Companies keep improving customer experience with new technologies and services as work modes and consumer expectations change, ISG Provider Lens report says
A growing number of enterprises in Europe are achieving improved customer engagement through cloud contact centers as consumer behavior, work modes and relevant technologies evolve, according to a new research report published today by Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.
“The cloud gives companies access to modern customer experience capabilities they need to keep up with changing markets.”
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The 2022 ISG Provider Lens™ Contact Center as a Service – CX report for Europe and the U.K. finds the European market for cloud contact centers is booming due to several major benefits of contact-center-as-a-service (CCaaS) offerings, including scalability, security, agent productivity, and cost and time savings.
“Every industry is focused on customer retention, and great customer experience is the key to achieving that goal,” said Jan Erik Aase, partner and global leader, ISG Provider Lens Research. “The cloud gives companies access to modern customer experience capabilities they need to keep up with changing markets.”
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching customers through seamless conversations across multiple channels has become an essential part of customer service, the report says. At the same time, the growth of remote and hybrid work has created new challenges for ongoing, positive engagement with contact center employees, which can make a major difference in the ability to deliver high-quality customer outcomes.
Enterprises in Europe and the U.K. are differentiating themselves by using new features included in many CCaaS offerings, often powered by advanced AI and machine learning, ISG says. These include chatbots and other persona-based technologies for automated issue resolution. Automated coaching, SLA/KPI monitoring and gamification provide new ways to improve contact center employee experience and performance.
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“Continuous improvements in AI are giving enterprises more confidence in what it can do,” said Wayne Butterfield, partner, ISG Automation. “More contact centers are using AI to ingest huge amounts of data to augment human capabilities and hand off queries to the best agent when needed.”
Social media is becoming an increasingly important channel for brands in Europe to engage with existing customers and reach new ones, the report says. Enterprises are tapping into a growing number of tools providers offer for functions such as content moderation, community management and 24/7 monitoring and interaction.
The report also explores other CCaaS trends in the region, including the rise of customer experience to a top issue for C-level management and the continuing wave of mergers and acquisitions among service providers.
The 2022 ISG Provider Lens™ Contact Center as a Service – CX report for Europe and the U.K. evaluates the capabilities of 21 providers in one quadrant: Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS).
The report names Avaya, Content Guru, Five9, Genesys, NICE CXone, Odigo, Puzzel and Talkdesk as Leaders in the quadrant.
In addition, Amazon Connect is named a Rising Star — a company with a “promising portfolio” and “high future potential” by ISG’s definition — in the quadrant.
