Tag: Customer Experience

Business, Collaborating, Customer Experience, Customer Focus, productivity

When is a Contact Centre, NOT a Contact Centre

Imagine asking 100 people to describe a Contact Centre. Most would likely envision a bustling office space with employees wearing headsets, sitting in front of computers, and handling phone calls. This common perception, however, limits our understanding of what a contact center truly is and inadvertently excludes other businesses from recognizing themselves as part of this ecosystem.

Yet, there’s a missed opportunity in this narrow perspective. Consider the remarkable advancements in Contact Center Technology.

Technology evolves rapidly, often leaving us struggling to keep up. Just think about the capabilities packed into your latest iPhone or Android device—it’s more powerful than the technology that once took us to the moon.

The ongoing technology revolution brings both complexity and immense capability. Unfortunately, the terminology itself sometimes leads to exclusion, preventing businesses from realizing the substantial benefits available.

Consider this scenario: A business leader or owner dismisses the idea of using contact center technology because their company doesn’t fit the traditional contact center mold.

Remember, every business relies on customers for survival. These very customers interact with your business, reaching out and receiving responses. Are you following so far? Excellent.

These customers are part of the same ever-changing cycle as we are. They, too, embrace technological shifts. Moreover, consider how the demographics of your customer base influence the transition from “real-time live voice” conversations to more digital, near-real-time, or asynchronous interactions—think WhatsApp and similar channels.

Ignore these changes at your peril, because we all know that customers will vote with their feet if you are not able to offer them the flexibility and choice that they demand of us.

This is not about Tech for Tech sake, but embracing the inevitable change that is happening with or without us. 

A word of caution, however. Do make sure that you plan this well and consider the fallout should you get this wrong. And some of the wrongest (I know, but it felt right to use the word) implementations are from some of the largest companies on the planet – why – I can only surmise that they feel they CAN, because they are the 400lb gorilla – but we all know they are wrong don’t we.

So my advice would be to dip your toe in the water and introduce these emerging DIGITAL channels into your NON-CONTACT CENTRE businesses and do it well. Making sure that you are not building them in siloes, but doing it in a joined up and connected way (Omnichannel) that keeps real people at the heart of the changes – your staff and your customers. 

Equally I would also investigate how AUTOMATION can better serve your customers – including Artificial Intelligence solutions using Generative AI. Although there is a place for less sophistication for some interactions 

Want some help and advice – just ask. I don’t bite, even as a Leicester Tigers 🐯supporter 😜

Business, Customer Experience

What is OMNICHANNEL and why would I need it

Omni-channel contact centre solutions are becoming increasingly popular for customer engagement because they provide a seamless experience for customers across multiple channels.

This means that companies have to think more carefully about every touchpoint they have with their clients. An omnichannel strategy will help you create a path for a smooth customer journey and move ahead of the competition when done correctly.

An omnichannel contact centre is a strategic hub within the business that allows brands to provide customer service across multiple channels in real time, providing a seamless customer journey. For example, a customer journey might begin on one channel, such as SMS, and seamlessly continue on another channel, such as a live agent conversation using voice (a traditional call).

Omnichannel customer service aims to provide a seamless customer experience across multiple channels by integrating them within a single system. This gives customer service agents a comprehensive view of a customer’s interactions; enabling them to answer queries more effectively and efficiently, and using other emerging technologies like AI, agents can also receive prompts and next-best-action information on-the-fly.

In summary, an omnichannel contact centre solution will help businesses improve their customer engagement by providing a seamless experience across multiple channels and enabling agents to answer queries more effectively and efficiently.

Business, Customer Experience

Evolving Beyond the Contact Centre:

Embracing Omnichannel Customer Engagement

In today’s fast-paced and interconnected world, the way businesses interact with their customers has undergone a remarkable transformation.

Gone are the days when a “contact centre” referred solely to a physical location where customers made phone calls for support or inquiries. The advent of technology and the rise of multiple communication channels have rendered the term “contact centre” somewhat outdated. Instead, we now find ourselves in an era of omnichannel customer engagement, where businesses must adapt to effectively cater to customers across various platforms. In this blog post, we will explore the evolving nature of customer interactions and the need to embrace a more comprehensive approach to customer engagement.

Old style telephony operators ~1950
Just logging on

The Expanding Horizon of Customer Engagement: 

In the past, businesses primarily relied on telephone communication to handle customer interactions. The term “contact centre” emerged to describe a centralised hub where agents managed incoming and outgoing phone calls. However, the rise of digital channels, such as email, chat, social media, and messaging apps, has expanded the scope of customer engagement beyond traditional telephony. Customers now expect seamless experiences across multiple channels, demanding prompt responses and personalized interactions.

The Limitations of the Traditional Contact Centre Model: 

The traditional contact centre model, designed primarily for voice-based interactions, falls short in meeting the demands of modern customers. Relying solely on phone calls limits the efficiency and effectiveness of customer service operations. Customers may prefer different channels based on their preferences, urgency, or the complexity of their issues. Failing to provide a cohesive and consistent experience across all channels can lead to frustration, dissatisfaction, and potentially losing customers to competitors who prioritize omnichannel engagement.

Embracing Omnichannel Customer Engagement: 

To adapt to the evolving landscape of customer interactions, businesses must embrace omnichannel customer engagement. This approach focuses on seamlessly integrating all customer touchpoints, whether through phone calls, emails, live chats, social media, or any other relevant communication channel. By doing so, companies can provide a unified and consistent experience across platforms, ensuring that customers receive the same level of support and engagement regardless of the channel they choose.

Benefits of Omnichannel Customer Engagement:

  1. Enhanced Customer Experience: Omnichannel engagement allows businesses to provide a more personalized, convenient, and consistent experience to their customers. Customers can effortlessly transition between channels while maintaining the context of their interactions, leading to increased satisfaction and loyalty.
  2. Improved Efficiency and Productivity: By leveraging the power of automation, artificial intelligence, and unified customer data, businesses can streamline their customer service processes. Agents can access comprehensive customer information across channels, enabling them to resolve issues faster, reduce handling times, and ultimately increase productivity.
  3. Deeper Customer Insights: An omnichannel approach enables businesses to gather valuable data and insights about customer preferences, behaviours, and pain points. These insights can be leveraged to develop more targeted marketing strategies, refine products and services, and identify opportunities for improvement.
  4. Competitive Advantage: Embracing omnichannel customer engagement is becoming increasingly crucial in a highly competitive market. Businesses that prioritize seamless interactions across channels differentiate themselves, attract and retain more customers, and build a strong brand reputation.

The term “contact centre” perhaps no longer encapsulates the breadth and depth of customer engagement in today’s business landscape. To meet the expectations of modern customers, companies must evolve beyond the limitations of a single-channel approach and embrace omnichannel customer engagement. By seamlessly integrating various communication channels, businesses can deliver a superior customer experience, drive efficiency, gain valuable insights, and gain a competitive edge. The future of customer engagement lies in the ability to adapt and cater to customers wherever they are, on whichever channel they prefer.

This also means that for many organisations, a shift in thinking from:

“We don’t have a contact centre”, to:

“Yes, we absolutely engage with customers across many different channels and need to embrace technology to ensure we meet the customers’ needs and expectations”.

Business, channel, Customer Experience, partnership, productivity

New to reseller market:  Daktela UK – One App for All your Business Communications

October 2022: Omnichannel Contact Centre provider Daktela UK announces collaboration with Trust Partner Services, a move which will open significant new business opportunities for a select number of channel partners in the UK.

Daktela UK is an experienced player in the cloud contact centre market. Established in 2010, their senior leadership team have worked in the contact centre industry for over 30 years selling solutions through direct and indirect sales channels.

Daktela have an ambitious recruitment campaign underway with a mission to establish a small number of strategic partnerships within the UK channel reseller community. 

Differentiation is a critical component for resellers, and Daktela enables their partners to do exactly that – instead of being one of several bids with the same technology offer, Daktela is both unique and incredibly functional and feature-rich, across the small to mid-enterprise customer space.

To ensure that they connect with the best possible channel partners, they have engaged Trust Partner Services to guide them.

“We are excited to grow our footprint in the UK with Trust Partner Services. Daktela has the best technology at the best price, and we see channel partners playing a significant role in our expansion plans,” said Steve McSherry, UK Country Manager at Daktela UK.

“Sophisticated customers expect a sophisticated experience. Businesses are turning to their providers to source the right technology, but we understand you need to differentiate to remain competitive. With Daktela, resellers can stand out from the crowd and have a real point of difference.” continues Steve McSherry.

Graham Bunting, Founder at Trust Partner Services, said: “Demand is growing for omnichannel as customers demand a better experience. Daktela helps businesses enjoy a more joined-up approach to communications. We will be working with resellers to help deliver this message and explain the benefits of Daktela. Partners can also bring their expertise with Daktela’s open API, creating a joint enterprise that benefits both parties. This, teamed with their staged approach to Contact Centre deployments, gives ultimate flexibility for resellers.”

About Daktela UK

Daktela UK is a leading provider of cloud-based communication, uniquely combining pioneering digital technology with over 30 years of real-world customer experience. They are on a mission to help UK businesses to create extraordinary customer experiences with their flexible, scalable packages. To find out more, contact:  info@daktela.co.uk or visit http://www.daktela.co.uk.

About Trust Partner Services

Trust Partner Services are a niche consultancy specialising in supporting Technology/Voice/Software vendors’ go-to-market strategy and ecosystem building in the UKI & Europe. Founder Graham Bunting’s experience of local markets, and network, is second to none, having worked at partner, distributor, and vendor levels.

To grow your business, we are committed to innovation, partnership, and a relentless focus on what’s next. Simplification, communication, and localisation provide a clear advantage in any market. We are the company you can trust to help you deliver Experiences that Matter to your channels and customers.

For more information – graham@trustpartnerservices.com

Business, Customer Experience, Customer Focus

Why the shift to #Digital is great for humans

If you think this through, it does make absolute sense doesn’t it?

It’s a bit like a multi lane motorway which in theory gives 3 times the road space, and greater capacity for traffic. If there’s a hold up and 2 lanes are closed then huge queues are the result. As the lanes reopen, then traffic stats to flow again.

In a customer contact centre where there are just calls, then there will invariably be call queues due to the maths – 20 agents handling 20 calls and 40 people calling equals waiting and queues – how long the wait will depend upon call times of course. When you add more (#Digital) channels then queues are relieved, as those 40 people waiting might chose a different channel, making a shorter wait time for the remaining callers. When the digital channels provide automation too, then customers opting for self service can achieve a satisfactory outcome without delays, not tying up an agent, and at a time that they choose. More free agents then mean more callers get served faster with less waiting.

What’s not to like?!

An intelligent mix of channels with human agents and digital agents and self service options equals a better human experience.

Agents are able to engage with fewer time pressures from lengthy queues, and callers requiring a more human touch, get shorter wait times.

Better customer experience (#cx) and satisfaction, and ultimately less customer churn.

The caveat

When you’re adding #Digital channels and automation, there are some real gotchas if you’re not careful.

Careful planning and testing are important, as is not trying to do everything at once.

Ensuring that you bring all channels together for orchestrating the customer experience is vital, and absolutely avoid the need for any customer to have to repeat their reason for calling or their identification or verification. This means ensuring that your digital conversation (or voice automation) are persistent, with and channel swapping (by design) retaining context.

Business, channel, Customer Experience, Customer Focus, partnership, productivity

Trust Business Partners and INOVO Partnership

Trust Business Partners and INOVO Partnership

London, 16h February 2020 – Trust Business Partners today announced that it has expanded its strategic partnerships through a new agreement with INOVO, who provide the tech and ongoing optimisation to boost contact centre efficiency, productivity and CX.

Trust Business Partners will be the face of INOVO in UKI & Europe, representing the brand through sales and marketing activity, recruiting new channel partners, systems integrators and creating local European strategic alliances. Trust Business Partners has over 30 years’ experience in the UKI & European contact centre space working directly with customers and partner channels.

INOVO is a cloud contact centre solutions provider that focuses on delivering business results rather than just enablement. The company devotes a dedicated team of industry specialists to every customer account to drive continuous improvements in efficiency, productivity and CX. INOVO’s clients vary from 10 to a few thousand seats across several sectors such as: financial services, retail, telecoms, healthcare, BPO, hospitality and travel.

INOVO was established in 2006 after a group of experienced contact centre specialists joined forces to disrupt the contact centre market. By adopting a “partner” over “vendor” approach, the goal was to deliver business services that extended beyond just providing great technology, and really focused on understanding, and meeting a customer’s unique requirements.

“Our success has stemmed from our ability to identify specific business challenges and use cases and be innovative in how we help businesses solve them. We look at a business holistically – whether it’s the underlying processes or the tech – and work with our customers to continually drive improvements. We’re looking forward to working with Trust Business Partners to help deliver this kind of business value to contact centres in UKI and throughout Europe,” said Wynand Smit, CEO and founding partner of INOVO

“Customers today demand well-informed and intelligent business conversations around technology and processes to enhance their contact centre and customer experience. INOVO’s ability to enhance services while improving time to resolution and reducing costs will be very attractive for partner channels seeking to grow additional revenue streams and service customers better. We believe that with this partnership, customers and partners in UKI & Europe will be able to differentiate themselves significantly with INOVO’s unique offer.” said David Pitts, Founder Partner at Trust Business Partners

About INOVO

INOVO is a cloud contact centre solutions provider that focuses on delivering business results rather than just enablement. The company devotes a dedicated team of industry specialists to every customer account to drive continuous improvements in efficiency, productivity and CX. INOVO’s clients vary from 10 to a few thousand seats across several sectors such as: financial services, retail, telecoms, healthcare, BPO, hospitality and travel. For more information, visit https://www.inovo.co.za.

About Trust Business Partners

Trust Business Partners are a niche consultancy specialising in supporting IT/Voice/Software vendors and suppliers go to market strategy in the UKI & Europe. David Pitts and Graham Bunting’s (founding partners) experience of local markets is second to none having worked at partner, distributor and vendor level plus running their own successful businesses.

To grow your business, we’re committed to innovation, partnership, and a relentless focus on what’s next. Simplification, communication and localisation provide a clear advantage in any market. We’re the company you can trust to help you deliver Experiences that Matter to your channels and customers.

Business, Customer Experience, Customer Focus

STOP You’re doing it all wrong

How many of us have used a chatbot on a website when we felt it might be quicker than waiting in the call queue, or in some cases where you just could NOT find a phone number anywhere to call!?

But it was an unmitigated disaster!

The BOT was more of a NOT as it didn’t seem to understand what you were asking for!

Next stop was SOCIAL MEDIA- RIGHT. Facebook and Twitter, and this time a very different experience. But still shocking. You’ve reached the corporate marketing team and they can’t help you with your query, but instead suggest you use the website (doh), or call the Contact Centre.

So far, you’ve got absolutely nowhere and your patience is dwindling….

Thankfully there are genuinely joined up and intelligent solutions available and the “no code” cloud offering from Koopid can be set up, and built in a few days. Critically ALL CHANNELS are orchestrated for a single uninterrupted conversation INCLUDING real agents and with chat persistence.

No more repetition

No more, please dial this number

No more “The Computer Says No”

It’s time to transform your customer experience journeys and remove the barriers to customer intimacy

Go on, ask me to show you, and I’ll be delighted

Can we talk?
Business

If you’re implementing bots to reduce your call volumes, then you’re starting from wrong place

I often observe a wry smile or perhaps a small sneer appear on people faces when I mention the words “chat and chatbots”, and I reckon this is because they have been around long enough now for most of us to have encountered one on a website, and unfortunately most of those experiences have been what I would call SUBOPTIMAL. 

From my perspective this boils down to a bunch of reasons, and a summary list is here to share my viewpoint:

  • Poor implementation.
  • Poor understanding of the customer requirements.
  • Poor technology – often free or low cost DIY.
  • Lack of any integration into business process or workflows.
  • Very binary bot – with zero intelligence. 
  • Business driver is to reduce call volumes to the call centre. 

For me, the right place to be starting, is with an understanding of the customer you serve, and their communication and engagement preferences.

For many of your customers, they will wish to call you, and if there is a queue, some will be ok waiting briefly. For many others, they will not have the patience, and will quickly seek an alternative. So injecting a digital/self-serve option, in the early part of the calling options is a good idea. 

Other groups within your customer base will wish to find a digital engagement option first, and so offering them an INTELLIGENT chat option on the website, as well as via commonly used social channels, is a must. We see huge growth in WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and webchat interactions, as customers seek rapid responses and resolutions, without the need to sit in a call queue. Often there is a resistance to even speaking with someone!

Moreover, customers dislike getting stuck, or isolated on a channel

… and this is where the first generation of dumb chatbots has failed. Should the digital channel hit a snag, then the ability to route the customer immediately to a live agent (critically with the context of the interaction to that point also), is pure gold. Nothing less is acceptable.

So don’t worry if your first generation chatbots are failing, but DO TAKE ACTION and ensure your customers are having the kind of experiences you would want, and you would want them to have.
Unsure how – then drop me a message or call me – you’ll find me here: https://grahambunting.com/findme/

Business

Why “we never get asked for that” is a terrible response

Care to join the debate?

When you are considering your business operations, with a thought for your portfolio of offerings and what your prospective customers seek you out for, do you ever find yourself saying to potential suppliers “we never get asked for that”?

Do you also ever stop to consider why that might be? Could it be that it is so far away from your core business activities that it just wouldn’t happen – e.g. are customers likely to ask an IT reseller for HR assistance? Could it be that your business is seen as a very niche provider? Could it be that you seem unapproachable, or that your skillset is focussed?

Whether or not any of these reasons apply, wouldn’t you like to grow your business by helping more customers solve more business problems and you are their “go-to” person for all advice? For me, “Trusted Advisor” is an extremely aspirational position to be in where your knowledge, experience, and opinions are deemed valuable

Agree? Whats your view?