The COVID-19 pandemic has caused companies to rethink the way they do business. How they deliver customer service is no exception. Companies that rely on contact centers need to find ways to manage employees who are working remotely.
TechTarget recommended that COVID-era contact centers develop a remote worker strategy that includes workforce management and ongoing coaching. Cloud Contact Center makes both these tactics possible.
Cloud Contact Center enables companies to monitor and optimize their call center representatives without the need for expensive equipment. Using software as a service (SaaS), call centers gain sophisticated calling features and management functions so they can deliver an elevated customer experience.
Watching Over the Reps
In pre-COVID times, a supervisor was in the same room as contact center representatives. The supervisor’s watchful eye ensured that employees were on task and could get their questions asked and issues resolved.
Today, customer service reps are more likely to work remotely without direct supervision. They are working from numerous locations on varied schedules. To keep the contact center organized and efficient, companies need trustworthy monitoring and scheduling tools.
Live Monitoring
A Cloud Contact Center solution offers live call monitoring so supervisors can listen in on calls and even observe an agent’s screen. Call center supervisors can conduct spot checks for quality control and identify areas for improvement to be addressed in coaching sessions. Being able to monitor calls in real time helps contact centers deliver an excellent customer experience in a time of uncertainty.
Scheduling
Scheduling call center agents can be complicated, especially with so many of them working from different locations. With agent scheduling, supervisors can ensure that they have enough reps to handle peak call traffic times.
Cloud Contact Center has a built-in agent management tool that integrates schedules and breaks and keeps track of vacation times. Calling queues can be managed so that calls get to the right agent at the right time.
Helpful Interventions
When the center representative and supervisor are in different locations, it’s impossible for the supervisor to stand over the rep’s shoulder to give advice. However, Cloud Contact Center has features that allow the supervisor to interact with and help the rep.
Call Barge-In
Call barge-in empowers the supervisor to join the conversation between a rep and a customer. If the supervisor is listening in and hears a problem arise, the supervisor can intervene. The problem can be resolved right then and there without a need to follow up so the customer leaves the call happy.
Whisper
The whisper function allows the representative to hear a message when receiving a call. The caller hears ringing while the call center rep is listening to a helpful message.
This message could give details about the customer that would help the rep serve the caller better. It could also be an important announcement about the region from which the call is coming. With the whisper function, the rep is fully prepared for the call.
Equipped for Success
Cloud Contact Center gives call center agents and leadership access to all the information they need to do their jobs. Contact center employees can use the platform to search for and view virtual documents related to the campaigns they are working on. User-friendly portals provide employees with the tools they need to succeed in their job.
Contact center leadership benefits from a template library and tools for creating and running campaigns. Dashboards can be used to review live campaign reports so supervisors always know whether work is on track.
Achieving the New Normal for Contact Centers
Before the pandemic, contact centers had been increasing their use of remote workers, but now supporting remote workers with the right technology is essential. Cloud Contact Center can help your company optimize its call center now and into the future.
FirstLight offers Cloud Contact Center powered by Intermedia, empowering call centers to manage customer service using a SaaS platform. Our solution is feature-rich, delivering enhanced interactive voice response (IVR), dynamic notifications, agent scheduling, and quality assurance.
As with all our cloud-based services, Cloud Contact Center is supported by FirstLight’s extensive high-speed fiber optic network that delivers crystal-clear audio quality due to ultra-low latency.
See how Cloud Contact Center can help your call center succeed in the new normal. Schedule a demo with FirstLight.
