A recent webcast hosted by unified IP business communications
solutions provider, Interactive Intelligence Group Inc. (Nasdaq:
ININ), has revealed key 2012 contact center trends.
The webcast, attracting more than 2,300 registrants and
featuring multiple industry experts, identified the following seven
key 2012 contact center trends:
1. The increasing use of remote agents2. A renewed focus on the
customer experience3. The rapid adoption of cloud solutions4. The
impact of social media5. The incorporation of mobile devices6. The
evolution of telephone endpoint devices7. The focus on primary key
performance indicators
“Among the most important trends affecting contact centers this
year is the increasing use of remote agents,” said Forrester
Research Inc. principal analyst, Art Schoeller, during the webcast.
“Driven by more flexible staffing, reduced real estate costs, a
broader recruitment base, and improved retention, it’s clear why
the use of remote agents is on the rise.”
Also presenting during the webcast was Interactive Intelligence
senior VP, Joe Staples, who discussed the adoption of cloud
solutions.
“As vendors successfully address top customer concerns of
security, reliability and control, it’s no wonder that cloud-based
solutions are growing,” Staples said. “In fact, analysts forecast
that over the next three to five years the market for cloud-based
contact center solutions will grow at a rate of about 18 to 20
percent. Compare that to the growth of premise solutions, which is
in the low single digits and forecast to plateau or even diminish
over the same period.”
During the webcast, results of an audience poll showed that a
full 58 percent had either already moved their contact center
solutions to the cloud, or were considering doing so.
Another trend -- that of social media -- also generated
interesting poll results. When audience members were asked, “How
are you using social media?” the largest number, at 45.5 percent,
indicated they used it to listen to what customers were saying
about their brand. That was followed by the use of social media to
provide customer support (35.9 percent), and its use for lead
generation (32.9 percent). About 24 percent said they weren’t using
social media at all, and about 23 percent said that they used it to
facilitate internal collaboration.
Webcast panelist, Don Van Doren, founder and president of
Vanguard Communications, emphasized the importance of social media
to the customer experience. "Growing social media usage will have
an enormous impact on how companies engage with their customers,”
Van Doren said. “Understanding how best to use these new channels
will challenge traditional contact center thinking, and will
require new system solutions."
On the subject of driving a successful customer experience,
Schoeller shared interesting statistics about the growth of
customer service jobs. Based on data from Indeed.com, job titles
that included the phrase, “customer experience,” showed growth
around 100 percent in 2008, jumping to 350 percent in 2010.
“If there was any doubt about the importance of the customer
experience, it’s clear that 2012 is the year that it becomes the
competitive differentiator among organizations,” Schoeller said.
“It’s the wise contact center manager who heeds this and develops a
plan that lets customers interact from anywhere, using any device,
and across all channels, especially social media platforms.”
Speaking about the wide adoption of smart mobile devices, Sheila
McGee-Smith, webcast panelist and founder of McGee-Smith Analytics,
said, “year over year, it’s the attention that mobile customer care
is getting that’s the big change. Companies are frantically looking
for solutions, and vendors are scrambling to create differentiated
offerings.”
Other trends discussed in the webcast were the evolution of
telephone endpoint devices and a focus on several primary key
performance indicators, including the use of real time speech
analytics and capturing the voice of the customer.
“Given the quality of insight demonstrated in this webcast, we
believe we’ve accomplished our goal of helping contact center
managers, customer service vice presidents, and anyone in charge of
managing the customer experience take advantage of the latest
trends so they can improve employee performance for the benefit of
customers,” Staples said.
To access the recorded, on-demand Interactive Intelligence
webcast, “2012 Key Contact Center Trends and Priorities: How You
Can be Ready,” visit www.inin.com/webevent.
Interactive Intelligence hosts a quarterly, educational Web
event featuring industry experts who cover topics ranging from
contact center automation to unified communications. To be notified
of future Web events, email info@inin.com.
About Interactive Intelligence
Interactive Intelligence Group Inc. (Nasdaq: ININ) is a global
provider of contact center automation, unified communications, and
business process automation software and services. The company’s
unified IP communications solutions, which can be deployed
on-premise or via the cloud, are ideal for industries such as
financial services, insurance, outsourcers, collections, and
utilities. Interactive Intelligence was founded in 1994 and has
more than 4,000 customers worldwide. The company is among Forbes
Magazine’s 2011 Best Small Companies in America and Software
Magazine’s 2011 Top 500 Global Software and Service Providers. It
employs more than 1,000 people and is headquartered in
Indianapolis, Indiana. The company has offices throughout North
America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia
Pacific. Interactive Intelligence can be reached at +1 317.872.3000
or info@inin.com; on the Net: www.inin.com.
Interactive Intelligence is the owner of the marks INTERACTIVE
INTELLIGENCE, its associated LOGO and numerous other marks. All
other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of
their respective owners.
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