Page 44 - Optus Future of Business Report 2013
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43
Contact centres:
The emerging lynchpins
for the integrated
channel experience
The contact centre is recognised for
providing a personal touch in customer
interactions, which is why nearly 60% of
businesses say they use it for improving
customer care and support. Over 40%
say it is to meet customer expectations
and improve customer experience.
Despite the increase in investment in
digital channels, organisations expect
contact centres to still account for over
a third of customer care and support
volumes in three to five years.
Organisations and their customers
largely agree on the benefits from
contact centres. Almost two-thirds of
businesses list ease and convenience
for customers as a benefit, followed
by responding quickly to customers
(50%), and being able to easily resolve
customer problems or queries (41%).
Consumers give equal weight to
being able to talk to a person and the
channel’s simplicity (37%), followed by
its greater convenience (25%).
Contact centres are still relevant for
a growing number of consumers and
businesses. Fifty-eight percent of
consumers say they expect to prefer
contact centres for care and support
in three to five years, while 83% of
organisations expect to use it for the
same purpose.
Given consumers’ comfort with this
channel, contact centres are likely to
play an important supporting role in
the adoption of new digital channels.
TOP 3 CITED BENEFITS OF USING CONTACT CENTRES
(%)
EASE AND
CONVENIENCE
FOR CUSTOMERS
EASIER TO RESOLVE
CUSTOMER PROBLEMS
OR QUERIES
60
37
50
41
37
25
QUICKER RESPONSE
TIMES TO CUSTOMERS
I CAN TALK
TO A REAL PERSON
BUSINESS
CONSUMER
SIMPLE AND
EASY TO USE
IT IS MORE
CONVENIENT THAN
OTHER CHANNELS
CONTACT CENTRE
CONTACT CENTRE
RESEARCHING
PRODUCTS/SERVICES
RECEIVING CUSTOMER
CARE OR SUPPORT
PURCHASING AND PAYING
FOR PRODUCTS/SERVICES
HAVING PRODUCTS/
SERVICES PROVIDED
CONSUMERS’ PREFERRED PURPOSE
FOR USING CONTACT CENTRES IN 3–5 YEARS
BUSINESSES’ EXPECTED PURPOSE
FOR USING CONTACT CENTRES IN 3–5 YEARS
29%
31%
37%
58%
MARKETING PRODUCTS
OR SERVICES
PROVIDING CUSTOMER
CARE AND SUPPORT
SELLING PRODUCTS
OR SERVICES
PROVIDING OR DELIVERING
A PRODUCT OR SERVICE
41%
51%
60%
83%
“We’ve spent so much time and energy
installing all sorts of technologies,
we’ve lost touch with our customers.
We need to get back to putting
some human fundamentals into
our interactions with our customers –
and we need to be strategic about our
channel focus. no more technology
for technology’s sake – although it’s
an important tool.”
– Marketing and IT Manager, manufacturing company
46% 43%
58%
TO IMPROve
CuSTOMeR
CARe ANd
SuPPORT
TO INCReASe
CuSTOMeR
SATISFACTION
TO IMPROve
CuSTOMeR
exPeRIeNCe
moST cITeD ReaSoNS FoR USING coNTacT ceNTReS
coNTacT
ceNTRe
