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Stuart O'Brien

Contact Centre & Customer Experience Summit: Join us this July!

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The Contact Centre & Customer Experience Summit takes place on the 7th & 8th July – join us and reconnect with the industry!

Your complimentary pass is entirely flexible – you can join us for both days, or choose a day that suits your needs – Please confirm your attendance here via our online form.

Once submitted, we can start the process of creating your bespoke itinerary that includes your short 1-2-1 meetings and four live webinar sessions that you can view online.

If you have any questions then please contact us today.

5 Minutes With… Davies Group’s Leon Boland

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In the latest instalment of our contact centre industry executive interview series, we spoke to Leon Boland, Director of Learning Experiences Questions (Contact Centre) at Davies Group, about the company, the ongoing impact of COVID-19, opportunities with new technology and the importance of operational KPIs… 

Tell us about your company, products and services.

We are a consultancy rooted in making a difference for our clients. Our solutions are not based on vanity and being the ‘next big idea’, but based on practical, value-based ideas which make a difference to a business and its people and deliver both a positive return on investment and a positive return on expectations.

Our solutions offer a unique blend of digital learning and human led (albeit virtually at the minute) interventions. We have our own team of consultants along with our own inhouse design and video studio. The learning experiences we create and the thought leadership we offer can solve many challenges, in a variety of sectors – across different levels from c-suite executives to front line teams. Our team of people come from the contact centre world, so they get your challenges and understand your vision. They have led and been a part of contact centre teams, and with the addition of consultancy knowledge and thought leadership development – they are based placed to help you fix and grow.

What have been the biggest challenges the Contact Centre/Customer Services industry has faced over the past 12 months?

We have seen two key stand out challenges over the past 12 months linked to learning. Learning initially went on the back burner due to the significant challenge of converting business models to be virtual, then after about 6 months businesses started to focus on the future again and we observed two key challenges, the first being the need to develop leaders to manage virtual and hybrid teams and the second being onboarding. We feel there is still more to do around managing hybrid teams and we are supporting clients with this with our tactical leading hybrid teams workshop package, which is proving successful. The second challenge of onboarding was already a challenge before covid as they are often dated, delivered in person, lengthy and not always KPI focused. There is now the immediate need is how do we sustain headcount whilst onboarding people virtually or needing people competent quicker, KPI focused onboarding transformations is something we are passionate about and do well, we are continue to support clients in this area.

And what have been the biggest opportunities?

We would say clients realising that learning can be flexible and should still happen, using virtual classroom, digital or a blend of both. We have been encouraging this for some time now.

What is the biggest priority for the Contact Centre/Customer Services industry in 2021?

Onboarding Transformations, they simply can not continue being so facilitator classroom heavy, not focusing on operational KPIs from day one, lacking true customer experience skills and speed to competence being beyond 6 months. The demand for agents to be competent quicker, more efficient onboarding experience, delivering exceptional CX and operational savvy from day one is certainly a requirement for the clients we partner with, however we also know the appetite is there for internal learning teams but the challenge is they are already overstretched and at capacity.

What are the main trends you are expecting to see in the market in 2021?

We see the demand for contact centre sales and service increasing, consumers are even more used to shopping virtually, so want to be serviced virtually. This includes via different omni-channels and businesses are very focused on tech and automation which is great, but it is important we don’t neglect the humans and the need to evolve agents’ skills is essential. Another curious question is will the need for capacity increase or will tech help balance this? Either way it is important to start thinking about how talent is onboarded.

In 2025 we’ll all be talking about…?

At the minute, the same as we have been talking about for the past 5 years, we find we have a habit of talking about the future, especially in learning but are we truly planning to get us there? The hype over the past few years has been about digital learning and VR in learning, something we have rolled eyes at for some time. Digital learning has its place and it is all about creating the right learning experience and not doing digital for the sake of it, covid has helped us excel the use of digital learning (finally!) but has it gone too far? VR however is something that was the next big thing 2/3 years ago, and now we hardly hear about it in learning. It isn’t always cost effective and results effective for contact centres.

So, I support our thoughts are, what SHOULD we be talking about and we feel the focus should be on deliver outstanding customer experience to retain and deliver on revenue. Organisations that truly put their customers first stand out, with social media being a platform to advocate on, it can also have the opposite effect. Consumers expect more and will continue to expect more. So our question to you is, are you preparing your learning strategy to help underpin your TOM?

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learnt about the Contact Centre/Customer Services sector?

This was a tough one to answer, I would say initially surprising was how resilient people who work in this sector are, they are also unsung heroes a lot of the time.

You go to the bar at the Contact Centre Summit – what’s your tipple of choice?

Gin, defo gin. Actually, I also don’t mind a fizz or two?

What’s the most exciting thing about your job?

I would say getting the opportunity to partner with so many incredible clients globally to deliver results driven learning. We get insights into so many brands to see the great work they are doing. I feel my team and I are pretty dam lucky!

And what’s the most challenging?

This is a tough one, but I would say the skill in convincing operational senior leaders that learning is essential and whilst it can seem like a big investment initially, if done right the ROI should always cover the investment and more.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

The importance of becoming operationally savvy by getting under the skin of operational KPIs and the running of a contact centre, as this will be essential for my credibility when delivering CX/ Contact Centre learning solutions. I would say it is some of the best career advice I ever had, especially at the level I work at with our clients.

Succession or Stranger Things?

Stranger Things 😊

Lower Costs and Improve Customer Service with Text Messaging

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By mGage

When it comes to customer service, consumers expect speed, convenience, and flexibility. By leveraging text messaging for customer service, you can be available when and where your customers need to reach you.

Top companies use text messaging for many customer service applications, including…

  • Fraud Alerts
  • One-Time Passwords (OTP)
  • Balance Checks
  • Payment Reminders
  • Payment Confirmation
  • Appointment Management
  • Customer Surveys
  • Package Delivery
  • Shipping Receipts

…and more! Keep reading to learn why texting is such a popular choice for customer service and how it benefits companies and consumers alike.

Your Customers Want to Reach You Via Text Message

Texting is a fast, convenient platform that customers already have access to and use daily. A May 2020 Dimensional Research survey found that offering text messaging for customer service is still relatively uncommon, with only 43% of survey respondents indicating that they offer this channel.

This is surprising because customers and brands alike have positive sentiments towards text messaging. The same study found that 73% of internet users rated their last experience text messaging a customer service agent as good or excellent, and 58% of companies said it has reduced costs.

Customers may have once hesitated to let companies reach them on a channel they typically use for personal communications, but not anymore. Data from Omnisend shows that the engagement rate of text messaging continues to climb on an annual basis. Consumers clicked on links in SMS messages an average of 9.8% of the time. This is impressive, considering the average click-through rate for emails is 2.5%[1]

With texting, you can integrate automation with human-touch for faster response times and higher customer satisfaction while also lowering costs.

How Does Using Text Messaging for Customer Service Improve Satisfaction?

Consumers increasingly seek out fast and easy messaging options in their interactions with companies. Two-thirds of people said they’re only willing to wait on hold for two minutes or less, and 13% said that there’s no acceptable amount of time to wait on hold[1].  With messaging, customers can reach your company immediately on their own terms.

With text messaging, you can take the following actions that are linked to higher customer satisfaction…

  •  Personalize your messages based on contact data
  •  Know your customers by collecting information throughout the texting process
  •  Integrate with your CRM and other providers using SMS APIs
  •  Enable Self-Service with automated responses and workflows
  •  Send Automated Reminders about automatic renewals, upcoming charges, and more
  •  Get Feedback with interactive, customizable surveys

How Does Using Texting for Customer Service Lower Costs?

Offering text messaging as an option for customer assistance reduces costs in many ways, some more obvious than others. The average customer service phone call costs about $16, whereas the average text thread costs between $1 to $5 per interaction[1] (including cost of the care agent’s time).

Text messaging can also significantly reduce missed appointments, which are a massive expense for many industries. For medical providers, missed appointments cost $150 billion annually in the United States alone[2]. Text message appointment reminders have been shown to lower no-show rates by 38% and reduce rescheduled or canceled appointments to less than 5%[3].

Automation can be used to address common concerns, like account balances or shipping status, which saves on cost and improves customer satisfaction because answers to time-sensitive questions are immediate.

Companies save money by using texting to…

  •  Decrease inbound calls
  •  Reduce missed appointments
  •  Enable automated updates and account management
  •  Offer real-time status on mobile orders, deliveries, bills, payments, issues/outages, and more

Case Study: Financial Services Company Delivers 80 Million Customer Messages Annually

One of the world’s largest financial services companies needed a way to deflect low-priority requests from around the world away from their busy call center. They hoped to also reduce costs and improve customer satisfaction.

The company implemented text messaging to enable payment confirmations, request one-time passwords, send critical account alerts, and more. By leveraging mGage’s SMS APIs, they have generated a 10 percent decrease in call center services costs with at least 80 million customer experiences handled via text annually.

Integrating Text Messaging with Other Channels

Omnichannel customer service is quickly becoming the norm. Customers prefer to use different channels for different questions. A quick question about where their package is, for example, might be handled via chat. A more complicated scenario, like a stolen package, might warrant a phone call. By allowing customers to select the appropriate channel, organizations give them more options to interact on their preferred channels.

Companies that invest in messaging as an option for customer service now will be ahead in years to come. A Dimension Data study showed that less than 30% of people born after 1990 prefer to get help via phone, compared to almost 60% of Baby Boomers.

A messaging platform that enables integration with your CRM system and other customer service channels is the best way to deliver a customer service experience that is easy and consistent across channels. By collecting data across channels, you can also personalize interactions.

Consumer preferences are constantly and rapidly evolving. Companies with a flexible, scalable solution to serve customers via multiple channels, including text messaging, will be well-positioned to compete on customer experience, a critical point of brand differentiation.

If you’re ready to get started, contact us today! 

[1] Forrester

[2] SCI Solutions

[3] Klara

[1] Arise

‘Game-changing’ real-time speech analytics solution boosts contact centres’ sales, service and compliance standards

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Avoira is forecasting a sales surge for its Xdroid speech analytics solution after the AI-powered technology was hailed as a game-changer by one of the UK’s top 50 personal insurance brokers.

The technology solutions specialist – which is showcasing Xdroid at the Contact Centre & Customer Service Summit – is also expecting increased adoption of hybrid operational models to further boost the real-time analytics platform.

Principal Insurance is among a host of companies to deploy Xdroid during the pandemic as UK businesses sought to maintain sales, service and compliance standards whilst staff worked from home.

The Manchester-headquartered broker’s head of distribution, Matt Byrne commented: “For us, Xdroid is a game-changing technology, one that is bringing many benefits to our sales, service and compliance functions.

“Intelligent, real-time analytics empower staff to act in the most appropriate manner at the most appropriate time, yielding more productive and positive customer engagements.”

He added that as Xdroid captures all communications in real-time, it can control compliance and fraud protocols more swiftly and effectively.

Having canvassed its staff, Principal is among a growing number of businesses planning to adopt a hybrid model. Byrne says Xdroid will be invaluable in helping manage staff performance across office and home environments.

“Because it’s real-time and provides AI-led agent prompts, Xdroid offers both great oversight and the ability to be really responsive in supporting advisors.

“It’s a bit like having a floorwalker on demand, wherever you happen to be working.”

Xdroid’s capabilities have also been praised by life insurance broker, Protect Line. The fast-growing business is working with Avoira to build a vulnerable customers’ identification tool within a wider Xdroid implementation.

“Xdroid will empower us to quickly identify potential vulnerability and flag calls to Compliance,” explains Protect Line’s speech analytics manager, Sam Goundry.  “They can then check the conversation, confirm the customer was provided with the right duty of care, that all factors were considered and take any necessary remedial action,”

Since last year’s Summit, Xdroid, for which Avoira holds exclusive UK distribution rights, has also garnered international acclaim. In January it took the European Technology Innovation Leadership Award in the Frost & Sullivan Best Practice awards.

Are you ready for July’s Contact Centre & Customer Experience Summit?

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The next Contact Centre & Customer Experience Summit takes place on the 7th & 8th July – both live and virtual attendance options are available!

Your complimentary pass is entirely flexible – you can join us for both days, or choose a day that suits your needs – Please confirm your attendance here via our online form.

Once submitted, we can start the process of creating your bespoke itinerary that includes your short 1-2-1 meetings and four live webinar sessions that you can view online.

If you have any questions then please contact us today.

Do you specialise in Social Media solutions for contact centres? We want to hear from you!

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Each month on Contact Centres Briefing we’re shining the spotlight on a different part of the customer care market – and in May we’re focusing on Social Media solutions.

It’s all part of our ‘Recommended’ editorial feature, designed to help customer care industry buyers find the best products and services available today.

So, if you’re a supplier of Social Media solutions and would like to be included as part of this exciting new shop window, we’d love to hear from you – for more info, contact Carly Walker on c.walker@forumevents.co.uk.

Here are the areas we’ll be covering, month by month:

May – Social Media
Jun – Artificial Intelligence
Jul – Virtual Call/Contact Centres
Aug – Training & Development
Sep – Knowledge Management
Oct – Web Self Service/Chat
Nov – Display Boards
Dec – CRM

For more information on any of the above, contact Carly Walker on c.walker@forumevents.co.uk.

BT’s ‘future-fit’ workplaces get first showing at Newcastle contact centre

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BT has released new images of its Gosforth Contact Centre currently undergoing a multi-million-pound refurbishment – as it announced the project has already completed its first phase and will open later this year.

The centre has undergone a major revamp to modernise it and create a workplace for hundreds of staff. The first phase of works, which started at the end of last year, is now complete.

The facilities and services will include everything from full height windows providing natural light, café and restaurant facilities, to flexible workspaces and collaboration areas. It will also include ‘relax and refuel’ areas, a games area with table tennis, pool and games consoles as well as a small putting green.

The multi-million pound refurbishment will also include a multi-faith and parenting room, an on-site concierge and a ‘bike doctor’ to encourage as many staff as possible to travel into work by sustainable transport.

The refurbishment is taking place in two stages, allowing contact centre workers the flexibility to work from home or to continue operating in another section of the building whilst work continues to take place. BT says it’s ensuring social distancing rules apply inside the contact centre as well as following Public Health England’s latest guidelines on Covid-19 to ensure people are kept safe.

When the work is complete, the state-of-the art refurbishment in Gosforth will be one of the first of BT’s future-fit offices in the UK to open as part of its ‘Better Workplace Programme’ – the largest workplace improvement and consolidation scheme of its type ever undertaken in the UK.

Teams based at the Gosforth Contact Centre will benefit from full fibre broadband as well as EE 5G mobile connectivity in the area. BT says the Better Workplace Programme will deliver a combination of moves like this, into new offices, as well as the refurbishment of some existing BT buildings.

Nick Lane, Managing Director for Consumer Customer Services at BT, said: “BT is fully committed to Newcastle and we are pleased that the first phase of our refurbishment is now complete.

“We are excited that our colleagues in Gosforth will be among the first in the UK to benefit from our future-fit workplaces, bringing our people together in an impressive and modern environment, transforming the way we work.

“The local team has done a fantastic job ensuring that our customers have been able to stay connected during the Covid -19 pandemic with some choosing to remain working on site during the refurbishment, while other colleagues have chosen to work from home.

“We look forward to welcoming staff into our new refurbished building as we aim to make BT the best place to work in the local area.”

Liz Needleman, BT Group regional lead for the North of England, said: “Gosforth is a strategically important site for BT and this refurbishment is a real sign of our continued commitment to Newcastle.

“I am looking forward to our colleagues being able to benefit and thrive in their new future-fit workspace that we are creating, which will transform the way we work as we continue to do the best we can for both our customers and colleagues.

“This is a bold and ambitious programme for BT and we are committed to this major investment for Newcastle even in these challenging times.”

Digital Customer Engagement Summit: Secure your place at October’s big event!

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Will you be attending the Digital Customer Engagement Summit on the 13th October? Make sure you register today!

Your free digital pass attendance options include;

Live attendance includes;
Your own personalised itinerary designed to suit your needs
Live access to seminar sessions hosted throughout
1-2-1 access to innovative solution providers
Free meals and refreshments throughout the event

Virtual attendance includes;
Your own personalised itinerary designed to suit your needs
Weblink to access the seminars virtually
1-2-1 access to innovative solution providers
Personalised attendance options to suit your schedule
Enjoy the event from the comfort of your own home or office.

Please confirm your place details here via our online form.

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT: Gnatta independent SaaS customer communication

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By Gnatta

Gnatta is an independent SaaS customer communication company, catering for businesses of all sizes interested in maintaining consistently high standards and improving the efficiency and the effectiveness of their customer care.

Our staff have a long history running contact centres. This means that you’re working with people with a deep understanding for the problems you face, and an intuitive solution to help solve them. With full online and offline channel coverage combined with fully customisable automation/AI, our product suite is designed to work with your people, systems, and processes.

We have delivered unified communications and a single customer view to Superdrug, ASOS, OVO Energy, Gymshark and more.

Establishing effective customer care isn’t an easy fix – it’s a journey. Gnatta has a deep understanding of the changing and complex nature of modern communications and is set up to be a practical, long term partner.

If you’re interested in adding a truly holistic communication solution to your customer journey, get in touch for a no-commitment demo today.

Find out more at https://gnatta.com.

Contact Centre & Customer Services Summit: Still time to register!

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If you’ve not yet registered for next month’s Contact Centre & Customer Services Summit hurry – it takes place on 26th & 27th April.

Your complimentary pass is entirely flexible – you can join us for both mornings, or choose a day that suits your needs – Please confirm your attendance here via our online form.

Once submitted, we can start the process of creating your bespoke itinerary that includes your short 1-2-1 meetings and four live webinar sessions that you can view online.

If you have any questions then please contact us today.