STAMFORD, Conn., Dec. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. enterprises
increasingly prefer onshore or nearshore service delivery from
their contact center service providers, and providers are
responding by expanding their capabilities in the U.S., including
embracing digital technologies to enhance the customer experience,
a new report from Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a
leading global technology research and advisory firm, has
found.
The ISG Provider Lens™ Contact Center Customer Experience
Services Quadrant Report, which evaluates providers serving the
U.S. market, also shows enterprise buyers of contact center
services now value customer experience over cost savings, and view
their contact centers as competitive differentiators and revenue
generators. They also want their service providers to invest in
digital technologies, such as automation and analytics, to improve
customer service, engagement and experience. Some also may be
anticipating regulations that will favor onshore delivery as they
make their provider choices.
Contact center service providers, for their part, are focused on
developing their businesses in the key U.S. market. The ISG report
cites an uptick in the number of mergers and acquisitions in this
space in recent years as evidence providers are looking to expand
their market share and presence in the U.S. The report notes
examples of such M&A activity, including Alorica's acquisition
of Expert Global Solutions (EGS) in 2016 following its purchase of
West Corporation's agent services business in 2015, and
Paris-based Teleperformance's
acquisition of Aegis USA in
2014.
Technological advancements are rapidly expanding the contact
center services market, as providers adopt omnichannel solutions to
cater to customers, especially tech-savvy millennials who are
seeking the most convenient channels of communication to get faster
or even instant responses to their queries. The report finds the
volume of voice calls is decreasing, as, on average, about 30
percent of customer interactions now are being resolved through
non-voice channels, such as chat. ISG expects this trend to
accelerate, although voice will remain the channel of preference
for handling complex issues, the report said.
The report also found automation is becoming the most important
factor in contact center services outsourcing. Most basic-level
queries now are being handled completely by virtual agents, or
bots, and other automation techniques, eliminating the human
element. With patience levels among millennials decreasing, the
report said, automation in the form of self-service portals, which
deliver near-instantaneous responses, is on the rise. Adoption of
intelligent automation, powered by cognitive tools and artificial
intelligence, while still at a nascent stage, will continue to
increase, especially among "digitally born" providers, the report
said.
Analytics will play a significant role in bridging the gap
between the contact center agent and the customer, with providers
investing heavily in this technology, the report said. Analytics
prepare agents to handle customer queries more effectively, while
reducing call volumes and improving first call resolution rates.
Providers also are using analytics to capture and analyze data from
social media channels to improve customer service.
"To meet customer demands and create new opportunities for
engagement, enterprises are discovering they must enrich the entire
customer experience journey with digital technology," said
Esteban Herrera, partner and global
head of ISG Research. "They need to embrace omnichannel solutions
to serve their customers at any time or in any place, on their
terms, and analyze the information flowing through those channels
to make the experience more personalized, predictive and seamless.
And they need to employ a combination of virtual and human agents
to handle everything from simple queries to resolving complex
issues. Enterprises will be left behind and lose competitive
advantage if they don't embrace digital transformation."
The ISG report also found healthcare specialization among
contact center providers is increasing in response to growing
demand for such services in the U.S. Acquisitions in this space –
such as HGS's acquisition of Colibrium and Alorica's acquisition of
EGS – are helping providers add industry specialists, such as
nurses and other qualified healthcare professionals, and related
technology to strengthen their capabilities in this vertical.
With contact centers prone to data breaches, security continues
to be a top priority for enterprise buyers of contact center
services, ISG noted. Providers, the report said, must continue to
invest in providing holistic security options to protect customer
data.
The ISG Provider Lens™ Contact Center Customer Experience
Services Quadrant Report, the latest in the ISG Provider Lens™
series, evaluates 20 contact center service providers on their
ability to support the entire customer experience journey, from
basic service requests to higher-level engagement and
personalization techniques. Eight of the 20 firms assessed in the
report are regarded as market leaders by ISG: Alorica, Concentrix,
Conduent, Convergys, Sitel, Sutherland, Teleperformance and
TeleTech. In addition, ISG identified HGS as a rising star due to
its digital-centric solutions and ISG's belief that HGS is on the
path to becoming a market leader in the next 12-18 months.
The ISG Provider Lens™ Quadrant report series draws insights on
service provider capabilities from focused surveys, briefings,
interviews with providers, input from ISG advisors, ISG
benchmarking data, and data drawn from the ISG Contracts
Knowledgebase™ and ISG Engagement Database™. The series is a
complement to the ISG Provider Lens™ Archetype reports, which offer
a first-of-its-kind evaluation of providers from the perspective of
specific buyer types.
The ISG Provider Lens™ Contact Center Customer Experience
Quadrant Report was authored by ISG Principal Analyst Namratha Dharshan with input from Jan Erik Aase, director and principal analyst
with ISG Research, and ISG consultants Mike
McMenamin and Tony Zmudzin.
An executive summary of the report is available on this
webpage. A complete version of the report is available to ISG
Insights™ subscribers or for immediate, one-time purchase on this
webpage.
A customized version of this report will soon be available from
TeleTech and posted on the company's website.
About ISG
ISG (Information Services Group) (Nasdaq: III) is a leading
global technology research and advisory firm. A trusted business
partner to more than 700 clients, including 75 of the top 100
enterprises in the world, ISG is committed to helping corporations,
public sector organizations, and service and technology providers
achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm
specializes in digital transformation services, including
automation, cloud and data analytics; sourcing advisory; managed
governance and risk services; network carrier services; technology
strategy and operations design; change management; market
intelligence and technology research and analysis. Founded in 2006,
and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG
employs more than 1,300 professionals operating in more than 20
countries—a global team known for its innovative thinking, market
influence, deep industry and technology expertise, and world-class
research and analytical capabilities based on the industry's most
comprehensive marketplace data. For more information, visit
www.isg-one.com.
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SOURCE Information Services Group, Inc.