We live in the age of “right now.” Customers and executives alike demand to see instant results, whether that be immediate connection to an agent, quick resolution of customer inquiries, etc. From a business standpoint, having real-time details about the operations of all contact centers is of the utmost importance, as the failure to address problems in a timely manner could have a huge impact on revenue.
The solution is a simple one though: contact centers can gain a deeper insight through real-time, personalized dashboards and reporting. The ability of contact centers to identify issues, train agents effectively, and optimize performance is greatly damaged when they do not have access to real-time analytics from which to constantly benchmark. So what are the consequences of getting contact center analytics even a day late?
The Inability to Monitor Agent Performance and Train Effectively
When receiving agent data weeks, days, or even hours later, contact centers cannot proactively identify inefficiencies and improve agent performance. As you’re well aware, training is an ongoing process, but when managers are unable to pinpoint performance issues immediately, agents will continue making the same mistakes until notified. Furthermore, by immediately informing agents of performance mistakes, such actions will be fresh in their mind and they can adjust their performance quickly, as in for their next customer engagement.
The Inability to Identify Issues in a Timely Manner
If your contact center is not performing well, managers will find out too late. As customer sales and support inquiries continue to pour in, contact center inefficiencies will continue to accumulate, affecting not only agents, but the customer experience as well. By not acting quickly to alleviate operational issues, the chances of unsatisfied customers and a loss of potential business increases. The difference between being able to react in 30 seconds and one hour could cost millions.
Agents Lack Vital Information
It isn’t just management that benefits from real-time reporting. Having vital information readily available to agents is important to respond instantly to customer questions and demands. Not only will the agent’s inability to answer questions or serve needs impact customer satisfaction, but agent performance will decline. Real-time reporting reduces both customer and agent effort, and that change will be reflected in customer satisfaction ratings and in the attitude at the workplace.
Customer service, whether it be over the phone, through email, SMS, or in a store, is vital to company growth. Of companies that have strong customer service capabilities and competencies, 81% are consistently outperforming their competition. Companies should jump at any chance to improve their customer service and operations, and real-time reporting is a crucial first step.
Want to put real-time analytics to work for your business? Start here.