Datapoint - ”Get it right!” demands Datapoint, as yet another survey finds customers unhappy with contact centre

Thousands of people have vocalised their disdain for British customer service as the Daily Mail’s annual Wooden Spoon award points the finger at contact centres for poor service. With some familiar problems recurring yet again, it’s time for a wake up call on how to effectively manage a contact centre, says Gordon Young, General Manager at Datapoint.

“Looking at what customers have cited as the biggest annoyances – promised call backs that don’t manifest, repeated calls to contact centres, having to regurgitate complaints, and difficulties communicating with contact centre staff – it goes to show that some organisations are still not managing their customer communication effectively.

“Too many organisations with a customer service function neglect to apply sufficient attention and resources to guarantee that its contact centre can serve its customers. Any negatives that emanate from services to customers will simply turn people away from using your business.

“The next generation of contact centres are already addressing the issue and contact centre optimisation software – such as Katalyst – is playing a crucial role in this fight. It is often difficult to pinpoint what exactly causes poor service as the different elements of the contact centre - from the technology and applications supporting interactions, through to agents, teams and individual campaigns – may appear to perform independently, but only the best performing businesses have a handle on how each impacts the other as well as the business as a whole and the bottom line.”

Young concludes: “It is much like a clock – if one cog is missing, in the wrong place or going too slowly, the operation experiences failures. Contact centre managers achieve success and contact optimisation through having a handle on each cog, when it is needed, whether it is performing or maybe if it is just a bit rusty. To become a leader in customer satisfaction, organisations must treat the contact centre as an asset and not a necessity, and align its performance with overall business objectives. Without this, underperforming contact centres will remain a thorn in the side of any organisation’s reputation.”