Many contact centers struggled but survived during the global health pandemic. The very unstable situation called for BPO companies operating to protect their employees from being infected by the COVID-19 while ensuring business endurance. Among their priorities was the delivery of exceptional customer service and sustained back office support amid the troubled times.
Fast forward to the โNew Normalโ, daunting challenges await industry stakeholders and contact center leaders. Henceforth, their objective is to regain the lost momentum following the crisis and adhere to smart practices in the delivery of quality back office services.
Intelligent Automation
According to experts, Intelligent Automation is the combination of cutting-edge technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), process mining (analyzing and tracking processes), and analytics with RPA or Robotic Process Automation. The terms are too technical and complicated. However, the benefits to business are immense.
Why? IA reinforces the formulation of end-to-end methods that lead to robust and flexible operating models for businesses. Supplementing human experience with Intelligent Automation can possibly generate innovation that will free up time of employees from tasks that machines can perform. But it can only be effective if there is a teamwork between Information Technology and other business functions. However, things must not be rushed since hasty execution can result in poor and unsatisfactory customer experience particularly in terms of contact center back office support.
More Tools for Sales Automation
To fast-track recovery and push growth in these sector, it becomes necessary to introduce additional tools for sales automation. AI has the capacity to respond to customer queries on the following concerns:
- Product Specifications
- Recommend Complementary Goods
- Guide Website Visitors to Website Pages
Although chatbots driven by AI cannot replace customer service or contact agents, there is one good use of these computer programs. The chatbot can reduce FAQs and lower the abandonment rates of shopping carts. It replies to questions of consumers in real-time 24 hours daily. Also, these programs collect and organize data of consumer behavior. Thus, agents are better apprised of issues giving them more time to deal with difficult customer service concerns.
Outsourcing will be the Key
More and more businesses will concentrate on revenue generation. This makes back office services even more crucial. The ideal solution will be for management to outsource the critical function to dependable third-party providers. These contractors have the experience and proficiency in delivering efficient back office functions. Moreover, specialized companies utilize analytics, technology, and advanced business approaches in the field of customer support.
In essence, back office support entrusts lower-value business activities to specialized firms in the contact center industry. The contact centers enable their clients to focus on the core operations of the business. It becomes cost-efficient for them as they do not need to hire more employees and avoid capital expenditures such as office lease, salaries, equipment, and others. This is the reason why outsourcing will surely become more popular in the coming decades.