Okay… so here I go, taking a wild, tangential route into what (I promise) is a blog about Contact Centre CX. DIY has a proud history of saving money for homeowners. On the other hand, NHS figures* noted that between 2020 and 2021: 5,600 people injured themselves with power tools and another 2,700 needed treatment after coming into less than ideal contact with non-powered tools. These figures have steadily increased following the rise of home-improvement shows and the Coronavirus lockdowns.
Now those figures might seem small compared to the numbers of us picking up a drill or a screwdriver, but these are just the ones that needed NHS attention. Also, I can’t easily quantify the number of wonky walls, petrifying paint jobs and bodged bathrooms that may not have resulted in hospital-grade harm, but certainly aren’t delivering the hoped-for improvements either. Why am I mentioning this in a blog about Contact Centres? Well… if you ever needed an illustration that some things are better done by professionals, there it is.
That’s a negative sort of argument, but the flip side of this is what you should get when you do call in the professionals: The finished product should be easier on the eye (or ear), better functioning and more reliable than the home-grown alternative… and frankly, the professional process that gets you there should be a lot less painful. That applies to projects in the contact-centre, just as much as any home improvements you’d care to mention. At Premier CX we pride ourselves that this will be your experience when you work with us.
Your caller experience covers several different areas and a key benefit of having professional advice is the ability to pick and choose which of those you want help with. For instance: Some contact centres are technically very capable, but lack for scripting or call-flow design. In looking at the following, realise that assistance with any or all could be at your fingertips.
Wider Experience
If you’re bringing in outside help, you want someone who brings a wider range of experience to the table. Like, say, a company that’s been in its field for over 20 years, and has worked with organisations both similar and completely dissimilar to your own (clearly, this describes Premier CX – but I think you’re ahead of me on that). This is about bringing depth and breadth of knowledge to bear. It widens the perspective and grants access to solutions and best practice from across the contact-centre world that are producing real results for other organisations right now. Critically, it’s about bringing a holistic approach to your challenges and to how your contact centre fits into and interacts with other contact points, such as websites and wider marketing efforts.
That thing called Brand
This covers a big range, but let’s do a quick hit on some basics: In-house voices are not enhancing your brand or your organisation’s credibility. Professional voices bring consistency, brand alignment and quality. Which voice you use is a key choice and professional companies like Premier CX can find the right one for you. Further, an ongoing, managed service can ensure they continue to be available. The specific tone of voice that you need can also be managed and provided, from one recording to the next… and the next.
In-queue music, and not just one track but many, can be at your disposal, reflecting your wider brand persona, or the needs of different lines. Again, professional advice on which to use and access to a huge library could be yours.
Scripting is also a very big deal. How language is used can reflect the brand and engage callers. It also interacts fundamentally with the call-flow. The scripting within the flow should… well… flow. This is a journey along which professional scripting will help to guide your caller. Clarity, simplicity and plain language can go a long way to cutting button mashing, easing a caller’s state of mind, and providing timely information. You know where I’m going with this… professional copywriters, especially those who specialise in scripting for contact centres, can really deliver value.
Documentation
If you’ve ever taken over a position and found that your predecessor didn’t keep good records, then we feel your pain, because it’s not that unusual for us to encounter contact-centres where legacy documentation is lacking, making current and ongoing management of systems problematic. In many cases, this is due to the simple passage of time, with systems evolving, priorities shifting and staff moving on.
Our process includes a range of deliverables that ensure you have ongoing access to the work that we do for you. On the creative and brand-compliance side, this can include the Audio Style Guide – a summary and examples of the voice, music and scripting styles that have brought your telephony in-line with your wider brand values.
Where they don’t already exist: Call flow maps can be created and kept on file for reference when considering both immediate improvements as part of a project and for longer term, incremental changes. This is an important area as it shows what you need to keep… as well as what you need to change to improve your caller CX. An external call-mapping exercise can expose weaknesses and emphasise strengths that you didn’t know were there.
Professional consultancy on the call flow follows from such mapping exercises. Eliminating dead ends, maximising use of the technical capabilities of telephony systems, and restructuring the journey can all streamline the caller experience, reduce frustration and better route callers, cutting down on internal transfers and reducing button-mashing.
Overall, these various benefits combine to push tangible benefits in reducing abandonment or positively deflecting to self-service, promoting your brand, lifting C-Sats and tackling other specific challenges faced by individual contact centres… while no visits to A+E should be necessary.
* https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10363513/Lockdown-craze-DIY-gardening-thousands-hospital-accidents-injuries.html and https://www.england.nhs.uk/2019/04/nhs-on-hand-this-bank-holiday-as-diy-injuries-increase/
If you would like to read more, check out our 'Music to your ears' article or many other great reads in The Good CX Guide or give us a call at Premier CX.