Social Media in Contact Centers: Another Channel or Another Force Fit
Social media is not just abuzz, but it is also being used to create a lot of buzz about everything. Let’s take a peep into how social media can play a significant role in next-gen contact centers. From a contact center’s perspective that is providing customer service, taking orders, or doing outbound telemarketing campaigns, social media is another channel that ensures contact with customer. Just like phone, e-mail, Instant Messaging and fax channel, social media is yet another platform to get in touch with the end customer. Treating social media as just another channel can be deceiving for the call center as it is a new channel and its use may not be properly understood by the call center. There is a viral element to social media that can have ramifications; both positive and unwanted. Social media when used as another channel in contact centers can certainly provide a 360 degree view of a company’s client base if it is managed properly and is part of an overall strategy to enhance customer touch.
For contact center technology vendors such as 3CLogic, social media provides an opportunity to bring new capabilities to contact centers. Optimizing the use of social media channel in contact centers requires integration of social media capabilities into existing call center platforms. New agent and supervisory skills are essential for the social media channel to work effectively in contact centers. Continuous monitoring of buzz and chatter on net combined with the appropriate reaction and response from the call center is paramount to the success of social media as a channel in contact centers. The speed with which the contact center must respond to the buzz and chatter cannot be underestimated. Adoption of social media in contact centers can be challenging and overwhelming for their decision makers. Technology vendors like 3CLogic can help call centers take the next step in the right direction.
