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Top Tips For Using Technology To Improve Customer SatisfactionTechnology has many uses, but to the contact center industry, which at its core is based on customer service, how can technology improve service levels? We asked industry professionals for their top tips regarding the use of technology in relation to improving customer service.

- a survey by Joss Jalbert, ContactCenterWorld.com

"Organisations should use virtual solutions so they can employ voice and data at the same time. This technology isn’t as expensive as fixed solutions but allows greater control of customer service and provides the ability to treat callers individually. Similar to thepersonalised experience that is available on some retail website the same level of personalisation should be made available to contact centres."- Jonathan Grant, CEO, New Voice Media, United Kingdom

"Multi tasking: My agents have been trained to use their online notepads to cut and paste the generic responses while adjusting them according to the specific client. Wrap up time can be a hindrance in regards to call volume and queue. "Talk and type" has always been my motto for top customer service."- Richard Blank, CEO, Costa Rica's Call Center, Costa Rica

"Make technology as rich as possible in terms of functionality, access, and information at the point of service deliver - the customer service staff's desk. All of the focus on various andsundry bells and whistles costing millions of dollars are often more the result of the human equivalent of a raccoon's attraction to shiny objects. IT needs a new toy, the maintenance staff don't want to write COBOL forever. Wake up - empower your front line with the tools they need to do the job, train them on what they need to do, give them the ability to make exceptions, and then schedule their time so that they aren't burnt out. Then get out of their way and let them do their jobs. People in general, especially in service roles, want to do a good job - they want to "delight" the customer. They are usually just overburdened with too many uncontrollable constraints."- Steve Callahan, Practice Development Director, R E Nolan Company, United States

"Technology is not always the answer. I am all for technological advancement, as a matter of fact, I prefer it, but when I need a person, trust me when I say I I am smart enough to have had exhausted all of my technical resources. At that point, technology is not the answer I am looking for."- Shannon McCain, Resource Development, Manager, Apple Vacations, United States

"Can I give two? 1. Choose technology that actually enables better service, not that just promises to (fancy CRM systems that organize agent screens badly don’t add efficiencies) and 2. Don’t blame technology for bad service. Service agents with slow screens can still create an excellent service interaction."- Jeff Roberts, Director, Inforonics, United States

"Make it customer-centric. Take self-service. The first wave of that technology was awful and this shaped people's opinions in a very negative way. Now technology has developed to become more customer centric but the reputation has been tarnished and people are still hesitant so user adoption is fairly poor. Consumer need to be at the heart of IT design and decision - consulted on why they are calling and what they need."- Madeleine Sykes, Head of People , Clarify, United Kingdom

"Acknowledge the customers problem for real and not by just having auto-responders! Irrespective whether the channel is telephone, email, white mail, fax, chat or walk-in."

- Divyan Gupta, Senior Consultant, Solutions Insights, United States

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Page 1 of 4Article : Top Tips For Using Technology To Improve Customer Satisfaction - CRM, Cont...

5/28/2010http://www.contactcenterworld.com/static/ar/ar_%7B6036F920-67F8-4E2B-B692-3DB9D...