Incentivizing and engaging agents results in big leaps in performance and a subsequent rise in customer satisfaction, finds Frost & Sullivan
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a temporary shift in investment priorities in the contact center. Millions of agents suddenly needed to work remotely, and businesses needed to figure out how to manage and provision for a remote workforce. Investments were focused on developing new ways of working, new channels of customer engagement, and enhanced e-commerce capabilities. It further solidified the knowledge that competitive differentiation is more than features and price; it also encompasses the experience businesses create for the customer, from how the product or service fulfills expectations to how they nurture the customer relationship. This means that rich performance management solutions, already rapidly adopted pre-pandemic, became more important during the pandemic and required new ways of measuring performance and engaging agents. For instance, while the traditional methods of using standard key performance indicators such as average handle time or customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores were adequate, measurements such as active call resolution emerged as vital productivity indicators.
Frost & Sullivan is latest white paper, Customer Experience Has Changed. Are Your Metrics Keeping Up?, explores how enhanced performance metrics are integral to customer experience (CX) and digital transformation strategies.
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“With a deep understanding that customer and employee satisfaction are interdependent, contact centers that want to thrive in uncertain times need to take a deeper look into the interwoven dynamics of performance metrics. Rich performance management tools can unlock hidden operational information that is critical to navigating the changing workplace,” said Nancy Jamison, Industry Director, ICT at Frost & Sullivan. “Enabling tools for agents from modern desktops to knowledge management and process automation are key to improving employee experience. If agents are empowered to positively assist customers and be attentive and engaged, customers will respond in kind.”
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“Two of the most pressing issues facing contact centers are inefficiency and low CSAT scores. Sharpen has built a platform that’s helping businesses solve both and see measurable results. Anyone facing either of these issues needs to know about Active Contact Resolution,” noted Murph Krajewski, CMO at Sharpen.
Improved agent experience will lead to increased customer satisfaction. By tapping on the right metrics, contact centers can:
- Obtain active contact resolution scores to unlock hidden operational performance insights for a complete picture of the factors that enhance CSAT.
- Gain visibility into the true components of CSATÂ and actively work to raise scores quickly.
- Manage and refine both agent performance and employee engagement through an enterprise-grade platform.
- Rapidly increase ROI with simplified queue interactions and workflows to empower agents.
- Create a contact center that empowers rather than hinders great experiences.
