Contact Centres are a People-Centric Industry, But for How Long?

Cory Gallagher, a Call Center Outsourcing and Technology Expert and a Partner at Contact Center Consulting Group talks about the current challenges and how the rapid growth and evolution of new AI applications can help.

While acknowledging the ubiquitous truth that AI is a transformative force lacks novelty, it remains undeniable. “I am in multiple conversations weekly to keep pace with the rapid growth and evolution of new applications. AI is enabling smarter automation, increasing personalisation not only for the contact centre but for the marketing departments in the companies that are early adopters,” says Cory Gallagher, a Call Center Outsourcing and Technology Expert and a Partner at Contact Center Consulting Group.

With over 20 years of experience, Cory has led B2B B2C and outsourcing call centres. With sharp insights, he adeptly navigates the complexities of contact centre operations, ensuring seamless integration of processes, technology, and personnel placement.

According to Cory, the future of contact centres, which are inherently based on human interaction, will become clearer in the coming years.

Excerpts from the interview:

What are the key factors that contribute to building lasting client relationships in the customer service industry?

Trust and clear communication are paramount. As busy as we have all become, it is impossible to accomplish these with email and SMS, and we still need to pick up the phone and form personal connections. This goes a long way with understanding and addressing our clients’ unique needs to effectively solve problems enhancing customer satisfaction significantly. Personalising interactions and following up post-service demonstrate ongoing commitment to their experience. We are on monthly calls with our customers and the BPO providers we helped them source every month for years ensuring we provide value and solidify ongoing customer satisfaction.

What emerging technologies do you believe will have the most significant impact on the future of contact centres?

It doesn’t seem original or unique to respond with the answer of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning as game changers, yet it is the truth. I am in multiple conversations weekly to keep pace with the rapid growth and evolution of new applications. AI is enabling smarter automation, increasing personalisation not only for the contact centre but for the marketing departments in the companies that are early adopters. Contact centres are still a people industry and always will be but the next few years will tell you for how long.

How do you help clients determine whether outsourcing or implementing in-house solutions is the right choice for their contact centre needs?

It really depends on the problems they are trying to solve, the internal resources that are available to them and how they want to grow their business. We don’t sell outsourcing; we really ask questions that lead our clients to answer this question for themselves. Some of the pain points are staffing, labour costs, lack of contact centre experience, business growth and limited appetite to invest in contact centre technology. I cannot speak to the outcomes for those that have chosen to keep their contact centres in-house. I do know that the clients that have chosen to outsource are pleased with the decision they made to leverage a BPO partner.

To what extent can speech analytics be applied in real-time to enhance customer interactions?

My opinion is that it can have a transformational impact on customer interactions by providing immediate insights into the customers sentiment, tone, and intent during conversations. Whether inbound or outbound or sales or service organisation it equips the CSR with insights that take time to be developed, especially less experienced staff. To have the ability to tailor response or create more personalised customer experiences can make all the difference. If developed and deployed well, I can envision improved NPS scores and increased customer loyalty.

As technology evolves, finding the right balance between automation and maintaining a human touch becomes crucial. 

What advice do you have for businesses striving to strike this balance in customer engagement?

I recommend businesses leverage technology to handle the routine enquiries efficiently allowing the human agents to focus on the complex issues that require a personal touch. What companies should equally focus on is using speech analytics and AI to identify patterns in customer calls to reveal the underlying issues that are prompting the contact. Find out and understand what the underlying issues are that are prompting the contact. Solving these problems can proactively assess systemic problems, reducing call volume thus improving customer satisfaction. Someone recently shared with me that it’s about harmonising the efficiency of automation with the empathy of human interaction, the goal isn’t to replace the human element but to reserve it for when it is needed.

Also Read: A Complete Guide to Contact Centre Tools and Metrics for CX Growth

What are some common challenges you’ve observed in the industry, and what advice would you offer to businesses facing similar issues?

Contact centre leaders are currently facing a myriad of challenges that include managing agent burnout, attrition, and meeting the evolving expectations of customers who demand swift, efficient, and personalised service. The integration of cutting-edge technology presents its own set of challenges with implementation, staffing and training. It is impossible to solve or implement all of these challenges at once. 

Be strategic in your approach, don’t be afraid to take your organisation on a new path, identify the biggest opportunities. Hold a mini-Kaizen event and when you are done step back and look at all of the post-it notes and decide if your team and organisation have the resources to address some or all or if it makes sense to enlist a 3rd party trusted advisor. I don’t see the challenges I have listed going away anytime soon.