5 compelling reasons your contact centre needs real-time data

What if you could always know exactly what’s going on in your contact centre? This is a question that’s no longer hypothetical with the introduction of real-time data. We explore how this increasingly popular technology is critical to long-term success.

What is real-time monitoring?

Real-time monitoring for contact centres refers to the tools and software which enables managers to oversee and track agent calls as they are carried out. Things like call analytics, dashboards, alerts and speech pattern tracking to name a few are tools that can be utilised in real-time situations. But how can this help the contact centre? We explain 5 compelling reasons your contact centre needs real-time data:

1. Agent engagement & motivation

A bit of healthy competition can go a long way in the call centre and as a result, gamification strategies are often used throughout the customer service sector as a tool for improving the performance of frontline staff. It’s said, that the team has a better synergy when they can see that they’re working together towards a common goal. Real-time data wallboards and dashboards always visible on agents' desks and displays, are a great way to achieve this as they'll never be out of the loop regarding their own performance, and how they're stacking up compared to fellow team members.

2. Improve customer care & service quality

Improving the customer experience is one of the main reasons to deploy real-time data technologies and tools. Things like speech analytics systems; which monitor voice patterns looking out for profane language, escalation attempts, compliance violations and customer sentiment; combined with real-time monitoring capabilities, provide whole coverage of the contact centre. For instance, call playback and or transcripts of 'problem' (or other) calls are available in real-time for quick remedy of situations. This could be seen as far more productive than listening to a small sample of agent calls every month to analyse performance and monitor for compliance. Contact centre managers can address and fix issues in the moment, rather than hours or even days later when it’s no longer relevant and the customer experience may have been ruined.

3. New channel Management

The modern contact centre agent juggles a wide variety of communication channels; this can be essential for keeping track of the multi-channel dynamic with social media, live chat and email all factoring into daily processes. However, it has to be said that some contact centres haven't yet expanded and only offer traditional contact methods; usually, as they've struggled from a resource perspective to move forward. The introduction of real-time data solutions (as they usually provide a single interface for omnichannel or multichannel management), makes adding and particularly managing, new channels easier meaning expansion is more viable. And what's more, without having to switch screens agents save a considerable amount of time – and as we all know, time is money.

4. Spot the performance

Each agent in your contact centre will have a unique set of skills and weaknesses, thanks to real-time data solutions it’s possible to review all calls on an ongoing basis. This means you can get a real up-to-date knowledge and understanding of which the best-performing agents are, and which require a little more help in some types of customer interactions.

5. Reduce costs

Real-time dashboards can provide the information your business needs to operate at peak efficiency, as always knowing what’s going on helps to manage work activities more effectively and that can save money. For instance, if the call queue is low, you’ll be able to see this instantly and ask agents to jump on outbound calls - just one of the many ways real-time data saves costs.

Tip: If your thinking about implementing this technology, instead of selecting a one-size-fits-all solution, it is important to craft cost-effective dashboards using existing intranet platforms that are tailored to the unique needs and requirements of your business.

Conclusion

So, as you can see there are a lot of benefits to real-time data in the contact centre, and whilst it might not be a fit for all business scenarios (there’s always the exceptions) it’s important to look at the benefits and assess what it could do for you.

If you’ve enjoyed this blog you might find our Omnichannel vs Multichannel Contact Centres blog useful.