product whitepaper: streamline business processes ... · your agents: what customers expect as...
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Product Whitepaper:
Streamline Business Processes, Maximize Agent Performance and Enhance the Customer Experience Not all contact center agents are created equal, so how do you level the playing field to ensure maximum performance and productivity while delivering a seamless customer experience that doesn’t sound scripted and robotic?
Cloud technologies can help bridge the gaps within your contact center. This product whitepaper demonstrates how CorvisaOne® Workflow automation tools streamline business processes and equip agents with the information they need to deliver consistent, accurate messages and outstanding customer service – regardless of experience, skill set or location.
2STREAMLINE BUSINESS PROCESSES, MAXIMIZE AGENT PERFORMANCE AND ENHANCE THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Your Agents: What Customers ExpectAs defined by Gartner1:
Using this definition as a starting point, it’s
easy to understand why the contact center is
integral to the customer experience. It is often
the customer’s interaction with a contact center
agent – no matter the channel (e.g., voice, chat,
SMS) – that will make or break satisfaction,
loyalty and advocacy, as well as dictate the rise
or fall of profits.
With so many vendors competing for customers’
business, it’s essential that agents deliver an
outstanding experience with every touch point. A
recent study of U.S. consumers2 (detailed below)
indicates what’s most important – and most
frustrating – when dealing with agents:
“Customer strategy and experience management involves designing and reacting to customer interactions to best meet or exceed expectations, and to increase customer satisfaction, loyalty and advocacy.”
Contact Center Essentials: What Customers Want
Good Conversation49% said businesses need to have agents who speak clearly and
are easy to understand.
Humans, Not Robots80% said their customer service calls feel scripted and robotic.
1 Customer Strategy and Experience Management Key Initiative Overview. 14 March 2014, G00262942, Analyst(s) Jenny Sussin. Gartner Subscribers can access the report here.2 Corvisa polled 1,214 individuals via an online uSamp survey between Aug. 25-28, 2014. The margin of error is +/- 2.98 percentage points.
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Knowledgable Reps37% ranked knowledgeable agents as
the primary reason for continuing to do
business with a company.
Reduced Hold Times32% will hang up after waiting on hold for
more than five minutes; nearly half (49%)
believe lowering hold times would vastly
improve customer service.
Quick Resolution18% believe businesses can improve upon the
number of times they are transferred from agent-
to-agent on a single customer service call.
Multiple ChannelsWhile 55% still prefer speaking with an agent on
the phone, others indicated they will also use
web chat or email, texting and social media.
What Customers Want (con’t)
One additional insight from the study to keep front of mind – you don’t get many chances
to make a good impression. About one-third of respondents indicated they had contacted a
service center just once during the past year; 20% had contact twice a year or more.
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Managing Today’s Contact Center: The ChallengesKeeping employees,
management and customers
happy is no small task for
contact center leaders.
Customers’ high expectations
and the importance of
the contact center agent
role are in direct contrast
to the fact that agent
jobs are often entry-level
positions, sometimes with
limited financial incentives
and opportunities for
advancement. These facts,
combined with the challenges
noted below, can make
managing a successful
contact center a formidable
undertaking. Consider the
issues (below) that a contact
center manager often needs
to address every day:
Customer AngstIt should come as no surprise
that most consumers don’t
list contacting a customer
service center among their
favorite activities. In a recent
survey3, almost one-third said
they would rather shop in
the crowds on Black Friday
than speak with customer
service; another 24% said
they would opt for a visit to
the dentist instead. In addition,
more than half of the survey
respondents (55%) indicated
they had lost their temper
with an agent between 1-4
times over the past year.
Agent Turnover According to Forrester
Research, Inc. Vice President &
Principal Analyst Kate Leggett:
Leggett goes on to point out
that turnover not only impacts
recruiting and training costs,
but also ongoing agent morale,
which can impact customer
satisfaction as well.
Multiple MessagesManaging multiple clients
and/or products often
requires equipping agents
with various call scripts that
ensure the most accurate
information and, in some
instances, compliance with
regulatory standards. It can
be difficult for even the most
experienced agents to keep
pace, let alone recently
hired employees or those
who may be located in a
remote location.
Complex Product Lines and/or ScenariosHighly technical product
offerings that require detailed
explanations are challenging.
But even if you offer a
simple product line, industry
requirements and guidelines
may make for complicated
transactions and customer
confusion. Troubleshooting
can be complex if agents
aren’t equipped with the
knowledge and tools they
need to diagnose and address
customer concerns.
“Low agent turnover rates are those that are below 20% a year, and some contact centers have turnover rates as low as 5%. Turnover rates higher than 50% are considered high, and some contact centers have attrition rates of more than 100% a year.”4
3 Corvisa polled 1,214 individuals via an online uSamp survey between Aug. 25-28, 2014. The margin of error is +/- 2.98 percentage points.4 Contact Center Agent Turnover is a Fact of Life That Must Be Tracked and Managed. Kate Leggett, Forrester Research blog. May 6, 2013.
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Fast-Changing ScriptsEven if your organization
is lucky enough to have a
relatively stable workforce,
today’s fast-paced business
world dictates the need for
quick and accurate agent
responses. Whether it’s
coordinating a multi-faceted
product rollout, taking on
an important new client, or
responding to the latest
social media buzz, contact
center managers need to
quickly update and deliver
consistent messaging across
all locations.
Compliance RequirementsOrganizations in highly-
regulated industries (e.g.,
health care, financial services)
and/or those that need to
follow specific guidelines
related to selling and service
must ensure agents are in
compliance to minimize risks
and avoid legal issues.
Challenges like those noted
above are often manifested
in reduced productivity and
an inability to fully utilize staff.
Managers are then faced with
a difficult decision: address
these issues with additional
training, which can be time-
consuming, resource intensive
and costly; or sacrifice some
degree of personalized
interaction in favor of scripted
tactics.
Many businesses are forced
to go the latter route, resulting
in customer complaints of a
robotic, impersonal service
experience. Unfortunately,
neither of these is a
win-win situation for either the
business or its customers.
How Technology Can Help
The good news for today’s contact center leaders is the growing
number of cloud technology solutions available that can make
managing these challenges easier. The cloud-based workflow
automation and call guidance tools offered by CorvisaOne
Workflow can go a long way to help address the issues noted
above. Such tools allow you to equip all agents – regardless
of experience, skill set or location – with the ability to deliver a
consistent, exceptional customer experience that doesn’t come
across as robotic. Plus, it gives contact center managers the tools
they need to quickly build and execute the processes they want.
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Workflow Automation: Workflow DiagramsWorkflow automation software allows
companies to centrally manage key business
processes by providing technology for
managers and administrators that turns
diagrams of business processes into automated
applications and screens, allowing agents to
adapt to different scenarios. These workflow
automation diagrams become the online
screens and guided call scripts that agents
reference for contextual guidance during
customer interactions. Such technologies equip
agents with knowledge of the next best action
to take, troubleshooting questions to ask, or
sales suggestions to make based on the path
the conversation is taking. Workflow tools make
it easier for agents to sound – and act – like
humans, while also reducing the amount of
agent training required.
When it comes to workflow automation and
call guidance, a picture (or in this case, two) is
worth a thousand words. Below are screen shots
depicting how to create a workflow diagram and
screen content using CorvisaOne Workflow:
1. Create a Workflow Diagram
7STREAMLINE BUSINESS PROCESSES, MAXIMIZE AGENT PERFORMANCE AND ENHANCE THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Customer View
Agent View
NAME
CITY
STATE ZIP
QUESTIONS/COMMENTS
Request More Information
Workflow Automation (con’t)
2. Create Screen Content
Using easy drag ‘n drop
technology, the CorvisaOne
Workflow page layout screen
provides prompts to walk you
through screen design and
other components. From this
screen you can also input
page text using our rich content
editor. Updates can be made
quickly without special coding.
Workflow Automation: Co-browsingAnother feature of CorvisaOne Workflow,
collaborative co-browsing, can also help
agents deliver superior service. Co-browsing
allows an agent to instantly view or share
a web or mobile experience and guide
customers through complex interactions and
transactions, step-by-step and in real-time.
Since co-browsing is centrally managed
through administrative functions, you can also
limit who sees what. For instance, as shown
on the CorvisaOne Workflow screens to the
right, while the agent has sidebar notes to offer
cross-selling suggestions, the customer only
sees the standard screen.
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How Workflow Automation Addresses Contact Center ChallengesImagine that you manage contact center
operations for a U.S.-based retailer of home
furnishings. You have five service centers
nationwide, housing 50-100 agents at each
location. Typical calls can range from
questions about a specific product to how to
handle a return. But due to a safety recall
from one of your crib suppliers that will be
announced later today, you’re gearing up for
an onslaught of calls from concerned parents.
Your agents need direction and details on how
the recall is being handled, including how to
fill out a return/refund form located on your
website. The return procedure will vary based
on the customer’s ZIP code. On top of that,
you just hired and trained a total of 85 new
agents who are standing by, ready to take
their first calls.
How will CorvisaOne Workflow help ensure
that you get the safety recall information to
the front lines in a timely manner to ensure
all agents – no matter their location -- are
providing accurate information? And how can
you guarantee customers won’t know if they’ve
reached a rookie, versus one of your seasoned
pros? Most importantly, how will these tools
help the entire team to deliver a personal
and caring customer service experience?
Perhaps the best way to understand is with an
illustration (right) that incorporates CorvisaOne
Workflow components:
Referring to his screen, Andy relays info about the recall and asks qualifying questions to confirm Mom’s product is indeed defective.
Andy Agent gets a called from Worried Mom about the recall.
Andy carries that smile with him into his next call with Distraught Dad…
Together, Andy and Mom complete the form, process the refund and set up the return pick-up. Mom hangs up
happy, which brings a smile to Andy’s face.
Mary “publishes” the update so that it is now available along with the other existing workflow apps.
Mary Manager creates a workflow and associated scripts about the recall.
Andy explains that he can help Worried Mom fill out the refund form and asks if he can email her a link that will take them to a co-browsing screen.
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CorvisaOne Workflow Provides Value Throughout the Process
The illustration above demonstrates how
CorvisaOne Workflow gives organizations the
tools they need to meet the demands of both
their employees and their customers:
Managers build the process they
want, with the ability to integrate
multiple databases into a single
user interface for a more efficient,
reportable agent experience.
Managers are also able to roll out new
information in a streamlined, intuitive
way that reduces training time and
costs, making agents more productive,
more quickly.
Agents have the tools they need to
be successful. Empowering agents to
provide better service means happier,
longer tenured employees who
provide a better customer experience.
Customers get the answers they need
in a conversational manner from well-
informed agents, plus additional hands-
on assistance through co-browsing
sessions that they can enter via their
computer, tablet or mobile device. The
result: fewer robotic interactions and
more first call resolutions.
An Important Next StepThe benefits outlined here that CorvisaOne Workflow automation tools provide
are just the starting point for many businesses; workflow automation can easily
be applied to many areas of an organization.
To ensure these cloud tools deliver maximum value, it is important to re-evaluate
your processes before implementing this, or for that matter, any new technology.
Most organizations are used to adjusting their processes or expectations around
what their technology is able to facilitate – a reality that is less than ideal
for both productivity and customer experience. To make sure the technology
effectively “wraps around” your business instead of the other way around,
answer the following questions:
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Workflow and contact
center technologies should
not have to run parallel to
one another. CorvisaOne
Workflow was designed to
deliver a cohesive, automated
experience that makes both
agent training and ongoing
script changes easier and
faster. Most important, it
gives you the flexibility to
create and run processes that
work for your business now,
tomorrow and in the future.
1. When was the last time you re-evaluated your processes?
2. How are your current processes being dictated or limited by your current technology?
• Where are you falling short of company objectives or what’s holding you back from growth?
• What struggles or concerns are your customers having when they interact with your business?
• Where are there gaps in efficiency?
3. Are you interacting with customers the same way you did two years ago? Five years ago?
4. What is your cost of training?
5. What is your cost of sales and/or customer support?
6. Are you tracking effectiveness?
• Support/Inbound: Are your agents able to answer challenging questions or do customers need to be transferred multiple times? What’s your first call resolution rate? Average hold time?
• Sales/Outbound: How long does it take your leads to go from one status to the next? What are your closing rates? What is your average wrap time?
An Important Next Step (con’t)
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SummaryYour contact center is a key component, if not the centerpiece, of the customer experience. It is
often the customer’s experience with an agent that will make or break brand loyalty and dictate
the rise or fall of profits. Contact center managers must balance customer expectations along with
the need to equip every agent – regardless of their experience or location – with the training and
tools needed to deliver outstanding service. The cloud-based workflow automation, call guidance
and collaborative co-browsing tools offered by CorvisaOne Workflow can go a long way to help not
only train and coach employees, but also increase productivity and reduce costs.
Learn more about what these tools can do for your organization. Contact us for an initial
discovery session.
ABOUT THE AUTHORPaul Gregory has an extensive background in private equity, business development,
engagement management and asset management. He currently leads Corvisa’s SMB
sales and business development, and is responsible for long-term revenue strategy.
In his previous role with Novation Companies – the parent of Corvisa – Paul developed
and implemented business plans to bring new technology products to market and led
efforts to identify, research and recommend new investments and initiatives for Novation
and its subsidiaries.
Paul GregoryChief Revenue Officer
About Corvisa®
A ShoreTel company, Corvisa provides businesses with a single source for cloud communications solutions. From innovative
cloud contact center and SIP trunking solutions that extend ShoreTel’s portfolio, to open, standards-based development tools
that accelerate third party integration within the ShoreTel ecosystem, Corvisa delivers on ShoreTel’s promise to make cloud
business communications brilliantly simple.
[email protected] | 877.487.9256 | www.corvisa.comCopyright ©2016 Corvisa, a ShoreTel company. All rights reserved. The ShoreTel logo and ShoreTel are registered trademarks of ShoreTel, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other copyrights and trademarks herein are the property of their respective owners. Specifications are subject to change without notice.