Today, superior customer service is synonymous with satisfied and loyal customers. Quality customer support drives profits and ensures operational success. However, with changes in technology and customer behavior, businesses have had to adapt to a changing landscape and rethink how they offer support. Traditional call center operations are experiencing a massive overhaul as companies pivot to more customer-centered approaches.
Virtual call center solutions offer companies the ability to improve customer support, reduce operational costs, and increase productivity. Let’s look at how a virtual call center can improve customer service.
Differentiated Customer Experience
Throughout the history of contact center operations, customers have long relied on the telephone to communicate with businesses. However, with changing technology and innovation today, customers no longer seek service and support through traditional methods. Many customers reach out to companies through live chats, SMS, email, social media, and other avenues. While the telephone remains the primary method for customer support operations, the landscape is changing. Modern call center operations must integrate multichannel communication tools to adapt to customer demands.
Virtual call center software allows companies to improve customer service by offering a differentiated, personalized experience. Customers can reach contact center agents through various methods, giving them a choice and voice in how they receive support. Businesses with virtual call center operations improve the customer experience over traditional call center phone operations.
Actionable Data
Virtual call center software goes beyond the call logs of traditional contact centers. Software solutions provide managers and business leaders with insightful data about call center operations. The software collects and transmits information related to agent performance, response times, customer wait times, satisfaction ratings, and other useful data. Customer service agents and business leaders can target specific areas to improve customer service operations using this information.
Reduced Wait Times
One of the biggest things customers complain about is call center wait times. It can be very frustrating if a customer has to wait for an extended period to have a question answered or an issue resolved. Virtual call center technology is designed to help companies reduce wait times and improve customer satisfaction. Interactive voice response technology allows businesses to use artificial intelligence-powered bots to handle several customer inquiries automatically. An automated operator provides a menu and several interactive options when a customer’s call is answered. Based on the customer’s responses, the automated operator can assist with many issues without needing a live agent.
Automated operators can reduce wait times across the entire system by handling low-level inquiries and freeing up agents to handle more complex issues. Additionally, when a call is routed to a customer support agent by the system, all of the information and data collected during the initial interaction is forwarded to the agent to improve efficiency and productivity.
Increased Support Opportunities
One of the limitations of a traditional call center is that it is often limited by traditional business hours and workdays. When call centers are closed, customers often have to wait hours or days before getting the support they need. However, virtual call centers can remove the barriers of limited customer service hours. As discussed, artificial intelligence bots can handle numerous issues without the need for a live agent. As a result, many customers can receive basic support 24 hours a day. Aside from this, however, virtual call center software uses voice over internet protocol technology to route calls through the internet rather than phone lines. This means that companies can utilize remote call center agents.
Remote agents can access customer service operations wherever an internet connection is available. With agents working across a vast network, customer service can be offered without regard to time zones or operating hours. Virtual call centers harness the power of a remote workforce to expand customer service opportunities.
Utilizing innovation, technology, and remote call center agents, customer support operations are taking advantage of the fourth industrial revolution. Virtual call center software can improve service, customer satisfaction, productivity, and profits.