How To Brace Up During COVID19 Pandemic

As we all know, the world has come to a sudden halt. The surprising worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus has brought the economy to its knees. Businesses that relied on person-to-person interactions have taken a significant hit. With numerous countries under lockdown, businesses are getting impacted which is so unprecedented in human history.

In these trying times, having a setback is natural, but that doesn’t mean we shut down our operations. These are the times that call out for sensibility and proactive customer service, to deliver on our goals as much as we can. A business that can provide rapid service to its customers will be able to keep its employees, unlike most organizations and industries that are laying off, especially when people are in global distress.

We at C-Zentrix strongly believe that “modern problems indeed require modern solutions” which roughly translates to rethinking our way of ensuring productivity. Now, this can be achieved through a variety of pliable options. New options do come with a lot of considerations and adjustments but let’s hear them out.

 
1. Remote Working Solution.
 

Contact Centres are large operational units. It accommodates thousands of people working together, which makes it a hotspot for the spread of the virus. However, shutting the whole operation or forcing people to come to work- both are inhuman options considering the circumstances. The ideal response to this situation is measured in the rate of adaptability.
Adopt a remote working solution. A remote-access contact center or a cloud contact center is the way to sustain any contact center operation during this pandemic. Agents can make their daily calls via their phones, right from their home. The on-premise server is connected to the internet, which is accessible to them via mobile app. The work doesn’t end here. The organization has to quickly on-board their teams into the new solution, explain new policies, update surveillance methodologies, and more. Managers have to come up with new strategies to ensure work ethics.

The entire process may appear to be overwhelming, but it is an essential bit that can prevent a significant setback. To manage the remote team better, we recommend the following:

a. Provide appropriate equipment or systems for all the employees and ensure 24x7 connectivity.

b. Initiate team training and frequent assessment to keep the pace of work.

c. Ensure data security by adopting the right contact center solution.

d. Revise your KPIs and other process-based metrics to accommodate the new working pace.

e. Create a dedicated hub for communication and be attentive. 
 

2. Reap on AI capability.
 

Explore Automated Options. Automation has been around for some time. An AI-powered agent that can imitate a human conversation, almost flawlessly without any lag is another hack to deal with this pandemic.
The customer pool is discovering new requirements based on the current status of the pandemic. This is revealing new customer intents that require an immediate response. An AI-powered agent, can manage various customer interactions, fetch relevant data from systems and successfully complete interactions.

With the help of an internal ticketing system, any issue that the AI-agent cannot resolve can automatically transfer to the agent who is working remotely from the safety of their home. The idea is to create a technology-fueled ecosystem that is well inter-connected to combat this sudden pandemic, at the same time, maintain business continuity. The service you contribute now will carve the road to success when everything settles down.

The best attraction of an AI-based agent is that it is available 24x7. This is the best solution, especially when people (customers and employees) may need you anytime!
 

3. Emphasize on self-servicing solutions.
 

Self service solutions can empower your clients to quickly seek out solution without any human intervention. Self service solutions range from Knowledge Base systems to Visual IVR.
Knowledge Base Systems can provide your customers with various self-help solutions. With smart search mechanism customers can easily find the required clarification all by themselves without the need to reach out to human agents. While it has been there for quite a while, this becomes an easy to deploy solution on your digital properties so with limited workforce, customer will not be stranded.

Similarly, Visual IVRs play a significant role in self-service. Customers can call over the business phone and get the complete work flow on their mobile device so that they can easily find the solution by choosing the various options displayed on Visual IVR. At any point they can go back to live agent to interact but a significant part of interactions can be done by self-service. While companies will be forced to limit the number of agents working out of an office, such self-service or assisted service will be useful to wade through this situation.
 

4. Lastly, reintroduce your working process.
 

No matter the number of technological solutions and innovations, success can't be met if all teams are not working together. The managerial board has to come up with new strategies to ensure that the silos of data are not being shoved.
Segment your data and understand your priority clients. This does not mean you neglect your lesser priority clients. Schedule call-back assists for everyone. Utilize analytical tools to shape your workforce, adjust priorities, and ration your distribution.

Focus and understand the booming touchpoints. Deploy a team on those channels and remain connected with your customers. Empathize with their issues and provide relevant solutions. All of this can be done remotely without worrying about human contact. Avail video chat as an ideal mode of communication, utilize it for customer verification calls and, enhancing the customer service.
 

Conclusion:

The world has come together to deal with this unwarranted situation. The uncertainty makes this a risky affair, however, it is important that you pace yourself and initiate active communication with your employees and customers, alike. Be transparent and be human. Set new expectations and redefine your goals.

We at C-Zentrix remain your trusted partner in these difficult times. We are ready with all the technology solutions that will ensure your business continuity and keep your business ticking.