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The data revolution in CX: Enhancing service through analytics
"Great customer experiences are built on a foundation of rich data insights." – Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon
Every contact centre strives to provide staff with the information they need to perform their roles effectively, without overwhelming them. Striking this balance is crucial, as excessive cognitive load can hinder frontline teams who already deal with fragmented systems and complex interactions.
At TTEC Digital, we leverage data and analytics as key tools in our CX consulting, recognising their pivotal role in creating value throughout the customer journey. Recently, TTEC Digital, in collaboration with TTEC in EMEA, sponsored a focus group whitepaper with CCMA UK to learn more about the experiences of frontline leaders.
This report highlights the importance of empowering frontline associates with actionable data insights, while also emphasising the value of data flowing from contact centres back to the business. Technologies like speech analytics can transform contact centre data into early indicators of product issues or process inefficiencies, creating tangible business value. As contact centres evolve from cost centres to value drivers, data stands as the catalyst for this transformation.
Here are some key developments that emerged from the whitepaper:
“People want to know their quality scores without waiting for their coaching session or scheduled update. They want to see how they're doing in real-time to elicit conversations with peers and managers.”Daniel Nield, Head of Bike Operations & Live Chat at Atlanta Group, on the value of real-time data
Democratising performance metrics
Gone are the days when performance metrics were the sole domain of managers. Today's contact centres are equipping agents with personalised dashboards and metrics, providing real-time access to key performance indicators (KPIs). This shift empowers agents to take charge of their own performance and introduces individualised insights. This can also be gamified to create a more engaged workforce. The role of team leaders remains crucial as interpreters of data, helping agents understand the context and implications of their metrics.
“You've got to make it simple and short. Surface the things that are important without looking at many different numbers.”Nick Coleman, Senior Manager Customer Care at Dunelm
Simplifying KPIs
Contact centres are learning the value of simplicity when it comes to KPIs. Rather than overwhelming agents with a plethora of metrics, they're focusing on a select few that agents can meaningfully act upon. The emphasis is now on quality over quantity, ensuring that each KPI serves a clear purpose, especially because we can draw clear effects from those KPIs. They're no longer blind KPIs, but they're now provable metrics that directly affect customer experience, agent churn, and the true north stars and pressing issues that contact centre managers experience.
“Speech analytics helps us understand demand and provides early-warning signals of issues, allowing us to address them promptly.”Luke Ollerhead, Senior Insight Manager at The Very Group
The rise of speech analytics
Contact centres can enhance their insights by incorporating non-operational data, such as Voice of Customer (VoC) data and speech analytics. Speech analytics is proving to be a game-changer for many contact centres. This technology can flag challenging conversations, identify vulnerable customers, and provide broader quality assurance coverage. It's akin to having an additional layer of intelligence supporting every call.
“Our knowledgebase helps agents answer questions and captures reasons for contact, informing training needs and self-serve channel strategies.”Michael Sherwood, Head of Brand & Experience at Atom Bank
Smart knowledge management
The days of agents scrambling through unwieldy knowledge bases are becoming a thing of the past. Modern contact centres are implementing 'agent assist' tools that serve up relevant information in real-time. These systems help bridge the gap between new and experienced agents, ensuring more consistent service delivery.
Embracing change
At the core of AI and Analytics is the ability to enable and empower our agents to let their creativity and authenticity flourish, by spending less time on the operational tasks. While this evolution of technological advancements that are reshaping roles and responsibilities can be daunting, it's important to remember they are designed to augment human capabilities, not replace them.
Conclusion
The application of data and analytics in contact centres represents a significant step forward in customer service capabilities. The power of data is transforming customer experience (CX) at its core, enabling more personalised, efficient, and effective interactions. By harnessing insights from every customer touchpoint, contact centres can now anticipate needs, resolve issues more quickly, and create more satisfying experiences overall. As the industry continues to evolve, we can expect to see even more innovative uses of these technologies, all aimed at delivering better outcomes for customers and businesses alike.
Special thanks to the participants in our focus groups and to the CCMA UK for helping to deliver these insights.
Want real-world examples of data and analytics in the contact centre?
Learn more with CCMA's in-depth interviews of front line leaders.
About the Author
Rob Allman
Head of TTEC Digital EMEARob serves as senior VP of TTEC Digital's EMEA operations.
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