Deloitte has issued a biennial report that identifies trends that are impacting customer/client contact center operations. The respondents surveyed by Deloitte represented both internal- and external-facing contact centers. This blog post summarizes some key trends outlined in the report.
Outsourcing Is on the Rise
According to the report, the number of respondents expecting to outsource a portion of their contact center functions is expected to grow to 64% in the next two years, which represents an increase of 6% from those currently outsourcing any contact center capabilities.
The respondents believe that outsourcing will allow their service organizations to manage fluctuating volumes of requests while providing consistency across all service channels and hours of operations.
Transformation through Cloud Migration
The report found that in the past two years, the number of respondents moving many of their contact center solutions to the cloud has increased, including solutions for analytics, customer relationship management (CRM), knowledge management, interaction recording, and workforce management.
The benefits of moving contact center solutions to the cloud are the same as with moving other systems and solutions to the cloud: cloud-based solutions allow for greater scalability while keeping costs in check.
Use of AI
It is no surprise that contact center leaders have implemented or are planning to implement artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, such as chatbots and virtual voice assistants. In fact, the report found that “[t]wo in three companies said they expect to use an external partner for conversational AI and/or CRM management within the next two years.”
The implementation of AI tools has its challenges, some of which are noted in the report, and it is important to note that any use of AI should be consistent with an organization’s policies.
Connected Channels
The majority (69%) of companies surveyed are planning to expand their use of various service channels in the next two years, including web, chat, email, text, social media, and other forms of communications in addition to traditional mail and phone channels. One of the challenges in utilizing multiple service channels is that service channels can be isolated from one another, and there is no view into a customer’s experience on other channels.
Because of this challenge, the report found that many companies are engaging in a “right-channeling strategy," meaning that the organization’s technology directs customers to the most efficient channel to address a particular need, while also connecting the service experience to other channels as necessary. This strategy also has the benefit of directing customers to the lowest cost service solution, and the report states that 39% of respondents have said they have been able to “successfully replace phone calls with engagement in less-expensive and/or more convenient channels.”