There is no end to the number of tools and technology available for contact centers. Managers who are evaluating technology to invest in a multichannel support organization can potentially spend an inordinate amount of time determining what is needed and which vendor to select. When it comes to improving the customer experience, creating a satisfying work environment for agents and managers, and optimizing company operations (and profitability), only three components are fundamentally required: Automatic Call Distribution (ACD), Customer Relationship Manager (CRM) and Call plus Screen Recording.
Focus on these three components first to establish a solid customer care technology foundation. Here is what you need to know:
Contact Center Building Blocks
ACD
The ACD is responsible for receiving and routing calls and other types of customer interactions, such as e-mail or chat, to designated people in your organization. A robust ACD allows you to route calls based on agent skills, location, or other predetermined rules. The ACD will have a single queue that prioritizes one type of interaction over another. For example, an agent handling multiple channels will have a phone call prioritized over e-mail.
CRM
The CRM is the pivot point for multichannel customer care. It keeps track of customer information and shares the data across channels within the organization. This data can be used to identify highly valued customers, analyze the customer experience, and provide an opportunity to target customers with special offers.
Some ACD solutions integrate with popular CRM applications via a “media bar” that consolidates multichannel handling within an agent’s familiar CRM screen perspective. Injection of telephony and other contact channels directly within an existing CRM enables tracking customers as they hop between channels, and makes it easier for agents to manage a mix of calls and messages.
Call and Screen Recording
Call and screen recording is an invaluable tool as it captures the voice of the customer for evaluating performance, ensuring regulatory compliance, and assisting with agent training. To be effective, the call recording solution must capture every channel transfer and agent transition as a unified call experience. It also must record the agent screen along with the voice recording to ensure the correct information is displayed at the appropriate time.
Cloud versus Premise Solutions
The benefits of the cloud typically outweigh premise solutions for the following reasons:
- Flexibility—Adding features, agent seats, and channels is easier to implement in the cloud.
- Expertise—Many cloud solution vendors employ experienced staff in the areas of networking, speech, integration, and voice user interface design.
- Cost—Cloud solutions do not require capital investment or hardware maintenance. Plus cloud solutions offer investment protection.
A “Win” for Everyone
Benefits for Agents
- Complete agent control to respond or transfer to any channel.
- Single CRM screen for ease of use.
Benefits for Managers
- Consolidated reporting from multiple channels with CRM systems supporting this resource.
- Supervisors can designate prioritized handling for agents working with multiple forms of inbound contact.
Benefits for Companies
- Improve customer retention—Studies indicate that 86% of customers who were “very satisfied” with their customer service interactions are likely to purchase from that company again. By comparison, 64% of customers who are “very dissatisfied” with their customer service interactions would likely not purchase from that same company again.
- Increase in profitability—According to Gallop, fully engaged customers represent an additional 23% in wallet share, profitability, and revenue than the average customer. Engaged customers are estimated to be 13% of all customers. Disengaged customers lose companies 13% in wallet share, profitability, and revenue. Gallop estimates that 39% of customers are not engaged.
Benefits for Customers
- Quicker resolution to questions or issues—Anticipating why customers are contacting you helps to resolve issues or answer questions more efficiently and provides the opportunity to proactively contact them.
- Personalized service—Knowing what your customer preferences are not only allows them to feel valued, but also helps you to identify products and services that better suit their needs.
Read more on this subject in a white paper written by DMG consulting titled “ACD vs. CRM: How to Win the Battle” at www.VoltDelta.com. 
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VoltDelta is a global cloud-based contact center provider with 35 years of experience. We rapidly tailor and integrate our multichannel contact center solutions to enable you to increase revenue, boost retention, and reduce operating costs with proven scalability and reliability.