The COVID-19 pandemic affected contact centers immediately. Many industries, such as healthcare, travel, finance, retail, and insurance were forced to shift the operation of their vital hubs of communication to a remote model, all while handling an increase in call volume.

A Forbes small business strategy expert says for contact centers, COVID-19 is, “accelerating a number of pre-existing trends. Not just the obvious – work from home (WFM) – but a new push for AI and automation and a preference for the cloud. These trends existed before the pandemic, but today there is intense pressure for companies to adopt them or get left behind.”

While the pandemic had organizations considering how they stay operational, they are quickly seeing now that this new way of operating has become the new normal. How is your contact center faring? If you’re like most organizations, you’ve realized that workforce management processes are not as effective in the new normal.

Using Artificial Intelligence to Amplify Performance

For many organizations, the rise in their customers’ expectations and the increase in digital interactions are driving them to rethink the way they interact with their customers. And with most of the customer’s purchasing decision relying on experience, it’s something that cannot be overlooked.  Poor online experience and long wait times frustrate customers and impact profitability. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has enabled organizations, by offering new ways to automate tasks, create new efficiencies, and augment the performance of employees to empower them to provide better customer experiences and desired outcomes. AI has proven so effective that 60% of businesses plan to implement AI in their contact center within the next 3 years.

Has Your Organization Considered Workforce Optimization?

To provide the required excellence of customer service, Organizations must have the data and tools to manage team performance. Workforce Optimization includes powerful applications that enable you to measure call quality management, workforce management, and analytics. Tools like this allow supervisors to focus on strategic improvements while managing expectations and delivering an exceptional experience.

Have You Considered Migrating to the Cloud?

The pandemic brought to light the need for the accessibility of Contact Center services from anywhere. Cloud-based contact centers are especially attractive because they can be deployed in minutes and elevate legacy call centers.  Cloud Contact Centers also enable organizations to have a better ROI because they are using data and analytics to assess agent productivity.

A Cloud Contact Center does not need to disrupt your current cloud strategy, as you can add on-premises systems where necessary.

Does Your Solution Have Optimal Security?

Now is a good time to review your contact center security to ensure all remote employees are working from home securely and that all systems are compliant. Contact Centers have multiple, layered security options and controls. You can deploy these security features to meet individual security requirements or combine these features to achieve a better security posture against attacks.

During the COVID-19 crisis, many companies neglected to take a step back and make sure that their infrastructure met the necessary security requirements for remote work. If employees are using personal devices to make outbound calls, customer data is vulnerable and open for compromise. It is essentials for IT teams to properly manage these systems to ensure the highest level of security, whether it be in-house or through a solutions provider who has the proper certifications and experience.

Switching to a cloud-based server and technology-solutions-as-a-service (TSaaS) could provide you with the upgrades your security infrastructure requires, without the hassle of server maintenance and IT support costs. TSaaS also gives you greater visibility into the security status of your company and can address any vulnerabilities moment by moment.

Does Your Contact Center Have Robust, 24x7xAlways Support?

A remote contact center needs 100% uptime, especially in an economy that is increasingly moving to fully online operations. Can your contact center employees get tech support every day and at any time? If not, productivity will suffer.

For example, consider what happens when your contact center employees and their customers are experiencing voice quality that is less-than-clear and is interfering with conducting business. How do they report it? How quickly is it resolved?

Make sure your remote contact center solution offers:

• Comprehensive support, 24 hours a day
• End-user support
• A fully digital workplace
• Applications management
• Collaborative governance

Optimize Your Contact Center With ATSG

Today’s choices for mobility, cloud, infrastructure, communications, applications, and operations are mission-critical for small, mid-sized, and large enterprises alike. ATSG, Inc. is leading the transformation into Technology-Solutions-as-a-Service with our tech-enabled managed services portfolio and a commitment to technology innovation, operational excellence, and client intimacy.

Recognized by industry leaders and industry-leading publications, ATSG has over 25 years of operating history delivering exceptional customer experiences that directly result in competitive advantage, cost-savings, growth, and improved operational efficiencies. Visit www.atsg.net, email [email protected], call 1-914-517-2919, or visit one of our five Tristate locations today for more information.