A new study conducted by Aspect Software – an industry leader in providing fully-integrated consumer engagement and workforce optimisation solutions – has determined that a more desirable software user interface can greatly improve agent performance.

In association with Pelorus Associates, ‘The Aspect Agent Experience Study’, which polled 400 contact centre executives ranging from manager to CEO status, found 87 per cent of contact centre managers agree agents would be more satisfied if they were able to use software that had the ‘look and feel’ of the consumer technologies used outside the workplace. In addition, 82 per cent who claim their agents are either ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ also report placing a ‘strong emphasis’ on building and maintaining strong customer loyalty.

Senior vice president and general manager of Workforce Optimisation at Aspect, Mike Bourke, said: “We know that as the first point of contact with a company, the agent is the face of the brand. The research we did with Pelorus Associates further illustrates that happy agents lead to happier customers, ultimately improving loyalty and the overall customer experience. Key to engaging with contact centre agents is providing the tools they need to be more effective and empowered in their work.”

To conclude, 74 per cent of contact centre bosses believe the introduction of better software across the board improves agent morale; and 70 per cent of executive officers think access to contact centre software via mobile devices is an important element to developing ‘agent effectiveness’.