Contact centers have been evolving particularly rapidly in the last decade, largely due to technology trends. In particular, contact centers have changed from simple phone banks to organizations that provide customer service across multiple integrated communication channels. Technology will continue to shape the interaction between businesses and their customers with innovations such as 5G networks.
Customized software development and other measures will also be needed for contact centers to prepare for technological shifts. These changes will help make communication between customers and agents more efficient, while improving user experience and cutting costs. Aceyus’ platforms can help agents obtain the new skills they’ll need to be productive with the latest technology.
5G
5G is the fifth generation of cellular networks, which began deployment on a commercial scale in 2019. Virtually all major telecommunications providers in the United States have already deployed them or will deploy them soon. The frequency range of 5G is divided into millimeter waves, mid-band and low-band, with low-band being similar to the range used by 4G. The latency of 5G service from the major providers is 25 to 40 percent less than that of typical 4G services, which can be reduced even further by adding servers close to the cell towers. A lower latency has a direct correlation with the speed of a smartphone connection.
A 2019 report from Deloitte shows that over 70 operators are testing 5G technologies, with 25 of them bringing 5G to market in the first wave. In addition to smartphones, fixed wireless and WiFi networks will also rely on 5G technology to improve connection speeds. Even if 5G isn’t available in their area yet, contact centers should start upgrading their infrastructure now in anticipation that it will become available in 2020.
Hiring Developers
More contact centers are hiring dedicated developers to support their own IT initiatives as they migrate to cloud platforms. Contact centers wanting to integrate multiple software solutions such as automatic call distribution and customer relationship management (CRM) systems have historically needed to work with multiple vendors. Some computer telephony integration (CTI) adapters have been available, but they still require costly, time-consuming services. Even then, CTI projects still fail, leaving the contact center with expensive software that doesn’t really work.
Cloud contact center solutions bring many advantages to software implementation, especially the ability to easily integrate discrete software. The availability of open application programming interfaces (APIs) allows in-house developers to become a viable means of customizing a contact center. This approach focuses on the use of web-based frameworks rather than proprietary skills that typically require a specific vendor. The possibilities of these new services include a more agile response to new requirements in customer care.
Preparing for Technology Shifts
Contact centers must focus on getting prepared for the tech shift and getting ahead of the game. The biggest trend in contact centers is currently the change in the ways that staff members and customers interact with each other. The shift towards multiple communication channels such as mobile devices, social media, and the cloud is now essential for survival, especially among younger customers.
Forbes estimates that people born from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, collectively known as Generation Z, comprised a fourth of the U.S. population in 2015. This figure makes Generation Z a larger portion of the workforce than either millennials or baby boomers. Furthermore, this incoming group of workers will need the latest technology to be productive. Similarly, Generation Z is also the largest group of customers for many companies, mandating a transformation in the services that contact centers provide. This generation expects services on demand, with self-service solutions for simple problems and concise communications with a customer service agent for more complex ones.
