CSRs move beyond traditional roles as omnichannel affects call centers
Ruchi Solanki, Research Analyst –
As technology enables utilities to utilize more digital channels and move toward an omnichannel experience to satisfy the needs of customers, contact centers are rapidly changing. More than ever, frontline employees can make or break the customer experience as CSRs maintain communications with customers through multiple channels, including email, social media and chat. Utilities must recognize the importance of supporting and training agents and help them hone their skill sets to adapt to customer expectations.
Chartwell’s newest report, CSRs move beyond traditional roles as omnichannel affects call centers (member login required), leverages Chartwell’s 2018 Contact Center Survey along with Chartwell’s 2018 and 2016 Residential Consumer Surveys to identify major trends in the contact center and discuss how staffing, training and strategic opportunities can better engage frontline employees.
Key takeaways identified in the report include:
• As customer expectations continue to grow and as the industry moves toward an omnichannel experience, the roles and responsibilities of contact center agents are becoming more diverse.
• Utilities must adequately staff and organize the contact center while guarding against understaffing or overstaffing.
• Training employees and providing them with helpful information, tools and resources can help increase productivity.
• Engaging contact center agents can lead to positive benefits on the bottom line and impact customer satisfaction.
Utilities have used multiple methods to coach new hires and existing employees. Gamification can be an effective way to educate and train employees on safety procedures and other programs and services. Some utilities have employed empathy training to improve satisfaction while others updated scorecards to accurately reflect excellent customer service.
As the contact center continues to handle increasingly complex and diverse customer interactions, utilities have the responsibility and opportunity to leverage agents and expand their expertise in order to satisfy growing customer expectations.
Download your copy of the report, today, by logging into Chartwell’s Insight Center.
Remember, with a Chartwell Premier membership you have access to research, a network of industry peers, topical webinars and analyst support. If you are interested in learning more about how to optimize your utility’s customer care strategies and problem solve with other leading utilities, join Chartwell’s Customer Experience Leadership Council by emailing Tim Herrick at therrick@chartwellinc.com.
