SALT LAKE CITY, Sept. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- inContact, Inc.
(NASDAQ: SAAS), the leading provider of cloud contact center
software and agent optimization tools, today announced the findings
from a July 2016 survey of customer
service representatives (CSRs). The study, conducted online by
Qualtrics on behalf of inContact, surveyed 500 customer service
representatives in July 2016 and
reveals that CSRs use phone-based support 86% of the time, despite
the continual rise of non-voice channels.
"Customer service has quickly become a key differentiator for
companies fighting for the consumer's favor, and CSRs are arguably
the most crucial part of a high-quality customer experience," noted
Paul Jarman, CEO inContact. "The
valuable insights gained through this research provides a better
understanding of the work environment faced by most customer
service representatives."
Phone Support is Still King
The new research indicates
a steady increase in non-voice channels for customer service and
CSRs are using multiple channels simultaneously, and often for the
same customer. Email is the second most-popular channel with 46% of
CSRs utilizing their email tool to interact with customers,
followed by online chat channels at 16%. However, at 86%, phone
support usage was nearly twice as much as email and used over five
times more often than chat channels. Additionally, when asked to
rank the most effective communication channel for resolving
customer issues, CSRs again chose voice channels well ahead of
email, chat, social media or text messages.
Nearly Half of CSRs Time is Technical Support
Between
technical support and assistance with a purchase, CSRs spend 83% of
their time helping customers. This 83% is evenly split between the
two categories meaning that nearly half a CSR's time is spent on
technical support – a non-revenue-generating activity. Advanced
self-service technologies, such as a customizable Interactive Voice
Response (IVR) paired with a robust Automatic Call Distributor
(ACD), alongside progressive analytics, relieve some of the
technical support burden and create a more productive and efficient
customer service workforce.
"Customer service, and specifically contact centers, are an
important part of almost any organization. At times, however, they
are looked upon as a cost-center rather than a crucial and valued
business asset," Jarman continued. "Through advancements of
established technologies, and the introduction of new functionality
and cloud capabilities, contact centers are evolving into valuable
contributors to an enterprise's bottom line."
The research shows phone support remains the most important
service channel, but also highlights the importance of secondary
channels including email, chat, social media and text messages.
Equipping and training CSRs with the latest in contact center
technology is crucial to providing customers the ability to connect
with companies through their preferred interaction method. Visit
the inContact Blog for insights and details on how to create and
empower the next wave of "Super CSRs".
Additional Information
- Learn more about available cloud solutions from inContact
- Follow @inContact on Twitter
- Become a fan of inContact on Facebook
About inContact
inContact (NASDAQ: SAAS) is the cloud
contact center software leader, with the most complete, easiest and
most reliable solution to help organizations achieve their customer
experience goals. inContact continuously innovates in the cloud and
is the only provider to offer a complete solution that includes the
customer interaction cloud, an expert service model and the
broadest partner ecosystem. Recognized as a market leader by
Gartner, IDC, Frost & Sullivan, Ovum and DMG, inContact
supports over 6 billion interactions per year for enterprise,
midmarket, government organizations and business process
outsourcers (BPOs) who operate in multiple divisions, locations and
global regions. To learn more, visit www.incontact.com.
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SOURCE inContact, Inc.