Prominent contact centre identity calls for emphasis on connection and conversations

Stephen Withers
Tuesday, 23 March 2010 17:06

Business IT - Technology

Call centres morphed into contact centres as additional communication channels were taken onboard. Is it now time for them to be transformed into connection centres?

Customer satisfaction is no defence against churn, and a  net provider score doesn't measure the durability of the relationship, cautions Kevin Panozza, former CEO of SalesForce and currently a conference and event speaker ('chief engagement orator') at his new business Engagement Matters.

Engagement depends on connection, he argues, something contact centres  don't always - don't usually? - achieve.

"The contact centre industry is notorious for making changes that are about efficiency [rather than about the customer]," he says.

What's needed is to make it easier for the (current or potential customer) to engage with the business. So if they're using your iPhone app and decide they need to talk to an agent, Panozza suggests it is a mistake to simply drop them in at the end of a queue. If no agents are free to talk at that time, it's better to offer to return the call at a convenient time.

Similarly, someone visiting a company's web site is probably actively thinking about an issue, so it is an ideal time to start a conversation with them, Panozza suggests.

So how can you determine exactly the right time in on online interaction to initiate person-to-person communication? See page 2.