Contact centers saw substantial changes during the pandemic in 2020. In order to offer clients the greatest customer experience, organizations had to continuously adapt to changing and increased consumer requirements. This is a crucial problem for companies who want to distinguish themselves from competitors. This became a double challenge for contact centers, since they had to offer greater customer value than competitors but they also had to move faster towards technological improvements.

Connected Telephony

It is critical for companies to enhance their digital transformation by digitizing client interactions.  In that regard, VOIP's advanced features (integrated statistics, real-time dashboard for contact centers, etc.) will allow organizations to be more productive and more efficient in customer support.

While previously, customer interactions tools could not be linked with this telephony. In 2021, CRM as well as other tools commonly used by sales and support teams, will be further connected with VOIP. Because IP telephony is used in tandem with other customer relationship management tools, this greatly reduces the amount of time agents spend dialing customers who aren't immediately interested in what they have to say. IP telephony is utilized in tandem with other customer relationship management tools, and thus greatly reduces the amount of time that agents waste dialing customers who aren't immediately interested in what they have to say.

Another advantage of combining voice over IP telephony with customer relationship management technologies is that it improves the customer experience. Cumbersome waiting times are significantly decreased, and the client experience is tailored, which results in better customer satisfaction.

A healthy balance between automation and human efforts

Some customers were left alone to confront their anxieties during the early confinements due to forced telecommuting and COVID. And for good reason: understaffed customer support departments handled +36% of inquiries on average.

When dealing with a remote consumer that needs assistance, the chatbot/human agent pairing is highly common in 2021.

The chatbot handles simple queries with no additional value and answers quickly 24 hours a day to ensure client happiness. If the request is complicated, the bot will redirect to a human agent. Because the agent is freed from time-consuming inbound contacts, he or she has the ability to reply more rapidly to high-value-added client requests.

Companies discover the perfect blend of human and automation to improve the experience of their consumers while also enhancing the experience of their representatives.

More integrated technologies for a unified client experience

The year 2020 will have pressed on the pain points of enterprises once more. With the closing of physical touch points such as stores and agencies, most consumers have been compelled to contact their brands through channels they were not accustomed to utilizing such as Facebook, Whatsapp, email, webchat and so on.

For some, the experience was positive; moving from one station to another was simple. Others have associated the shift from physical to digital with disruption.

Customers anticipate not having to repeat their application history with each agent they interact with in 2021. They want to be recognized and able to communicate with the companies they love, whether they're on the phone, email, Whatsapp, or Facebook.

Companies will need to equip themselves with technologies that provide a consistent customer experience regardless of the channel used by the consumer. An intelligent interaction automation platform, for example, which incorporates livechat, ticketing, chatbot and search modules, and FAQs, is a technology that satisfies this requirement.

A customized journey with attentive actions

More than ever, consumers believe they will buy more from a company that provides a better online experience.

Clients in 2021 will gravitate toward businesses that demonstrate via their words and actions that they care about them and their workers. Personalization of encounters, modest attentions to customer service, regardless of the selected communication medium, will set you apart from the competition.

In this context, it is critical to have an contact center solution that supports live chat, phone, social media, SMS, e-mail and CRM solutions that are accessible to third-party apps in order to ensure that client data is transferred inside the organization from one tool to another.

Customer live video is the future

Personalization is a popular marketing trend right now, and it also applies to improving your company's customer service. Personalized assistance enables you to connect with consumers by personalizing your messages, chatting using their name, and learning about their needs.

Video conversations, in particular, are becoming increasingly popular with some consumers since they assist to develop relationships and provide immediate answers to problems.

In regards to customer relations, video will continue to be a useful support for customer service, regardless of which side of the conversation the consumer or agent is on. More classically, to display issues on a device installed at the consumer.

Cloud First & EX

Companies are continuing to boost cloud, security, network and mobility expenditures. They will adopt 'first cloud' and platforms in order to make them more adaptable.

This will result in better organizational collaboration with common goals, budgets and instruments amongst teams across the company. Managers will focus on employee experience (EX), which is a strong competitive benefit, to recruit and retain talent.

After the pandemic contact centers will be more agile than ever

A better and flexible organization is now the quality and ability of a customer service to answer client demands efficiently. In order to satisfy the demands of the custodians on the channel of their choice, the adoption of tools and software intended to create a remote contact center will always be an essential step. Contact center software is now a vital lever to optimize a human-centered contact center in an economic setting of growing digitization.