While the telephone will never be completely replaced (well, actually, never say never), unified communications (UC) and collaboration technology – including video and social tools, as well as instant messaging – are quickly becoming vital call center solutions that help agents know as much as possible about a caller before he or she is even on the line.
“Successful multichannel campaign planning and execution requires insight into all this data to gain a proper 360 degree view of the customer,” recently wrote marketer David Moth for Econsultancy, “and ensure the right offer and message can be delivered at the right time and via the right channel.”
The Advantages of UC
By integrating real-time communications services – such as video conferencing, data sharing, IM, presence information and unified messaging (integrated voicemail, e-mail, SMS and fax) – as a call center solution, agents and customers using UC are able to enact their user experience across a number of devices and forms of interaction.
Let’s say you contact a customer via e-mail, but the person’s preferred method of communication is video chat. UC allows the customer to return your information request through chat, video conferencing, instant message or any number of other forms of communication. UC truly lets your customers have their cake and eat it, too.
Better Collaboration through Technology
While the idea of collaboration is tightly linked to UC, it also offers even more contact center solutions that you can use today, such as the ability for agents to share information easily if one or more agents are working remotely.
Managers can also take advantage of collaboration tools including staff networking, expert recommendations and real-time collaboration. By finding new ways to keep your agents connected and aware of best practices and new methods for doing their best work, everyone in the organization will become more efficient, leading the way for an overall more satisfying working environment.