Imagine you’re an agent who gets a call from a customer who's struggling to resolve an issue with a product or service they have bought. You can hear the frustration in their voice. They've been on hold for an extended period, and they've already spoken to two other agents who couldn't solve their problem. Now, they have to repeat their story all over again with you. You're empathetic, but you also wish you knew this before you answered the call.
Sound familiar? Unfortunately, it’s still a common scenario in many contact centres. And if businesses want to improve both agent and customer satisfaction, it’s something that needs to change.
According to a 2022 McKinsey report, 61% of global decision makers have reported a growth in total calls in contact centres. This isn’t just because companies have more customers overall (although this is true), it’s also driven by customers feeling unsatisfied with an experience, leading to them phoning contact centres more frequently.
So, how do you break the cycle?
Building a future-proof customer experience
The pressure on contact centres isn't going away anytime soon. Customer demands have evolved dramatically, and the expectations set during the pandemic—fast, seamless, digital interactions—have only intensified. To stay competitive, organisations must adopt smarter strategies that reduce stress on agents and deliver exceptional customer experiences.
Two things need to happen to get there:
- Businesses need to address the existing demands that have increased.
- Businesses need to evolve with customer needs and future-proof themselves.
Why the right technology matters
An omnichannel approach is essential for today's discerning consumers who want to use their preferred channel, receive instantaneous responses, and be met online. In fact, Gartner predicts that by 2027, chatbots will become the primary customer service channel for a quarter of organisations, illustrating that virtual interactions are fast becoming the preferred choice.
Remote contact centre staff have found that cloud technology helps them to collaborate with other agents and teams easily and provide better customer service. According to Forrester, 79% of global contact centre decision makers agree that the right cloud toolset is critical or important to optimising their CCaaS.
Additionally, the lack of technological investments can have a significant impact on contact centres. Older systems and technologies are often slow, outdated, and unable to integrate with other systems - requiring more IT maintenance and making it difficult for agents to do their jobs efficiently. When speaking to agents, we know that they have a harder time accessing customer data and insights, and often spend time on manual tasks such as data entry. For customers, we found that a lack of technological investments can lead to longer wait times, an inability to get through to agents with the right information, and difficulty getting their issues resolved. This can result in increased customer churn.
Three steps to delivering exceptional customer experiences
At Puzzel, we’ve seen the shift to digital create a more tech-savvy customer base with higher expectations. To keep up, contact centre leaders need to blend deep industry knowledge with smarter tools. Here are three areas to focus on:
1. Automate intelligently
Embrace AI-driven automation to handle routine enquiries effectively, freeing your agents to tackle more complex customer issues. Puzzel’s Gen-AI chat agent offers 24/7 intelligent self-service, handling common queries while providing human-like conversational experiences.
2. Empower your agents
Use smart tools to give your agents immediate, actionable insights during interactions. Solutions like Puzzel’s Conversational Intelligence help agents by automating call analysis and call tagging, freeing up valuable time and offer insights to help agents improve their communication skills over time. The result? Shorter calls, more successful outcomes, and happier customers.
3. Personalise at scale
Combine automation with human empathy to deliver more tailored customer interactions. Use AI-powered routing to direct customers smoothly through the best channels based on their specific needs and context, enabling agents to deliver highly personalised support. The benefits are clear: quicker resolution, higher satisfaction, and stronger customer loyalty.
Happier agents, happier customers
Technology doesn't just help your customers, it also improves agent satisfaction. When agents are empowered with the right tech, they're more efficient, less stressed, and better equipped to deliver empathetic support. Happier, empowered agents are more likely to stay, helping retain valuable expertise in your contact centre and ensuring consistently positive customer experiences.
At Puzzel, we're passionate about helping contact centres thrive. We’re here to support you in creating exceptional customer experiences while building a positive, fulfilling environment for your agents.
Ready to tech up your contact centre experience? Contact us today and see how Puzzel can help your business grow.
