Workflow automation tools are having an incredible impact on the contact center. While delivering an excellent customer experience requires human beings to demonstrate empathy and compassion, automation tools can empower employees to accomplish more and deliver more valuable experiences.
Workflow automation tools offer businesses an effective way to save money, boost productivity, and improve the experiences of employees and customers alike. Moreover, the right software helps companies reduce the time employees spend on manual, repetitive tasks. Remember, 51% of workers spend up to 2 hours a day on tasks that could be automated.
However, as workflow automation technology grows in popularity, companies face countless competing solutions. Here’s how organizations can ensure they’re investing in the right automation tools.
How to Compare Workflow Automation Tools
The workflow automation market is set to reach a value of $78 billion by 2030. The cloud, hybrid, and remote working styles and innovations in AI are all driving the delivery of a vast selection of powerful tools.
While there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy for choosing the right technology for your contact center team, there are some steps you can take to boost your chances of success.
Step 1: Assess Opportunities for Automation
The first step in implementing workflow automation tools is evaluating which tasks and processes in your contact center can be effectively automated. In a world overrun by artificial intelligence and generative AI bots, consumers are still looking for authentic human interactions.
Not every process in the contact center can be automated. However, companies can benefit significantly by automating tasks that don’t require human input.
Mundane, repetitive, and data-focused tasks, like transcribing conversations or adding information to a CRM, are ideal for automation. Auditing your current workflows will offer insight into which workflows are most suitable for automation and which strategies can drive the best value.
Step 2: Assess Features of Workflow Automation Tools
Workflow automation tools come in various formats, from solutions designed to streamline marketing efforts to tools that enhance self-service interactions. Some solutions can help onboard and train new employees with consistent and real-time AI-driven coaching.
Companies can also leverage automation tools that help with compliance strategies monitoring conversations for instances of sensitive information. Companies need clear insight into their business goals to choose the right workflow automation tools. Determine precisely what you want to accomplish with automation technology, and set clear metrics for measuring success.
For instance, you might monitor CSAT scores, first-time resolution rates, and average handling times to improve customer satisfaction and team productivity.
Step 3: Prioritize a User-Friendly Solution
Adopting new technology in the contact center suffers when solutions are complicated or easy to navigate. Workflow automation tools should empower companies to accomplish more with minimal effort. This means it’s essential to choose a solution that’s simple to implement and customize.
Increasingly, innovators in the automation landscape are providing companies with tools that help to activate all employees as citizen developers who can create their own automated workflows. No-code and low-code tools ensure your team can access automation solutions effectively. It’s also worth looking for technology that provides a simple back-end interface.
Ensure tools and workflows are easy to deploy, monitor, and configure according to your needs. Some companies can even offer step-by-step help with implementation.
Step 4: Remember Integrations with Workflow Automation Tools
Workflow automation tools work best when they can integrate seamlessly with various solutions in the business landscape, streamlining and aligning multiple tasks. The right software shouldn’t just integrate fully with your contact center or CCaaS solution.
It should also offer access to a flexible environment where you can connect various other technologies. For instance, an automation solution may allow companies to align UCaaS and CCaaS tools to automate multiple collaborative processes and ensure teams stay synchronized.
These solutions can also integrate with marketing analytics tools, business intelligence solutions, CRM software, and data management systems.
Step 5: Prioritize Security and Control
To make the most of workflow automation tools, companies need to access and align various forms of data. Many innovative solutions are designed to help businesses make intelligent decisions, unifying metrics related to employee performance and customer experience.
This ensures the right data protection and privacy solutions are implemented into the technology. The best tools should feature encryption solutions to protect data in transit and at rest. They may also offer access to comprehensive monitoring and analytics tools to help ensure compliance with industry standards.
Make sure solutions are also in for access control. This means ensuring only certain employees can access data and automation tools based on their roles and needs.
Step 6: Use Tools with In-Depth Insights
Finally, workflow automation tools have the power to significantly improve team productivity and efficiency while also enhancing customer experiences. However, like any new technology, these solutions must be constantly optimized based on the data you collect.
Workflow automation tools should give you clear insights into the ROI of your initiatives, helping you track improvements in processes and performance. They should include real-time and historical data companies can use to make intelligent decisions for future growth.
Prioritize workflow automation software that boosts visibility in your business and gives you the data you need to empower employees and enrich experiences constantly.
Choosing Workflow Automation Tools
Workflow automation tools have become increasingly valuable in the contact center, empowering teams to accomplish more with fewer resources. The right solutions can boost employee and customer satisfaction, reduce costs, and increase efficiency.
Use the steps above to ensure you’re choosing a workflow automation solution that addresses the unique needs of your business and employees.
