2020 Trends Your Contact Centre Needs to Look Out For

Josh Farrell of Spearline highlights four key contact centre trends that will continue to make an impact in 2020.

2019 was a good year for contact centres and customer service. According to Microsoft, on a global level “54% of all consumers say that they have higher customer service expectations than they did just one year ago” and that “Worldwide, 67% of people believe that customer service as a whole is improving.”

With more and more contact centres focusing on excellent customer experience, how they do it is constantly evolving. Innovative ideas emerge regularly, and if you want your business to succeed, it’s best to stay on top of these trends. Here are four trends your contact centre needs to look out for in 2020.

1. AI

With the introduction and development of AI, the possibilities are growing for the customer experience. AI supports easy customer interaction and can help generate more revenue for the business.

The use of chatbots and voicebots has increased exponentially over the past number of years, and the transfer from bot to an actual live agent has become even more seamless with each day. AI could also be extremely beneficial in mapping the best possible customer journey, allowing the call centre to become more strategic when planning the most favourable customer experience.

2. Increasing Social Media Engagement

To brands and consumers, social media platforms have become an important touchpoint. According to Smart Insights, “63% of consumers today expect a brand to offer customer service through social media channels.”

For a contact centre to thrive and evolve, it must put its best foot forward in developing strategies to improve social media interaction in the call centres.

Modern customers consider social media platforms to be viable channels for customer service, with it slowly becoming an inseparable part of the unified communication system. Customers start complaining and providing feedback via social media to instigate a two-way conversation.

3. Omnichannel

Omnichannel is a multichannel customer service approach that offers a flawless atmosphere across all points of contact and is easily accessible. For contact centre management, all interactions are controlled, monitored, and measurable.

Omnichannel contact is suitable for consumers who do not want silo-mentality-functioning brands. An omnichannel system maintains consistent and unified communication across the touchpoints and channels for effective follow-up.

4. Data Security

While contact centres continue to implement AI for automation and self-service, the organization and its customer service representatives will continue to further develop their goals. In 2020 and beyond, data security and privacy are a significant focus of attention.

Despite large-scale global data breaches becoming more frequent, businesses have a greater responsibility to protect more than their own data integrity. We also have a responsibility to protect our customers’ confidential and personal data. Because of this, a strong emphasis will be put on services and technologies that protect the data and privacy of consumers from being violated and compromised.

Josh O’Farrell

Providing an excellent experience and protection to your customer has become the primary focus for the future of contact centres. Competition in the call centre space will only get steeper. The trends we’ve highlighted should give you insights about how things are going to pan out.

You and your business need to evolve in the use of emerging call centre technology trends like AI, omnichannel and cloud technology. These patterns can reduce costs when applied strategically and streamline the internal process. Above all, they will help you deliver the reliable, personalized experience requested by your callers.

For further information about Spearline, visit: www.spearline.com

Author: Robyn Coppell