The concept of the contact centre is not a new one; in fact, it is a tried, tested and truly valuable part of organisational infrastructure for many companies.
Having once simply been a few people in a room together answer calls, the contact centre is forever evolving. Now you're more likely to find whole networks of people across different geographies, both national and international, working across the same systems.
The technology has grown alongside the concept, with customers now being able to communicate with staff in a contact centre by phone, by email, by instant message and in some cases even by video conference. But with so many different methods and technologies out there, how does an organisation know which contact centre solutions are right for them?
When making plans around developing a contact centre, it is important to look at the requirements with the whole organisation in mind. First of all, identify the objectives of the organisation, and if growth is one of those objectives, plan your contact centre with enough room to grow and develop in order to accommodate the larger volumes of calls which may come from the company's growth. Secondly, consider the geography of the organisation. Are those that are contacting you all going to be in the same country, or will shifts be required in order to cover different time zones and localities?
If you are operating outside of the usual business hours, consider ensuring that someone is on hand to provide technical support if there is a problem with the hardware. Also take a look at your competitors and gauge what they are offering in terms of contact centre support. If the other companies in your market are offering 24 hour help lines then you will need to do the same. You may need to consider going one step further and looking at ways in which you can differentiate your support system from those of your competitors.
Having once simply been a few people in a room together answer calls, the contact centre is forever evolving. Now you're more likely to find whole networks of people across different geographies, both national and international, working across the same systems.
The technology has grown alongside the concept, with customers now being able to communicate with staff in a contact centre by phone, by email, by instant message and in some cases even by video conference. But with so many different methods and technologies out there, how does an organisation know which contact centre solutions are right for them?
When making plans around developing a contact centre, it is important to look at the requirements with the whole organisation in mind. First of all, identify the objectives of the organisation, and if growth is one of those objectives, plan your contact centre with enough room to grow and develop in order to accommodate the larger volumes of calls which may come from the company's growth. Secondly, consider the geography of the organisation. Are those that are contacting you all going to be in the same country, or will shifts be required in order to cover different time zones and localities?
If you are operating outside of the usual business hours, consider ensuring that someone is on hand to provide technical support if there is a problem with the hardware. Also take a look at your competitors and gauge what they are offering in terms of contact centre support. If the other companies in your market are offering 24 hour help lines then you will need to do the same. You may need to consider going one step further and looking at ways in which you can differentiate your support system from those of your competitors.
About the Author:
Emily Collins writes on behalf of Britannic Technologies. To discover more about the contact centre options for your company click here.
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