The incorporation of digital channels is on the rise in the business world. Automation is scaling up. The use of AI in customer service departments is becoming more frequent. Efficiency and resource savings are sought. However, did you know that 38% of companies expect to add call center agents during 2022?
Agents continue to be a key part of delivering a pleasant and effective experience. Their attention and energy influences the opinion customers have of your brand. The mix of human and technology is an infallible dream team that will elevate the experience of your employees and customers. That's why we're redefining the agent experience.
Experience as an internal and external resource
When we talk about customer experience, we are no longer talking about a single department. In other words, it is not just support and/or customer service agents who are involved here. In the business world, there are new concepts such as EX (employee experience) and MX (multi experience).
They consist of understanding how a satisfactory, interdisciplinary and cross-area experience should be felt, lived and provided in organizations in an integral way.
Our role as colleagues, peers and employers of customer service agents is to make their lives easier. If we want them to do this for our customers, who will serve them? The organization itself, and this must be applied from the very beginning. Providing them with support through information, resources, collaboration and the design of a harmonious work ecosystem that makes their day-to-day work easier.
What do our agents need?
We'll tell you in 5 points:
- Strategy from day 0: recruitment and induction
The agent must have a profile and qualities that the nature of this position demands. Being an agent is not a role for everyone. Technical knowledge is also required, which will be provided in the induction processes. This same knowledge will be perfected with experience.
- Work ecosystem
According to Blake Morgan, a Forbes contributor and CX specialist, companies that excel at customer experience have 1.5 times more engaged employees than other companies. Enthusiastic and positive energy. Where there is a collaborative work environment that is contagious. At this point creativity intervenes and the sky is the limit. Integration events can be carried out, which do not require overly complex logistics. Team lunches, casual fridays, after office work at the company, if tasks allow it, this will improve your involvement, commitment. Enthusiasm is contagious!
- Tools and resources that simplify your daily life
An integrated customer service solution such as 3CX, recognized as an industry leader by G2, how world-class service companies are empowering their service teams. Relevant and accessible information about customers, incident status, and purchases is a must in the current times. They must also have access to their superiors, people with experience and advanced technical knowledge, to clear up doubts and resolve issues that may be beyond their reach.
- Geographic and multi-device flexibility:
With the rise of SaaS based in the cloud and systems of IP telephony, it is no longer necessary to have all your agents in one place. In fact, it may even be unnecessary. Offering agents the ability to work remotely It has many advantages. Moreover, they no longer need to be connected to landline phones. Using the aforementioned platforms, they can carry out their tasks without any friction via an app, smartphone and PC.
- Feedback to advance
Identifying top performers, monitoring the performance of the workforce, recognizing them and making them grow according to attitudes and milestones is the path to success. Let's face it, they are human like us and can make mistakes. That is why it is very fruitful for agents (and certainly, this applies to any collaborator) to evaluate them quarterly/semi-annually. Receiving feedback from their leaders about their performance, with aspects to improve and strengths, will improve their performance and commitment to their role. This listing you can find relevant evaluation metrics if you don't know where to start.
These points can be part of the roadmap of a Customer Service and/or Support department that seeks to improve the experience of its employees. Some will apply to your organization and some may not. What is certain is that to deliver an effective experience to our customers, we must put those who offer it at the center. Because in the end, and as we said, agents are key pieces of any organization.
Discover how you can boost them by creating a Contact Center of the future with 3CX and Five9. Boost your agents' experience and make technology your differentiator!
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