Getting Into Contact Center Automation? You’ll Need a Strategic Framework First

Deciding to make the move to automation is one thing. Knowing where to start is another. No doubt you’ve done your homework—read the latest blogs and eBooks like 5 Ways to Drive Calls Out of Your Call Center— yet you still can’t quite figure out how to get started.  

That’s why you need to build a strategic framework for self-service.  Remember, automation does not replace a human connection. It augments it. By following a guided approach for building a strategic framework, you’ll be able to distinguish the simple from complex and work out what exactly makes the most sense to automate. Creating your framework is as simple as two steps.  

Step 1: Dial in on Demographics

Consider the demographic of your caller—and your industry. A West Interactive Services CX Marks the Spot study found that customers’ likelihood to embrace a shift to self-service depends on the service provided.¹  

Take the Government Services/Healthcare sector, for example. While there is a larger appetite for interactive channels including online chat, self-help, etc., fewer customers are open to a mobile platform or social media forum. By contrast, in the Automotive sector, the appetite for a mobile solution is much greater, with fewer customers seeking agent-assisted channels.  

When it comes to age, non-Millennials (ages 35+) are 5 to 7 percent more likely to seek a traditional service channel—phone, email, in-person, chat or self-help–whereas a Millennial is 5 to 6 percent more likely to use a mobile or social media platform for customer service. Knowing your audience is step one to establishing the roadmap for self-service automation.  

Launch your self-service engagement strategy early on, leveraging your customers’ profiles. Let this drive your decisions regarding how, when and where to market and engage customers on the available self-service channel options. After all, you want to bring the greatest value–targeting the right interaction solution for the right customer.  

Step 2: Revisit Customer Data

Take a look at what you already know about your customers and their habits. Investigate who is repeatedly calling and why. Is the solution they seek available in a self-service channel? For example – are they calling for password resets, package tracking, balance checking or updating personal account details? If the task generated by the customer inquiry requires a relatively low level of abstract thinking or autonomous problem solving, then it is more suitable for automation.  

Then, analyze how many callers are currently using self-service channels and when. Are the self-service solutions robust enough? Are they geared toward the right transaction or customer base? Is there a defect in the process resulting in a false sense of resolution?  

While originally designed for repeat contact reduction, the same steps work for all contacts. Identify contact reasons, develop solutions, check in to see that the plan is working and act to achieve lasting results. You now have a repeatable practice to take you through the customer lifecycle and remove waste from the customer experience.  

Drawing conclusions from the data you already have positions you for a meaningful conversation about where to go with the automation of your business processes.  

Still need help? Consider consulting a professional Customer Experience Transformation and Analytics Team.  For information about how Alorica could help, click here.  

SOURCES

1. http://www.customerexperienceinsight.com/when-customers-want-self-serve-and-when-they-dont/