 The
Importance of Conversation
By Paul Hudson
Paul has extensive
business and analysis experience and maintains a close
relationship with the Call Centre Association (CCA),
having been involved with the sponsorship and direction
of CCA Research Institute. |
“What is the impact of the Internet on the call centre?”
It is a common question that has been around for many years
now, but one that is central to the current generation of
contact centres. In the heady days of dotcom boom, we were
told that the Internet was going to lead to the total demise
of the call centre and that call volumes would fall so dramatically
that consumers would all use online ‘self service’
methods. I remember watching a presentation based on this
three years ago. At the same time, on the other hand, I remember
recounting Teleconomy’s then-revolutionary behavioural
research into the Internet, which at best said the impact
would be far less quick and dramatic.
I can also remember suggesting that instead of volumes falling,
they may in fact increase in the short term as inexperienced
Internet users called looking for help and guidance in using
this new medium. And this was closer to actual experience.
Rather than the Internet leading to an immediate revolution
and shift in contact, it has led to a more subtle and difficult
change. Expectations have changed.
Work with our clients has repeatedly shown that we constantly
meet caller expectations for being ‘friendly’,
but consistently fail to deliver are on the key areas of demonstrating
care and keeping promises. In 1998 these were both important,
but were easier to deliver against compared to friendliness.
After a number of years, we have become masters in closing
this gap, and can now deliver friendliness in bundles. But
we are less capable than ever before in showing care and understanding.
In focus groups callers constantly refer to frustration over
being dealt with by a ‘friendly robot’.
The answer to the opening question therefore has to be that
the Internet is challenging us to think more deeply about
the ‘conversations’ they have with customers.
We have experienced a rather subtle shift in customer expectations
that means they are now looking for a different interaction
when they pick up the phone. They are no longer satisfied
with merely being treated in a friendly manner – all
our centres are now more than adept at ‘processing’
thousands of friendly calls - but the Internet can complete
transactions quicker, in our own time and in just a friendly
a manner. The Internet is now where we go to transact and
to ask simple queries.
So the response to the question is not about operations,
team structures, email handling or even streaming online chat.
These are an important part of the future mix, but we must
also concentrate on reversing a more challenging trend –
the reason for calling has changed and we must respond by
understanding the caller and how to deal with them when they
do call. A friendly robot will clearly not suffice.
The falling satisfaction with call centres is based on this
lack of understanding expectations. Our operations are modelled
on an outmoded way of thinking, one that is delivering, more
often than not, the wrong conversation.
It is this, the importance of conversation, shifting expectations,
challenging demands on email response, continual questions
over IVR, the integration of the Internet and a never ending
search to minimise costs that has led us to a major new research
study sponsored by Cable & Wireless – Emerging Expectations
of Multi-Media Contact. Please contact paul.hudson@teleconomy.com
for more information about this study, or for further
information about any of the issues raised in this article.
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