Puzzel has conducted research with the CCMA (Call Centre Management Association), which has revealed the CX and contact centre industry is in the midst of undergoing profound and rapid transformation.
The CCMA’s Evolution of the Contact Centre research initiative with the leading Contact Centre as a Service (CCaaS) provider has documented a list of findings that show not only the state of play for CX has changed, but trends emerging from COVID-19 challenges
The main findings are:
- Our collective resilience has been challenged: Winter lockdown has taken its toll on colleagues across the industry at all levels, as well as customers. Mental health is top of the agenda, while boosting empathy with colleagues and customers will be a permanent component of training and day-to-day operations
- We need workspaces that work: While remote working has been hailed a great success, much is yet to be done to embed this approach into a long-term, hybrid way of working that delivers for both colleagues and organisations
- Balancing needs is harder than ever: The pressure has never been greater for contact centres to maintain the balance between happy colleagues, meeting the expectations of customers who are looking for fast and effective resolutions, and managing costs
- No one size fits all: The most effective new operating model will be specific to each organisation and its own dynamics and customer expectations
- Technology has so much more to give: Even as many contact centres have adopted cloud infrastructures and digital channels, additional innovations such as smarter call routing and speech analytics pack the potential to unlock further productivity
CCMA CEO, Leigh Hopwood, said: “I am so proud of what the industry has done in the last year. This latest report unflinchingly chronicles the toll that the ongoing pandemic has taken on the people working in our sector. Leaders of contact centres up and down the country are united and single-minded in their commitment to prioritising the wellbeing of colleagues. As the country begins to reopen and bounce back, our industry will emerge a more resilient one, better equipped than ever to deliver the experiences that colleagues and customers demand and deserve.”
Jonathan Allan, CMO at Puzzel, said: “This research programme has been fascinating. It has bravely explored the real issues that the contact centre industry is facing and has made sense of these challenges in order to support contact centre leaders as they advance through 2021.
“Contact centres have shown extraordinary resilience over the past 12 months. They have become a critically important touchpoint for their brands and are juggling more responsibilities than ever before. Contact centres have a lot to look forward to in 2021, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the landscape evolves next year and beyond.”
