Embracing the Four Phases of the Contact Center with Joseph Walsh

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This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:   

1. What are the four phases of a customer service center’s life cycle? 
2. Why is it important to understand customer demands in the context of social media and other communication channels? 
3. Why is it essential for companies to balance their technology, people, and processes? 
4. How can organizations evaluate and improve customer service to increase revenue and better serve customers? 
5. What potential risk do organizations face when they fail to focus on improving customer experience? 

Top Takeaways

• Managers and CX leaders must listen to what’s happening on the frontline and how customers interact with agents on the phone, chat, or AI. Find out where your frontline is excelling and what its shortcomings are. Analyze conversations, not just to grade but to determine if you are doing what is best for your customers. 

• Joseph shares the Four Phases of the Contact Center. 
  • Phase 1 is all about customer-initiated conversations. Agents field multiple calls and answer queries following a script. The tech is often very limited to the standard phone system. There is little room for creativity, and it is all about compliance. 
  • Phase 2 is about collaboration. Beyond the phone system, more technology and communication channels are introduced into the conversation. The CRM platform is integrated, so agents, subject matter experts, and everyone in the company are on the same page and can work together on the customer journey, products, and pain points.  
  • Phase 3 is about entering the digital experience and growth. Customers and agents are using a full array of communication channels, such as web chat, social media, email, and more, that work seamlessly together. 
  • Phase 4 is about automation, AI, self-service, and sustained growth. Customers are empowered to find answers and solve problems on their own through online portals and interactive web chats. Companies are finding ways to reduce repetitive tasks for agents and deliver faster answers to customers, resulting in a better experience for both. 
• Customers now turn to social media to seek help or voice their frustrations. If your company is on social media, embrace the entire medium, the people who use it, and their expectations. 

• Customer service is about more than fixing issues. It’s about enhancing the overall customer experience. Businesses can continuously evaluate and improve their customer service strategies, increase revenue, and build stronger customer relationships.  

• Plus, Shep and Joseph discuss the top channels for customer communication. Tune in!

Quotes:

“To answer customer needs, you need the entire company working together. It’s about ensuring an organization can answer all customer queries and answer them the best they can.” 

“Customer experience goes hand in hand with the growth of your organization. Disgruntled customers are more price-sensitive and less likely to make repeat purchases. Happy customers, on the other hand, are much less price-sensitive and buy more. CX directly impacts your bottom line.” 

“Tech is very important. But, businesses must not forget to build the right business processes around it and make sure people experiencing the technology are well equipped to handle it.” 

“Happy employees will treat you much better than disgruntled employees.” 

“Is your customer service up to scratch, or can you do a better job? If you don’t do it, your competitors will.” 

About:

Joseph Walsh is the Vice President of Product Marketing for GoTo. He helps organizations improve customer and employee experience and grow revenue by embracing digital technology. 

Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.