Is Big Data The New Gold Standard For Call Centers?
By Dave Bethers, VP of Enterprise Sales, TCN
It seems Big Data and analytics are stealing headlines day after day. Although they have become quite the buzzwords as of late, call centers around the world are finding Big Data and analytics to be somewhat elusive. Why? Because when a company adopts a new service, it usually requires an initial definition of what success or efficiency means. This definition becomes the gold standard of baseline metrics. The one factor that seems to hold call centers back from leveraging this useful business tool is quite simply — change.
Of course, over time, things change. Growth, requirements, technology, client expectations, regulations, costs, etc. These changes mean the once “gold standard of metrics” needs to adapt in order to meet the new challenges that accompany the change. Modern technology has improved the rules for all organizations, making them more efficient and productive. Big Data and analytics provide something that virtually every business seeks — insight.
For many companies, trying to adapt to change can seem like trying to escape a black hole. Any innovative strategy can’t get off the ground because it would mean change not only for the team, but also for the entire call center infrastructure. Big Data and analytics can change a company in many positive ways, but chief among them is from a time-savings perspective. Let’s take a look at three reasons why Big Data and analytics are worth changing your call center for.
- More Accurate Forecasting
Leveraging Big Data and analytics, call centers can more accurately predict potential business outcomes. Managers look into all sorts of data for weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual insights and trends, using the information to allocate more time, resources, and staff. After all, time, resources, and staff are critical for small to mid-sized call centers looking to scale quickly, both up and down. For example, if production dips in June, but inbound sales increase in July, Big Data and analytics can accurately compare the data, developing theories on why this happened and how it can be improved. Companies leveraging Big Data analytics are better equipped to deliver actionable insights, improving agility, insight and in turn, a higher success rate.
- Increased Productivity
It is still common to see departments within a company, but more typically managers, turn an eight-hour day into a 12-hour day and take time on nights and weekends to try to make sense of large, raw data dumps. Having Big Data and analytics technology in place can increase call center productivity since the time it would normally take interpreting the data is eliminated, leaving more time to work on time sensitive projects.
- Happy Agents Make For Better Customer Service
Incentivizing call center employees can accomplish a variety of outcomes. It has been proven that rewards can drastically improve employee mindset at work, increasing their motivation to excel. Although Big Data and analytics aren’t for determining if breakfast delivery service is the right perk, they can determine whether agents are putting in the required time to be efficient and effective. Combining the data points with employee surveys can align potential perks with problems. Once the perk is applied, it can be monitored via Big Data and analytics to see if it drives the desired results. The end goal is to ensure that the call center agents are happy and providing clients and customers with the best service possible.
The benefits of Big Data and analytics within the call center are unmatched. The insight that comes as a result of this incredible technology can only help the call center grow and excel by improving productivity, efficiency and effectiveness.