Last week, the 18th annual Call Center Week, arranged by the International Quality and Production Center (IQPC), took place at the Mirage in Las Vegas. Featuring a number of global leaders and keynote speakers, as well as a multitude of workshops, exhibitors, and sponsors, the conference aimed to personalize the journey to perfecting the customer experience.
Fifty-four percent of attendees were directors, VP, or C-level employees, and industries from banking, finance, retail, healthcare, and the public sector were represented. Out of all CCW attendees, 34% were seeking new options to optimize their current call centers. The vision of Call Center Week is to offer new foundations based on bringing innovation and optimization to call centers globally. By doing this, the landscape of customer experience is simultaneously enhanced.
This year, CCW focused on call center and customer experience initiatives, which include increasing revenue and reducing operational costs, improving the first contact resolution and reducing wait time and cost per call, as well as improving agent retention.
In efforts of taking customer experience in the call center to the next level, there are three key attributes:
- Uniqueness – Thriving customer service requires a level of exceptionality that allows the customer to have a unique experience. Customer-focused organizations create a distinctive experience for their customers, which may include IVR customization, prizes, etc. A memorable identity is carried throughout the experience crafted for each individual customer.
- Creativity – As a necessary component to building a unique customer experience, creativity allows organizations to demonstrate their willingness to not only go above-and-beyond but also out of the box. The majority of customers only reach out to call center support when the customary solution is deemed insufficient, thus making it clear they are looking for an alternative result composed of a more personalized and natural clarification.
- Fear – Although characterized by its negative connotation, fear is an essential element of customer service. With the goal of letting customers know their value, having a fear of cultivating unsatisfactory service will lead a more positive customer experience overall.
Overall, customers want an effortless experience, and organizations need to leverage technology to create more positive interactions with their customers.
