In early February I attended the IP Integration “Spotlight” event at the Midland Hotel in Manchester where we were provided access to some great insights from the team and from Steve Morrell of ContactBabel, what follows are my thoughts and reflections arising:

Something around customer adoption of automated solutions has been playing on my mind, it often happens when I suggest someone talk to an automated bot solution so they can experience first-hand how far the technology has come, where it is going and what the real possibilities are.

Being in the CX world and having several partners on our network that have such solutions, I have a number saved to my phone, just for this type of conversation.  If I pull the phone from my pocket, find the number, dial it and hand it someone to have a conversation then I often feel that the “conversation” isn’t as free flowing as it should be.  Why? Well that is a great question.

I suppose it could be that for the past 15 years when contact centres have effectively forced customers to speak to automated voice response systems, we have typically limited customer so saying one word “listen to the following list of options and then say the option you would like” or “in a few words please say why you are calling today” so for years we’ve been saying ‘please speak to this automated system in a short staccato format’. Now, in a matter of a couple of years, some businesses are offering customers the opportunity to speak freely to their bots or automations, whilst others are still on the limited few words space. No wonder consumers get confused – and the acceptance and adoption of voice automation could well be held back as a result. 

Voice is here to stay?

The truth is that voice interactions are still our favoured route of contact as customers, when it comes to getting things done and obtaining reassurance that we’ve been heard.  Whilst the death of voice in contact centres has been forecast for the past 20 years, the reality remains that voice is here to stay, millennia of evolution cannot be undone so quickly. Data shared at our webinar on the State of the Customer Experience Market with David Rickard of Everest Group in November (article link) validated this, as their research highlighted that 72% of revenues amongst the outsource community were still coming from voice-based activity in 2023 when both agent supported voice and conversational AI driven interactions were considered.

The data shared in the room in Manchester by Steve Morrell of ContactBabel corroborated this view, with 64% of interactions being cited as voice in his forthcoming 2025 report. Also that we are so keen to ensure that we speak to someone that we will now wait in the longer queues that have been identified post pandemic and that we have accepted these as the norm.

So, as a human race we have a deep attachment to use of voice, however I’m still receiving articles daily which suggest otherwise – and ours is an industry which is based on employing people to talk to customers. We need to acknowledge that ‘the bots’ or automation is coming for our lunch, which according to an article in the New York Times on February 1st it may however already be in a place to arrange someone to bring our lunch and where may that end?

An article by Kevin Roose details several tasks which he managed to complete using OpenAI’s Operator, a new AI agent in the week prior. Most of the tasks it did autonomously with minimal intervention. It met its brief of being an AI agent that uses the computer to accomplish valuable real-world tasks, without the need for supervision, to complete tasks in the background with a handoff back to the user to enter passwords or payment card details.  However, in Kevin’s article he talks of how it ordered lunch to be delivered to a colleague’s house and responded to LinkedIn messages well, up to the point where it started signing him up to attend webinars, amongst other tasks.  There were, however, several tasks where the automation struggled or needed an amount of reassurance or confirmations. Because of which he felt that it would have been faster to do the tasks himself, but acknowledged that the AI agent is at an early stage of development.

What we do know is that the evolution of technology is only gaining pace. Peter Diamandis, founder of the XPRIZE (https://www.xprize.org/) , is cited as having said in 2020 that “the next 10 years will bring more progress than the last 100 years” Given the pace of change in the past 5 years, it is reasonable to assume that Moore’s Law will hold true in this instance –  and that we need to be ready for this.

As humans we like voice, we choose voice. But if personal assistants in the form of OpenAI’s Operator or DeepSeek were to be adopted by the general public (your customers) to complete their home admin tasks, then these systems won’t have the same emotional connection to voice conversations and will be happy to interact directly with a company bot. However, how quickly will we reach that point?

Public adoption is key then?

We can implement the best solutions in the world, but if nobody uses them, what use are they?

Whatever is coming next, we have a dependency on customers to embrace and use those solutions, whether that is voice automation in the contact centre or the potential for the eventual use of “their own” automation by customers to engage with brands to resolve issues.

We’ve seen before conversations around ‘brand by-pass’. Now, using an Alexa or alternative voice-activated AI assistant to complete simple tasks is clearly the gateway to us getting to a point of asking technology to, say, engage with our utility provider to amend our direct debit or to find a cheaper insurance renewal.  At this point we as individuals will have less input to what brands we choose to purchase, so then the brands that will succeed are those that are easiest for our automations to interact with.

But before we get to this utopian vision of admin free lives with our AI assistants ensuring the effective running of our homes and lives, we need to pass a point of public adoption of AI.

A 2023 report from Ipsos shows that 66% of people they surveyed globally expect that products and services using artificial intelligence will profoundly change their daily life in the next 3-5 years. Whilst this is the average, the range of responses on a country and demographic level vary considerably, with the proportion expressing this belief in South Korea as high as 82%, whilst France sees the lowest number agreeing with this sentiment at 51% (we in the UK see 58% agreeing with this statement).

Products and services using artificial intelligence will profoundly change my daily life in the next 3-5 years – 66%

So, whilst there is broad agreement that services using artificial intelligence will change our lives, what people are willing to adopt and how is a key consideration, acknowledging that some will be unable to adopt due to a variety of reasons.

The conversation at the Spotlight event therefore quite naturally centred on work that could be done to implement changes or applications of AI to better support the contact centre agents in delivering service efficiently without too much impact to the customer, generating a series of marginal gains which support the agent in resolving customer queries, potentially reducing call durations and in turn queues and repeat contacts –  a series of win/win scenarios which:

  • Improve service
  • Reduce pressure on the contact centre team
  • Reduce repeat contacts
  • Reduce the time customers spend trying to get through
  • Reduce costs
  • Improve staff wellbeing

Changes which fulfil the appetite of businesses to implement changes and leverage AI, but consider how willing customers are to adopt these changes.

Is some re-programming required?

If we want the possible AI solutions to be successful, we will have to consider how we guide customers to use these solutions most effectively. Our industry has created a sub-optimal situation through a combination of poor customer experiences in the past, limited system capabilities and a “tell me in three words” approach. If we want customers to embrace the possibilities of technology, then we need to bring them on the journey.

Consider how self-serve check-outs have become the norm when we are out shopping in recent years . There is a journey that I’ve certainly been on to this point, which I discussed with IPI’s Sam Grant at lunch.

Coming prepared, we need our customers to come to the contact prepared to engage with AI.

Similarly, from prior experiences I soon learned that I need to stop putting my shopping bag in the bottom of my basket, then putting my items of purchase on top of it, which created friction in the process when I needed to get to my bag to enable me to pack items as I scanned them.  So, ideally, we need our customers to come to the contact prepared to engage with AI (unless they don’t want to?)

Offering a choice? Do I want to self-serve or would I prefer to queue?

When I’m approaching the tills, I can see a queue for a till with a cashier or I can see available self-serve checkouts. If I can also see someone there by the self-serve tills to support me, then I can make an informed decision.

Unexpected item in bagging area! Solutions need to be flexible enough to minimise friction.

That bag I just dug out from my basket, I’ve tapped that I’ve brought my own bag, but it is perhaps heavier than the scales expect, therefore I’ve got an unexpected item. I’m removing and resetting the bag but there is a red flashing light and now I’m waiting for someone to come help me.  We’ve all been there (please tell me this wasn’t just me!). The solution has now evolved, though, replacing scales either with additional trust by the retailer, or with cameras, but the result is a smoother customer experience.

Authorisation for purchase There will be times when someone must step in. If so, ensure it is done in a timely fashion.

OK I bought wine, it’s the weekend, please don’t judge me. The process to verify that I’m of age and can make that purchase has parallels also. We need to ensure that if a customer needs support then it is quickly available. Now I want those annoying flashing lights to flash brighter, because   I need help to complete my purchase.

How do you want to pay? Payments need to be frictionless, tap and go, no creased banknotes!

The same will apply to your callers they need to be able to make the payment without being moved to another channel and of course you need to ensure you are properly protecting that payment data.

Do you require a receipt? perhaps we need to acknowledge that customers will want validation of their conversation, of what was committed to and that they can trust that it will be done.

It has taken me a long time to reach the point of clicking no to a paper receipt. I want to be able to evidence that I’ve paid and not just walked round the shop popping things in my bag. Part of the reason so many of us are still reverting to speaking to a human when we have an issue, other than our lived experiences of trying to explain a complex situation in 3-word blocks, has to be that we can say “I talked to …. And he said he’d sorted it”.

What does it all mean?

People are complex. The implementation of self service and automation of the simpler query types means that average contact centre conversations are now much longer than they were and with rising staff costs there is a clear pressure on businesses to make changes to reduce customer servicing costs.

There is a broad spectrum of solutions available to support businesses address these challenges, whether outsource or technology. These need to be properly aligned to your objectives, and it is likely that you may need to speak with someone around how to select, prioritise and deploy these solutions.

If you need to chat then feel free to drop us a line.

As part of our recent webinar with Zoom, we discussed how a brand is far more than just a name or a product; it’s the sum of what the public thinks, feels, and believes about a business. It’s built on both tangible elements like product features and packaging, and intangible ones like emotional connections, marketing, and even independent conversations beyond a brand’s control. Delivering on the brand promise—a commitment to customers about what they can expect—is therefore paramount to success. But when businesses fail to deliver, the consequences are costly and far-reaching.

Businesses increasingly turn to outsourcing partners to support customer service and contact centre operations. However, ensuring these partners can uphold the brand promise is critical. By exploring the importance of a brand promise, the risks of failure, and the value of the right outsourcing partner, organisations can better position themselves for success.

What is a Brand Promise, and why does it matter?

A brand promise communicates the essence of a company’s mission, values, and purpose. It represents what customers should expect when interacting with the business. For example, Red Bull’s brand promise encapsulates the idea of “freedom” and giving “wiiings” to people and ideas. They successfully integrate this into their sponsorships of extreme sports and events, translating their values into tangible experiences that reinforce their mission.

Delivering on this promise consistently builds trust, fosters advocacy, and encourages loyalty. Customers who feel a brand aligns with their expectations and values are more likely to:

  • Pay a price premium for products and services.
  • Recommend the brand to others, driving organic growth.
  • Maintain long-term relationships, increasing customer lifetime value.

The cost of failing to deliver on the Brand Promise

When businesses fail to meet expectations, trust is eroded. Research reveals that 31% of customers are willing to pay more for excellent service, but failure to deliver service quality results in significant revenue loss. Poor service costs UK businesses an estimated £7.3 billion per month in employee time spent resolving issues. Additional consequences of falling short on service delivery include:

  • Damaged Reputation: Dissatisfied customers share their negative experiences online, influencing potential buyers before they even engage with the brand.
  • Increased Marketing Costs: Companies must invest heavily to rebuild trust and mitigate reputational damage.
  • Lower Customer Lifetime Value: Customers experiencing poor service are unlikely to return, reducing their overall spending potential.

Service delivery directly underpins the price premium brands can command. Without great service, even the best product offerings lose their appeal—and profitability.

Managing customer experience at scale

The challenge for brands lies in scaling customer experiences while maintaining human, natural, and supportive interactions. Customers expect more than just advanced technology; they demand seamless, elegant, and intuitive service that delivers the right information at the right time. Poor customer satisfaction—as seen in the UK Customer Satisfaction Index, which recently dropped to its lowest point since 2015—reflects the critical need for investment in experience.

To understand how service impacts decision-making, organisations should explore:

  • Price Premium Expectations: How much more are customers willing to pay for exceptional service?
  • Perceptions of Good Service: What defines great service from a customer’s perspective?
  • Service’s Influence on Purchasing Decisions: How does a seamless experience drive loyalty and sales?

Leveraging outsourcing to deliver consistent experiences

Outsourcing has been a transformative tool for businesses over the past 40 years, enabling growth, transformation, and improved customer service outcomes. To realise these benefits, organisations must select their outsourcing partners carefully, considering solution fit, commercial alignment, and cultural compatibility.

  1. Solution Alignment: The partner’s solution must match the company’s specific needs, including sector expertise, channel coverage, geography, and appetite for automation. Proven experience with similar challenges can offer peace of mind.
  2. Commercial Mechanisms: The cost of service should account for the entire support structure—not just front-line agents—to ensure scalability and sustained quality. Contracts should incentivise mutual success and allow for evolving requirements over time.
  3. Cultural Fit: Partners must embody the company’s values and approach, representing the brand authentically to customers. Building a genuine partnership requires mutual respect and clear processes for engagement.

Mitigating outsourcing risks

To minimise risk, businesses must define clear objectives, success measures, and realistic timelines before outsourcing. Processes should be fully documented, and knowledge transfer planned meticulously to ensure a smooth transition. Continuous communication with the outsourcing partner is essential for alignment.

Outsourcing also enables access to specialised skills, flexible scaling, and cost efficiencies, all of which support business growth without overextending internal resources. The key is selecting a partner who acts as an extension of the organisation’s team—not just a supplier.

Conclusion

Delivering on the brand promise is a strategic imperative that builds trust, drives loyalty, and sustains growth. Poor service is not just an operational issue but a risk to brand value and viability. Businesses that prioritise exceptional customer experiences can protect and enhance their reputations, achieving sustainable success.

Outsourcing, when approached thoughtfully, can be a powerful enabler of these outcomes. By choosing the right partner and fostering a collaborative relationship, organisations can mitigate risks, enhance service quality, and uphold their brand promises with confidence.

There are several universal truths, one of which is that we all have at least one subscription! Though I think that if we were asked to list all the things we pay a monthly or annual fee for we would probably come across some we’d forgotten about. We questioned how many subscriptions we have that you may not feel we’re getting value from?

Another consideration is that even if we’ve not been using our Netflix, Disney+, AppleTV, or whichever service one as much as we’d like, we may be  holding onto the knowledge that we will likely binge some boxsets over the festive period and how many of us then realise we are all subscribed to Amazon Prime and other subscriptions may have been unnecessary.

A third is that we are often encouraged to review our discretionary expenditure in January and cancel any that we don’t need or to look for a better deal.

It is always good to speak with experts in a field to understand how these elements all play out, Jonathan West is Client Development Director at Step Change Outsourcing and knows only too well the first-hand challenges of a subscription-based business model having led the Sky Business Division as National Sales Manager and Head of Indirect (Consumer) Channel at Three.  Simon Kissane is highly experienced in delivering CX and Contact Centre Performance Improvement having supported a number of interim positions and extensive experience as a Head of CX and Operations in the mobile and broadband space.

What does the data tell us?

Data from Barclaycard in 2020, Whistl in 2022 and from Statista suggest that on average a UK household has 8 subscriptions ranging from streaming services to food kits, healthcare and pet products.

Finder.com suggests 2023 research shows 79% of UK adults (42 million of us) have at least one subscription service. However 23% of us feel  these services are too expensive and 51% would be willing to cut that subscription to save money. Some research data which claims that we are spending an average of £500 each annually seems to focus on streaming services.

Further subscriptions which saw significant growth during the pandemic were the subscription box services. Whistl report an 18.9% year on year growth in in in the UK in their reports and referencing data from the Royal Mail in stating the market will be worth £1.8bn in 2025.

Whilst a little dated, the Whistl report shares some insights around key metrics for subscription boxes, their data suggests,

  • 81% of households have at least one box subscription
  • average spend of £52 per month in 2021 with annual spend to £620

Those subscriptions typically last 9 months

  • 40% of us subscribe for convenience and 55% to save time
  • 74% wish that companies made it easier to manage subscriptions
“how likely they would be to cancel their subscriptions if they were to increase slightly in price”

Clearly the different types of subscription are driven by differing motivations. Time and convenience are a key element, howeverthe value of the subscription is a vital consideration, too.

Data from the Department for Business & Trade, published in April 2023 (based on research with 2,000 UK adults conducted by Opinium Research in November 2021) showed the following level of subscription holdings:

Respondents were asked the critical question as to their expected behaviour if prices were to increase and unsurprisingly, they were more likely to consider cancellation as listed below by subscription type (key sectors):

  • 79% Food & Drink
  • 76% Digital fitness and wellbeing
  • 73% Health and beauty
  • 66% Flowers, craft, chocolates and treats
  • 64% Entertainment and books
  • 64% Product delivery services
  • 38% Charitable donations

Subscriptions to telephone and broadband services don’t seem to appear in the data. Perhaps they  have ‘crossed the line’ into the utilities space? Digital connectivity may have become a physiological need, in the words of Maslow even. This seems  fair considering that we all need data connectivity to live our day to day lives today.

But if we consider for a moment the broadband and fixed landline space, the regulator Ofcom has been busy making changes in the past few months that could impact the sector.  On this basis, have sensitivities around price and service ever been so important to that sector – and are there considerations that can be applied across all subscription markets?

So, what does that mean to the customer contact community?

Well, there is a chance that a broken process earlier in the year – which made your contact centre hard to deal with – is going to result in customer retention issues when that customer reaches the end of their contract.

Or that automation process that you are thinking of implementing due to pressure from the business to reduce operational costs needs to be just right, or else it may result in driving customers not only to self-service, but away from your business altogether.

It could mean that you have an amount of retention work to do, or that you need to start thinking about additional marketing spend next year to attract new customers to maintain your numbers, never mind growing the customer base.

For many customers managing, their relationships digitally – like with NOW TV, for instance – should be easy. But my personal experience of trying to cancel a NOW subscription over the weekend was time-consuming and frustrating:

  • Cancellation was not possible via the App which means logging onto my account,
  • then being asked no fewer than 6 times whether I really wanted to cancel,
  • and being presented with offers and discounts to retain me.

This feels like an example of when an understandable business desire to create a bit of friction has gone too far, turning off customers from coming back in the future.

However, the first that businesses with digital based relationships may know of my intent to cancel is when I’ve clicked on a box and my money stops the following month. Many will then commence an e-mail campaign, or outbound calling perhaps, to ‘win-back’.

One touch switching

The implementation of the Ofcom rules on one touch switching from September 12th enabled customers to move to a new provider with just one contact. This means that alternative network providers (alt-nets) – despite huge investment in their infrastructure – are now in a place where customers can simply walk away without having to contact them, similar to my cancellation of my NOW TV subscription.

The new provider manages the switching process and the incumbent has little option but to go with it. Are the developing the expectations that customers will have about the ease of cancelling their telco and broadband subscriptions being mirrored across other services?

Additional considerations

In our discussion, Simon, Jonathan and I also considered whether there is a clear role for NPS in customer retention and operational performance. This was a topic which was discussed also on a Scorebuddy webinar that I supported, recently. With the level of insight available from the contact centre, do you really still need to ask the question around likelihood to recommend a product or/service? It could be that you can see this through all the other data and insights at your disposal. However, you need to ensure that you have the time and knowledge to implement the changes needed, which is where businesses can fall short.

“CX has never been so important, moments of truth matter and there is a need for experience and empathy”

When it comes to growing any form of subscription business, there is a clear need to balance acquisition with the realities of ongoing customer service. The work of retention and win-back teams should not be underestimated, but  if you get the customer service right then retention is less likely to be needed.

Scaling a business to cope with customer demands can be challenging. The transition from small in-house operations with wider departments helping where they can in supporting customer needs in those moments of truth (when something hasn’t been delivered as promised) can take people away from their roles in the wider business and risk future growth ambitions.  Where customers have bought/subscribed via a click then the first time your team speak with them could be at the point of disconnection and considering the costs of developing your business or network, there is a need to maximise customer lifetime value.

When growing a business and a contact centre team, you need to ensure that you are properly supporting and developing your staff. As businesses grow it is not just customers numbers where retention may become a challenge. With Simon and Jonathan I discussed these challenges around recruitment and training, this is where we have seen outsourcers taking the load, so that “you do you and let the outsourcer do the heavy lifting”.

Is your customer contact approach fit for purpose?

With the potential challenges of growth and increasing costs in 2025 from minimum wage and national insurance increases ahead, maybe it is time to review where you are on your journey and whether there are opportunities to optimise current operations – through either process review or implementation of new contact centre technology?

Perhaps you’ve reached a point where you need additional support from an outsource partner who has walked this path before and can help you grow customer numbers and/or evolve to the next stage of your growth, whether that is with

  • acquisition activity
  • out of hours support,
  • peak capacity or
  • end to end customer service which allows you to focus on your core activity and growing your business.

You may have an existing operation that requires review, but whatever your customer contact challenge feel free to contact us so we can talk it through.

At Customer Contact Panel we have extensive experience in supporting our clients in identifying the right fit solution for their business.

When you assemble a room of people with extensive levels of contact centre experience, as we did for our event hosted at Sutherland Labs, you know from the noise levels over coffee there are going to be some great conversations! Add some fantastic speakers from our outsource and technology networks to share their views of the market and a lively, open dialogue around challenges and opportunities (new and old) will follow.

We are looking forward to continuing these conversations and scheduling another event.  But in the meantime, how do we bring so much collective experience together in a short article that does justice to the quality of the conversations?

Navigating Business Decisions in a Rapidly Evolving Landscape

In the current environment, companies face a range of critical decisions, from implementing new technologies to fostering employee engagement. Despite knowing what needs to be done, many organisations struggle to translate that knowledge into actionable outcomes. This disconnect is often a result of inadequate systems, outdated training and coaching models, and an inability to adapt to change. 

In our recent L&D survey it was apparent that there is a clear gap between knowing and doing.  Results show that while employees understand their roles, there’s a significant disconnect between knowledge and execution. This is particularly evident in how businesses approach training, often relying on outdated, “once-and-done” programmes that fail to evolve alongside the changing work environment. As companies shift to remote work, many are noticing a reduction in employee loyalty and engagement, partially because of the lack of in-person interaction and relationship-building.

Addressing the Changing Needs: Evolving Training and Technology

To bridge this gap, organisations must rethink how they train their employees, particularly if they are to continue with a work from home or hybrid working model. Has enough been done to redesign training and refresher modules that better fit a virtual environment? Equally, more needs to be done to focus on continuous education rather than static, one-time courses which tick a box for compliance. Furthermore, conversational AI can be a powerful tool in reshaping learning; allowing employees to ask dynamic, evolving questions rather than relying on predefined solutions.

“Businesses recognise the correlation between staff development and brand reputation, but may not always apply the budget to ensure delivery”

AI offers the potential to unlock the true capabilities of people and data, but as we have said before is not a silver bullet. It can revolutionise business processes by supporting employees in their roles, reducing friction, and enhancing decision-making. AI can also help agents manage customer queries more efficiently, giving them access to foundational knowledge in real-time. However, the challenge lies in positioning AI correctly: not as a threat to jobs, but as a tool for augmenting human capabilities.

For example, AI’s ability to analyse customer intent and apply insights to guide agents through complex interactions can dramatically improve customer experience (CX). By properly integrating AI into business workflows, companies could potentially resolve the eternal challenge of moving from being seen as a cost centre to profit centre, unlocking new value opportunities across the customer journey.

Location strategy is still a consideration as the global market evolves. The outsourcing industry, particularly in sectors like fintech, IT support, and healthcare, appears poised for significant growth.  We know countries such as South Africa have already emerged as strategic hubs for business services, offering talent and capabilities that align with the growing demand for multilingual and technologically adept service providers. Whilst there are valid concerns as to the capacity that remains available, with 33% unemployment in South Africa (60% for young people) as well as the wider continent opening for business, then combined with the capabilities of technology great opportunities remain available.

Overcoming Challenges in AI Adoption

While AI presents numerous opportunities, it also comes with significant challenges. Many process owners may be hesitant to adopt AI due to concerns about how it will impact their workforce and customer relationships. Meanwhile, senior leadership may be focused more heavily on the potential cost saving benefits.  There’s a widespread misconception that AI will replace jobs, particularly in customer service. However, AI’s true value lies in assisting and enhancing human roles, not replacing them.

For businesses to adopt AI successfully, they need to:

  • Align AI with company goals and culture: AI should be seen not as a technology investment, but as a strategic asset that drives both customer and employee experience.
  • Shift from a cost-saving mindset to a value-driven approach: Technology shouldn’t be about cutting costs; it should unlock value, address problems at their root cause and improve service quality.
  • Build the right business case: Secure buy-in from different budget owners by emphasising how AI can enhance outcomes across the organisation.

Aligning Metrics and Culture for the AI-Driven World

To fully leverage AI’s potential, cultural and operational changes are required. Business leaders need to:

  • Align metrics with an automated world: Ensure that technology handles routine tasks, allowing people to focus on complex, human-centric work.
  • Redefine the agent role: The agents of the future will need to deliver more value and possess different skills compared to traditional customer service roles.
  • Foster a culture of continuous improvement: Embrace ongoing evolution, where AI serves to complement human skills and free up time for higher-value tasks.
  • Focus on proactive engagement: Let technology handle the repetitive, allowing people to engage with customers in a more meaningful way.
  • Encourage bravery in decision-making: Leaders must support bold decisions around AI investment to drive long-term success.
“AI is not the solution, it is a key to unlocking it”  
Rob Wiles, Zoom

Irrespective of delivery location, the future of CX delivery will increasingly rely on AI and automation to enhance customer journeys, optimise operations, and drive sustainable growth.

Transformation is never-ending. Businesses must approach AI and automation not as one-time projects but as ongoing evolutions. This requires understanding the unique challenges they face, aligning technology with business goals, and ensuring that AI enhances rather than replaces the human element.

With the right strategy, AI can unlock unprecedented opportunities for growth, helping companies stay competitive in a rapidly changing world. However, without the appropriate attention to employee experience, success will be illusory or limited.

Delivering the right experiences

At Customer Contact Panel we support organisations in delivering contact centres that match their ambitions. In a Deloitte Digital research articles from May 2024 it was cited that 55% of contact centre leaders reported that they didn’t meet their strategic goals in 2023 and 76% reported that their agents were overwhelmed by systems and information*.

If you are facing challenges meeting your strategic goals or fulfilling the ambitions you have for your people, customers or technology, we have the experience to support you. Just ask. 

Will changes for other businesses lead to a realisation that contact centres have been progressive in their approach and potentially increase the recruitment pool or will contact centre leaders need to make changes to become more competitive in recruitment of the best talent?

Perhaps we are more progressive in contact centres than we give ourselves credit for?

We’ve written before around the view that despite our collective best efforts, our industry can often have something of an image problem with those on the outside, and, unfortunately, for some who work in the sector as well, because of arcane processes that may have been applied by some managers.

Working in contact centres can be tough and is seen by many as an interim role as opposed to a career path. The use of terms like CX may make it a more noble cause, even if the gap between customer ambition and realities can seem large. However, (I hope!) many people reading this article will recall a journey from a stop-gap role to a ‘proper’ career, which has delivered job satisfaction, personal development, promotions and a level of reward which affords a quality standard of living and the attainment of life goals.

You may also reflect on the flexibility that working in contact centres may have afforded you in your life, initially from being in operations in which there were options as a result of:

  • 7 days per week, which may have resulted in working a weekend day, but having time off in the week,
  • 24/7 operations where dealing with something through the night resulted in lieu time at a convenient time
  • Creating 4 day weeks with compressed hours to enable flexibility for your staff and ensure capacity where your customers needed it
  • Split shifts (ok maybe not 25 years ago, when that meant going to work twice in the same day, but post pandemic with home working)
  • Part time shifts which worked around the school run or after lectures
  • The ability to work remotely and therefore mitigate communing time

So, perhaps when talking about flexible working and encouraging greater control over work-life balance we should already be seeing contact centres of a beacon of what can be achieved (even if that does sometimes mean rolling rotas to ensure that customers have access to support when they need it?).

But it doesn’t end there does it?

Contact centres – through necessity in some cases, of course – have embraced the real living wage and providing better rewards for frontline staff. However, the reality is that skilled contact centre agents may still be earning similar amounts to those in roles where there may be less stress or pressure. Self-service and automation mean there are less “easy” contacts and as customer expectations and levels of knowledge increase, the role does get harder.  Put simply, there is more for agents to deal with now, when considering the complexity of queries and vulnerabilities of customers.

Admittedly, where costs are key and businesses are feeling pressure to manage the cost of customer service and acquisition, then offshoring has been the norm for some time. As we know, offshoring doesn’t necessarily reduce quality, but it takes hard work to get it right. The manufacturing sector had already followed this route, in many cases years earlier.  Unfortunately, our industry faces more scrutiny for moving work out of the UK than others, it seems.

The same customer service ‘exceptionalism’ may also apply to automation, with a recent Gartner survey highlighting that 64% of customers would rather companies didn’t use AI in customer service delivery.

Out of necessity the industry will keep pace with changes to minimum wage, however there will be an inevitable impact to either the cost of the product or margins. In which case more innovative techniques will need to be adopted to maximise margins.

I’d like to think we’ve been pioneers in ensuring equality. When I see news pieces around gender and representation of women in boardrooms, I reflect on the fantastic female influences I’ve had through my career, senior management and directors who have shaped my career and given me opportunities to develop.

I believe that contact centres are (for want of a better term) unfortunately ahead of the changing employment curve. I say unfortunately as contact centres’ relative enlightenment can disadvantage other sectors.  I don’t have access to contact centre-specific data on gender pay gaps. And though I assume a gap is still sadly probable, I would think it is relatively lower in contact centres, based on the skill, talent and mindset that we have in the sector, 

“Women hold about 41% of senior leadership positions within the UK contact centre industry”

UK Contact Centre Decision-Makers’ Guide 2024

So, could this be a new dawn of realisation?

We were discussing last week the same story in multiple newspaper articles around easyJet and their recruitment of people aged 50 and above for cabin crew roles, citing their life and communication skills as a key benefit to passengers and by extension their new employer.

The shift rotas offered the flexibility of working alternate weeks, for example, or four days on four days off (I recall that over 20 years ago in contact centres we called this a continental shift pattern). This type of recruitment should open up the ability to recruit people who previously decided to leave full time employment after the pandemic back into roles.

Admittedly, customer service at 35,000ft may have more appeal for some than dealing with a phone call or webchat concerning a utility bill, for example.  However, in contact centres we recognise clearly that life skills and knowledge are of significant benefit to our customers and have been recruiting from all demographics for decades.

“We tackle misconceptions about the job and broaden horizons for even more talented people looking for a new opportunity who can bring their wealth of life experience to the industry”.

Michael Brown, Director of Cabin Services at easyJet

 

We believe that we are well ahead of other sectors in our approach to working practices and rights. Undeniably, negative perceptions evoking the ‘dark satanic mills’ persist for many and horror stories from 20 years ago (and occasionally today) remain.  But the contact centre industry is probably in a better place than we are given credit for.

We will however need to manage challenges as a result of changes to legislation around worker rights, there are likely to be changes in WFM that will need to be considered, potential impacts to payroll and management of holidays.

Additionally, there may be changes harder to identify on the surface – maintaining knowledge and communications when more people work compressed hours could be one.

We have the skills and tools ready to support altered employment practices and we’ve demonstrated time and time again that we can change when needed.  If you are facing challenges maintaining employee knowledge and experience, managing performance metrics or even protecting a sustainable margin in your contact centre operations then you won’t be alone.   

“Once seen as a modern-day mills and bastions of the overseer, contact centres should, rightly, be lauded and credited for leading the charge for innovative working practices such as the compressed hours working week, and flexible shifts around childcare responsibilities which the industry introduced at the dawn of the contact centre”.

Gerard O’Hare, WorkNest Legal Director

We are here to help, just ask.

The Customer Contact Panel team is made up of contact centre professionals who have seen a number of challenges and changes in the sector over the past 30 years, we use our experience to support both in-house operations, those wanting to outsource and outsourcers to deliver contact centres that match their ambitions whether that be sales or service.

If you have a thorny challenge then we’d love to hear about it, we share our thinking and have supported fantastic brands in finding the right fit solution for their and their employees’ needs.  We have over 220 contact centre partners and 120 technology partners, we don’t have favourites only right fits for your needs.   

Say it quietly if you like, but businesses are grown and maintained through increases in customer numbers and/or customer value. Undoubtedly cost management is also a critical factor, but ultimately sales and retention activity that provides topline growth is critical to ongoing success and business value.

We all know that the chances of winning or retaining a customer are increased when you provide a great product or service. And that those who deliver, not just on price but perceived value, are in prime position to pick up customers from competitors when they do not.

Yet many businesses are focused on the potential cost savings that could be achieved through AI and automation. Have they have lost sight of the potential benefits of delivering a personalised service and those golden opportunities to encourage a customer to buy more or stay for longer?

Are you getting the best sales through service opportunities from AI and automation?

There are two key scenarios that could be playing out for many organisations, both B2B and B2C. Either of which could be limiting sales success:

1. The technology is doing great stuff

Customers are getting the service that they need in the moment they need it. Which means the brand is working on the assumption that because they’re well-served, they will come back to buy more. However, they are not engaged with these customers, they are simply dealing with their admin when they need to and as a result are being passive in their habits. This may work for on a number of levels, and it is reducing the cost to serve. However, is this a step away from brand bypass, as ultimately a gap in the connection with customers will result in them moving on when they see a better offer?

2. The technology isn’t hitting the mark

Customers are trying to resolve their issues, but are struggling. The automation or self-serve models don’t provide the right options and/or have no ‘way out’ for customers and as a result they become frustrated. So at the first opportunity, they are going to look to an alternative brand.

The examples are out there in key sectors.

Ofgem March 2024 data 

Harder to contact and less satisfying to deal with?

Despite and improving picture, the latest Ofgem data shows that 16% of customers find it difficult to contact their supplier, up from the low of 10% in Q1 2019.  Meanwhile, the same Ofgem data suggests that overall satisfaction with customer service across the energy industry currently sits at 66%, down from the peak of 74% seen in Q2 of 2020.

What’s more, the latest UKCSI data shows utilities performing the poorest with a score of 69.8. Telecommunications and Media brands are doing a little better at 73.3 (though down from January’s 74.7), but are still some distance short of the podium positions achieved by Retail (non-food) at 80.4, Tourism at 79.3 and Banks & Building Societies at 79.3. However, we can see drops in satisfaction across the board.

Could automation be contributing to those less satisfying experiences?

UKCSI data from earlier in the year tells us that for 53.7% of automated contacts, the customer still needed to speak with a human being.

Equally concerning, though, was that neither AI/chatbot or customer service employees are managing to resolve customer queries more than 54.2% of the time, as seen in the January results. Quite the damning indictment.

Consider also that 45.4% of customers would avoid using an organisation again due to poor use of technology.

Clearly there is work to be done.

Companies with higher customer satisfaction show stronger growth

But what is the impact of this on a brand’s fortunes? Is the 2-point drop in score for Telcos material?

Research in the UKCSI report from January 2024 shows that between 2017 and 2023 “companies with customer satisfaction at least one point higher than their sector average achieved stronger revenue growth”.

With c.80% higher compound revenue growth, 6.6% higher EBITDA, more than double the operating profit margin and a whopping £283.9k – more than half as much again – revenue per employee on the table for that increase of just one point, the importance of customer satisfaction to both the topline and the bottom line is stark. On the other side, the virtual lack of revenue growth and much reduced operating profit margin for 1-point lower puts into context the plight of Tourism, Leisure, Insurance, Public Services and the rather more beleaguered Telcos.

The same report highlights that 27.6% of customers who score an organisation 9 or 10 out of 10 for overall satisfaction will look to buy other products or services from them, whilst 20.8% of customers scoring 1 to 4 will spend less with the organisation and 41% scoring them at 1 to 4 will avoid dealing with the organisation again in the future if possible.

And so, it is easy to see why investment in customer service is critical to the success of an organisation. Why an organisation should be – and hopefully is – highly focused on it. And why a pure cost-reduction focus for automation or AI is short-sighted.

While these numbers tell quite the story, let’s assume things are the right side of the line service-wise, whether through AI or not. The next question then is, are you following up with the appropriate sales activity to effect further topline growth?

Are you ready to pick up the sales baton?

Effective sales operations depend on 7 key factors for growth, the same apply to both sales team and those required to deliver sales through service:

  1. Access to the best people with the necessary sales and communication skills,
  2. Clear reward and recognition structures with incentives, creating a culture and environment which encourages growth,
  3. Appropriate product knowledge and ongoing team development, ability to handle objections effectively and to share learning to advance the performance of the team,
  4. Effective technology which the team can leverage to access customer insights, understand which are the best customers to be contacted, when to contact them and what solutions to offer,
  5. Practical approaches to sales compliance, which provide clear guidelines but can be managed without excessive burden to managers, allowing sales to be signed off effectively and if necessary, learning applied in a timely manner,
  6. Ability to manage data and reporting to maximise sales opportunities which benefits the organisation, the sales agents and also the customers through ensuring access to right information at the right time,
  7. Understand market conditions, customer behaviours and how your team needs to react to these.

If just one of these seven isn’t working too well, sales will suffer. But so may customer service or perceived value. For example, an intrusive offer in the middle of a customer complaint is likely to occur as unempathetic and may see the customer running for the hills. A well-handled complaint can increase value – or at least maintain it.

A colleague described a recent interaction about a problematic return with a well-known retailer, where mid-conversation they were invited to look at product that may interest them. Unsurprisingly, their reaction was not to immediately head to the link to browse, but instead to give a sharp retort – and then tell anyone who cared to listen how annoyed they were.

Not only did the retailer not make the sale, they likely turned the customer off. An excellent example of numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 (at least) not working. Not only was it bad scripting and a lesson in not what not to do, it may speak to overly aggressive reward structures and an environment that favours sales over growth. The nuance of which is important and why point four is critical – this was not the best customer to be contacted in this way at that time.

The same colleague similarly experienced rather odd service (from a Telco…) in store recently, where a service conversation without a satisfactory outcome turned to an attempt to upsell on a different product, followed by a recommendation to leave the brand for the product where the service outcome was unsatisfactory. Quite the rollercoaster! And no doubt an experience driven by a particular sales focus that the brand’s managers would be horrified to learn they have – let’s hope – inadvertently incentivised.

Picking your moment to turn service into sales is critically important and relies heavily on the skill of the individual, their training and incentivisation, supported by culture, technology and management.

With so much focus on customer service, do you have the need, will and capacity to optimise sales?

Great agents who can both serve and sell can be hard to find, and can be even harder to retain..

The use of technology and automation is increasingly expected for customer service – and rightly so, simple service issues don’t need complex solutions. But they do need human intervention when the service question isn’t simple, or the automated response fails. Or perhaps when a sales opportunity requires a more personal service.

The ability to deal with customers, their nuanced needs and when selling, their objections, still has a high level of dependency on human interaction.

Yet the data from Ofgem and UKCSI both illustrate that customers are frequently frustrated by both automated and agent interactions. Service delivery in many sectors is still some way short of previous highs, meaning there are still gaps to fix in customer service before you can even think of perhaps selling.

And to some extent, when improving customer experience can deliver increased revenue, getting the basics of service right first is a significant route to growth and building value – whether you agree or not about whether they ought to be, measures such as revenue growth, EBITDA and revenue per employee are important to investors and share price.

How you achieve optimised service, then layer on sales through service or even pure sales activity is a significant question. Each have their own challenges, but successful outcomes add up to an organisation that both sells to and retains customers optimally.

AI and the march to automation is a hot topic right now, with much being made of the gains that can be made through AI handling enquiries.

But the benefits of technology are perhaps being primarily considered in the context of larger operations, where the costs of servicing customers are easy to see.

What about the hidden contacts that organisations may be managing? The ones that are increasingly challenging to manage, that AI – for now at least – can’t deal with?

Information is power

Customers are better informed than ever before. They just need to spend a few minutes online to arm themselves with what they need before contacting you. From looking up reviews to seeking advice from social media groups on how other customers escalated a given complaint, or checking how regulations apply to your sector and how they should be applied in the context of their situation.

They may even know more about complaints to your organisation than some of your management team. Which means your responses need to be on point now more than ever.

Yet if former Dragons Den investor Piers Linney is to be believed, most contact centre activity will be automated by AI five years from now.

“There are undoubtedly times when speaking to a person is the only thing that will do.”

Realistically, nobody is denying that there are use cases that can be automated with better outcomes for customer, agent and organisation alike. Win-win. However, there are undoubtedly times when speaking to a person is the only thing that will do. And therein lies the risk of creating hidden contact centres in this futuristic AI-driven world. Indeed, they already exist.

What is a hidden contact centre and why do I need to worry about it?

In many organisations, contact centres already exist informally, even when they have bona fide real ones.

Groups of non-contact centre people are engaged in dealing with customers through calls, e-mails, chat or webforms, perhaps as part of their wider role. They are likely disbursed across multiple site locations or functions, handing off customers to each other and collaborating to resolve those queries.

Customers may be end users, other businesses or internal customers. The thing that unites them is that the queries are likely to be complex. And because it’s not their day job, everyone works a little harder to get the job done, sometimes at the risk of their other core tasks being delayed until the demand has passed.

Of course, none of this means these teams are doing a bad job in serving the customer. Processes may not be documented well, with best practice held in the heads – or languishing on the desktops – of team members, so they’re the best people for the job.

“The trouble with informal contact centres is that they aren’t set up to be responsive. Or have audit trails.”

But the trouble with informal contact centres is that they aren’t set up to be responsive. Or have audit trails. During holiday seasons cover may be limited and there is unlikely to be out of hours support for the customer. Reporting on contact volumes and contact types may not exist. Feedback loops for potential process improvement is probably dependent on the capacity in that team on a given week. And when servicing internal customers, inefficiencies may be magnified.

However, there may be limited opportunity for automation and self-service.

So maybe it is better to stay hidden?

Perhaps for some, ignoring all of this could be appealing. Especially if there are several “fractional” resources who are supporting and spreading the load. However, if those people are being taken away from their core roles, the decision (or lack of) not to address this could be a costly error. Those resources could be expensive for dealing with what in some cases may be low level queries. And not just in the time it takes them, but also unrecognised costs of double handling of queries, opportunity costs and even lost customers or lost revenue.

The first step is understanding if you have hidden contact centres. Speak with your people to understand what may be preventing them from getting core tasks done. If customer contacts, queries and complaints are part of that workload, perhaps it’s time to review and consolidate work to specialist staff who are set up to deal with these contacts.

Four red flags to watch out for:

  1. Team attrition – perhaps because they’re not getting opportunity to do the role for which they were employed?
  2. Customer attrition – are you seeing customers leaving you or not putting additional business in your direction?
  3. Non contact centre customer contact handling – do you have a group of people who you may not term as contact centre, but they are all consistently doing a role dealing with customers?
  4. Customer service levels aren’t matching your ambition – is it aligned to your values? Does it feel like a cost/burden?

If any of those resonate, then perhaps it is time to take time out and review whether you do, knowingly or otherwise, have a “contact centre” that could benefit from review or consolidation. To consider how this may benefit your people, your customers and ultimately your business.

What can you do about it?

First up, talk to people who understand the risks and opportunities of hidden contact centres. They’ll help you to decide on the approach that’s right for you, potentially with solutions you hadn’t considered. Whether you still want to keep activity within your team, or whether you need some additional help to provide increased coverage or flexibility.

For example, additional support and flexibility, including potential out of hours coverage, could improve services. You may not need dedicated resource, but the availability of someone to engage with your customers in conversation and support them at the right point in time may reduce the burden on your team during core hours.

If recruiting contact centre staff is a challenge for you, and managing and developing them is a further item on your worklist that you struggle to get to, it’s almost certainly time to seek guidance on how to address that.

And if you want to keep your ‘hidden contact centre’, it could be a smart move to examine your technology set up. Is it making it as easy as possible for your team? That doesn’t mean that everything could or even should be automated. However, implementing systems that enable omni-channel support – so that all details of the conversation can be easily linked and customers can skip across channels – will make it easier for both you and your customers.

“Technological developments over recent years mean that you could be able to improve life for your people and your customers.”

Contact centres take all kinds of forms. They can be managed in many ways and no one size fits all when it comes to dealing with customers. That’s why there are big in-house contact centres, hidden contact centres, and many different specialist outsourcers who deal with specific sectors or tasks – and often in ways that can give a competitive edge. Knowing which approach will help you to gain your competitive edge is critical.

Importantly, technological developments over recent years mean that you could be able to improve life for your people and your customers, reducing the impact on your business and the cost of servicing your customers. But wholesale automation is not the answer for all. And may never be, five, ten or many years from now.

Want to chat further?

Drop us a line. A problem shared is a problem halved and we love to share our expertise, whether you’re a client or not.

I recently had the pleasure of spending the afternoon at Masons of Yorkshire, seeing their distillery, and tasting their fantastic gins. It was a birthday gift from earlier in the year, I’ve long been a fan of Masons and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. No I’ve not started a Tripadvisor review in error, indulge me a few minutes and you’ll understand where I’m headed.

I was already familiar with some elements of their story, not the origins and the growth of a following before the decision to make a gin of their own came about which was great to understand, but I was familiar with their growth to a point when their distillery was destroyed in a fire, only for their team, local community and other distillers ensured they rebuilt and continued to grow.

“It’s destroyed I think but it’s just a building, everyone got out safely that’s what matters.”

So, within 24 hours of the fire in April 2019 the team were gathered in the kitchen of Karl and Cathy Mason to ensure they were moving forward and rebuilding and right there we have an example of resilience that is required to be a success, whilst a story itself that we could explore, I want to focus now on what I learned from Angela who guided us through the tasting experience.

This wasn’t the first time we’d been to a tasting, but this one unpicked several elements in a different context, first the quality of a product. One of the guests was raising the question of cost versus that of the long-established gin brands, why should he pay the extra? Having been talked through the distilling process and understanding the quality of the product you could see his mood change, the sourcing of the best ingredients/botanicals, switching supply to procure from the location that delivered consistent flavour, all natural, no concentrates, nothing that takes away from the clarity of the product. A true “London dry” flavour added only through the distillation process, not after.

So how does this relate to my contact centre operation?

OK, here goes, first, ensure you know your strengths, what makes your service or sales operations great, what mix of knowledge, talent, systems, and processes are required so that your customers are left with a warm glow, but with no bitter aftertaste and certainly not an experience that ends with a headache.

Next, think about what you mix best with.  We’ve all seen these pictures of glasses filled with fruit and herbs, is it a drink or a fruit cocktail?  Whilst in my work and day to day life those who know me understand how organised I like to be, however if I’m honest the notion of needing to fill a glass with fruit to make a drink feels like a waste of effort and planning to me, it always has and now I know why.

I get it now, these are probably marketing efforts to mask a less good product, if you buy the cheaper or wrong one, it may not taste as good as people hoped, therefore they feel the need to add to it and make it more palatable.

Therefore, taking the time to learn what little, subtle additions to your blend of sales or service you require to optimise is key, you mist likely don’t need a whole fruit basket, a small addition can make all the difference, as I saw when we were asked to remove the small piece of orange zest and replace with lemon instead.  Who would think my warming flavours ideal for winter would be removed and replaced with something more fruit based and summer like (I quickly swapped back to the orange).

Drink responsibly

On many levels, of course this statement is true, this article is not intended to encourage drinking or alcohol consumption in the literal sense of course, I do have alcohol free gin in the cupboard too and enjoy a just tonic with ice to be honest.

However, in the context of running operations, there are clear parallels here, making the decision to consume the wrong services from technology or outsource partners can be bad for your health, therefore understanding if you need to add anything to your glass, whether a little bit of orange zest in the form of tech or people to support you with increased winter demand, a little lemon to provide additional energy or expertise in call handling, or even some ginger to get to the root of your issues and understand what you need to do.

How far is far in a CX sense?

A key takeaway for me though was something I’d not thought about, in previous tasting experiences, there has been an angle of, “we put this tonic with this gin” so the tonics are already flavoured, there is still an element of adding the zest etc but by having multiple flavours of tonic we add complexity and limit flexibility.

Once you’ve added something very specific to your mix, if you don’t like it, then you have few options open to you.  Using a generic tonic and adding flavour through the zest, herbs or lemongrass it turns out (who knew) you retain flexibility to try something and change it before you have over committed, like the example with switching orange to lemon, to ensure that you are getting what you need.

Only put in what you want, it’s your glass!

Know what you want and what you need to get the right mix for your customers, if you need help with this there are people who have developed the skills to guide you through the process, however they should ensure that they understand what you are looking for, what your tastes are and should offer you the flexibility to align to your specific needs.

Even within CX, Sales, Retentions or Collections there will be alternatives that work best for you, whether that is support you need with people or technology, in-house or outsource, never has the term “what can I get you?” been as complex as it is currently with the growth in technology solutions and outsource locations that we have seen in recent years.

Understand that your customer though may have differing tastes to your own and indeed to each other, therefore you may need to be able to switch it up, so be careful not to make your approach inflexible, if automating ensure you have an appropriate escape route.

Is it time to mix things up?

Tired of the same old thing, maybe it is time to try something different, perhaps you need a more refreshing conversation? If so, drop us a line at the Contact Centre Panel, we can help you find the right mix for you.

I sometimes wonder if we have reached a point in our evolutionary journey where there is little that is new in the world, just different ways of getting to the same outcome?  

A recurring theme for me in recent years has been the proverb “if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”.  

Clearly, this proverb was new to me at some point, but has been around for some time. As an advocate of outsourcing and the value of partnerships it really did resonate with me. It just made sense; using the experience of the collective to deliver a better outcome.   

What’s new to me, you may have done several times before.  So, sharing in the experience of others could help us get further than by trying to go it alone. The solo journey may initially have less friction, with nobody to challenge how I’m approaching things I could make all kinds of fast progress – but admittedly in the wrong direction!  

I’ve written recently about the value which can be achieved by focusing on your core activity, working with partners and leveraging the skills of specialists can enable a business to develop or reduce costs for example.   

But what if we cannot decide our direction?  

That’s the challenge for many organisations and it’s not surprsing. We’ve just been through what feels like eight years of continued uncertainty in the wake of the Brexit referendum, a global pandemic, conflict, and the resulting economic impacts, followed by the past 12 months which have seen unparalleled development in technology.    

That feels like a lot, right? So perhaps currently it may feel better to just hold station and wait a while?  The promise of automation that is here and about to be delivered could make decisions taken today feel dated by tomorrow?   

But indecision and just doing the same is never really an option is it?  What are your objectives, what is the ambition of your organisation? Working with others makes the achievement of these much easier.  For once I’m going to suggest forgetting your immediate customer experience goals for a moment, instead think of your headline business objectives – where does your business need to be 12, 24, 36 or 60 months from now?  

Sometimes we all need a little help  

A key strength is knowing your own weaknesses and being able to ask for support. Arrogantly assuming we have all the answers never ends well.  If you know where you need to be headed at the highest level, then the strategy to get you there can take an amount of focus – and when you are trying to deliver the day to day, implementing change can be hard.   

Often, we already know what needs our attention and what we’d like to do differently. But when there are competing priorities and differing options for solving challenges, all promising to do exactly what you need, then it can be hard to determine what’s the right option for you.  

Building your own solution when there are proven ones can be troublesome, even adapting what comes out of the box can be expensive, too, as we saw when Birmingham Council tried

So why not work with others to ensure that you deliver your objectives with minimal effort and maximum focus? Partnering with others brings multiple benefits,  

The key is to have the right commercial agreements to ensure that your objectives are aligned and you can work as a true partnership, as outlined in Steve Sullivan’s recent article ‘Is the traditional outsourcing contract past its ‘sell by’ date?‘.

How far is far in a CX sense?

Whether you are an organisation with an inhouse contact centre, or if you are an outsourcer or have an operation that you have outsourced already, the rapid changes in technology and their impact to customer experience means that you have to be clear “how high is high”.  

Additionally, what is “high” for one organisation may not be for another, we perhaps need to talk in the sense of what is optimum instead?  Your service ambitions may be linked to cost as opposed to quality, it comes down to the value of the product and the budget of course, so delivery should be optimal.   

All customers change their expectations based on the all the different services that they receive from multiple brands. Each helps set the expectation for the next and the changing technologies alter what is available to be delivered.  

Ask yourself realistically:

  1. How much automation do your customers want?
  2. Have you already moved to self-service everything that your customers will tolerate?  
  3. Do you really know which processes cause the most friction for your customers? 
  4. Do you always have people available to engage with your customers when they need support? 
  5. Can you afford to always have people available? Do you want to?  

 We could continue with the questions, however you get my point.

Conclusion

If you are about to set out on a journey to do things differently are all the potential stakeholders in your business in the right place to deliver for you?  

The level of change that we are seeing at the moment means that there are likely to be areas where your existing team may not recognise where they have blind-spots. But these are good people – they have done good things for your organisation and want to do more. Never underestimate the benefits of them working with specialists and learning from them, they will repay your investment in them if done in the right way.  

 Always consider what opportunity there is for knowledge transfer to your teams and how this can deliver additional value. 

Why not ask us to travel with you?

Working with partners offers the ability to look at things from additional angles, consolidating understanding and benefiting from wider experiences. If you have a thorny topic or challenge that your organisation is facing then why not ask the Contact Centre Panel team for a chat?

Let me play with the stereotypes for a moment when it comes to what different people think of when it comes to growth. We all think it, so someone should say it:

  1. Finance will be more focused on revenue growth from either selling more to existing customers or winning new ones;
  2. Marketing may consider the growth in brand recognition as a key in delivering that growth;
  3. HR will want to see the growth of the people that they are developing and progressing; AND
  4. Operations, well they are the lucky ones, they have to deliver all kinds of growth and balance the needs of the business and the people!

I know I’m biased because I started my contact centre life in Ops, at the “coal face” “on the phones” – however, our industry whether in-house or outsource plays a key part in the lives of the end customers, in the representation of brands and in the delivery of authenticity. Ultimately, sales projections and forecast customer retention rates can quickly fail to materialise if the customer service team don’t deliver on the brand promise.

Contact centre traditions

Where contact centres have always excelled is tracking data, the joys of an ACD. 25 years ago we had access to data that other sectors would have only dreamed of, then we had all this information in agents heads from the customer conversations they were having, the people on the phones were hearing of all manner of issues that customers were facing and still do.

Quality and coaching was a little harder, we knew when our calls were being recorded for training and monitoring purposes as “Arthur” would be sat at the end of the floor with a Sony tape recorder, so we knew today was possibly the day. Feedback and coaching would follow, but was limited to the 5 calls that had been recorded for you in the month and often you’d receive feedback on multiple at once. Growth was possible but perhaps limited…

Daily performance stats had to be pulled from the system, pasted into Excel and a macro run. I can remember when we got out first NICE call recorder and then implementing Witness with screen capture – it was the future.

The present day

Jumping back to the present day, I’m fortunate now to see a great number of contact centre technologies and tools. When one such technology was described to be as “Fitbit for contact centres” I was immediately curious. What follows (like with most) is you see a demo of the solution and you can immediately see how you would have implemented it when in operations and the benefits that it delivers, how it supports the whole team in the delivery of their roles and actively tracks the impact of coaching interventions. It then becomes clear that this is a solution developed by someone who has first-hand experience of the challenges faced by teams in operations.

Infact, Rob and the team at miPerform have developed a solution which no matter how often I see in demo, I’m left envious of the current team leader and ops manager population that I didn’t have access to this when I was a team lead.

Growth is not only good for you, but also good for your employees and customers alike

Current solutions have the ability to evaluate more contacts on your behalf and flag to you those that need closer attention, to identify the coaching required and track performance following delivery.

Whilst this may feel focused on the benefits to the customer and the business, it actually provides the opportunity for growth in the agent and manager populations. This will lead to more readily identifying growth opportunities and ultimately staff who are supported, developed and grow will feel more inclined to stay and therefore grow their experience and deliver better service to customers.

When customers receive better service they stay and may spend more, which delivers the growth the Finance team are looking for.

Which means?

Driving sustainable growth requires key systems and processes to track performance and deliver the right coaching at the right time, to ensure that those processes and interventions had the desired impact, that staff are supported and then if your people are growing well you can confidently grow your business.

Are you too looking at ways to deliver growth? Drop us a line, we would love to chat with you.