time with any questions you may have.

5. Switch to the Cloud

Have you moved your contact center to the cloud? If not, now is the time. Switching to Cloud technology allows your company to access software on the internet as a service. Your staff can gain access to the call center system at any time and any place to complete their tasks.

There are many reasons why your company should start cloud call center solutions:

1. Reduces overall costs: If you switch to the cloud, you are only paying a monthly subscription.

2. Functionality: The cloud system allows you to sync data to your business system.

3. Scalable: You can acquire extra subscriptions in minutes.

4. Security: Data that is stored in the cloud is safer than ever.

5. Flexibility: Cloud technology allows your agent to work anytime and anywhere!

Cloud technology servers.

Streamlined Contact Centre Services For Governments

At Accerta, our call center also offers a secure portal for registered users. Your data is always protected and can be accessed by our users anytime!

We aren’t 100% sure what the new normal will be, but we will be prepared to ensure that our call center will improve employee and customer experience!