This article marks the final installment in Ozmo’s holistic support series, which has explored the importance of proactive customer service and self-serve options. This time, the focus is on the third essential component: assisted support, also known as contact center solutions. Specifically, this article explores how optimizing the contact center contributes to a cohesive support ecosystem that boosts customer satisfaction and reduces costs.
What is holistic support?
To deliver an ideal support experience, companies must integrate three types of support: proactive, self-serve and assisted. Each plays a unique role, yet they function best as a unified ecosystem, not as isolated departments or toolsets.
Proactive support
This level is all about onboarding customers effectively, helping them become familiar with their new device or service from the get-go. By educating customers early, and throughout their entire customer journey, companies can help them make the most of their purchases and reduce the need for future support interactions.
Self-serve support
Here, customers can independently find answers to common questions, empowering them to solve issues on their own. This not only increases call deflection but also reduces the need for costly truck rolls.
Assisted support
When customers reach out directly, often due to complex or unique issues, it’s critical that agents provide accurate, effective resolutions every time.
Together, these support layers form a holistic approach that prioritizes both proactive education and accessible solutions. This doesn’t mean companies should focus solely on one method; they should ensure these approaches work together seamlessly to create a positive and effective support environment.
The current state of contact centers
Today’s contact centers face significant challenges, with customer expectations at an all-time high.
According to Salesforce, 77% of customer service agents and 74% of mobile workers report that their workloads are increasingly complex, and a similar percentage have noticed a rise in customer expectations. In fact, 82% of agents say customers are asking for more support than ever before, which has led to an increased risk of agent burnout.
With a 45% turnover rate in customer service roles, companies need sustainable ways to support agents. AI offers one solution, already used by 77% of service teams to automate repetitive tasks, allowing agents to focus on high-value interactions that improve customer and employee experiences.
However, while AI enhances efficiency, it’s not a replacement for human agents. Most U.S. customers still prefer speaking with a real person for service-related issues. This preference emphasizes the ongoing need for skilled, knowledgeable agents who can deliver compassionate, accurate support when it matters most.
How to improve contact center operations
For contact centers to thrive, companies need to take intentional steps to support their agents and empower them with the right resources.
Effective onboarding and ongoing training
Training is foundational to the success of any contact center. A structured, positive onboarding experience helps agents gain confidence faster and shortens the learning curve, which can lead to improvements in metrics like first call resolution and net promoter score. Setting clear training goals, providing constructive feedback and pairing new agents with mentors can create a strong foundation for success.
Empowering agents with the best contact center tools
To keep up with customer demands, agents need access to cutting-edge support tools and resources. Some of the most effective resources include:
- AI-powered assistance: By automating repetitive tasks, AI allows agents to focus on customer needs that require human expertise.
- Interactive tutorials and guides: With guided tutorials, agents can walk customers through step-by-step solutions, reducing confusion and improving customer satisfaction.
- Virtual devices and apps: Virtual device models enable agents to provide accurate, personalized support by simulating customer devices and apps. These tools ensure that agents are familiar with the latest software updates and device configurations, so they can deliver a tailored customer experience.
- Remote video support: Live video can improve communication, allowing agents to see exactly what the customer is seeing. For example, if a customer needs help with their router, they can use video to show the agent its exact location, speeding up issue resolution.
Ozmo’s platform, for instance, provides contact center agents with dynamic, reliable answers about products and software, eliminating the need for constant manual updates. This enables agents to trust the information they’re using, so they can quickly find the right solutions instead of searching through unreliable online sources.
Key contact center metrics to track
Optimizing a contact center also means keeping an eye on key performance metrics that highlight areas of improvement and success. Here are a few of the most critical ones:
Net promoter score (NPS)
NPS measures customer satisfaction and loyalty by asking how likely a customer is to recommend your service to others. A high NPS indicates a positive customer experience, which can translate into greater brand loyalty and long-term retention.
First call resolution (FCR)
FCR represents the percentage of issues resolved during the customer’s first interaction with an agent. Higher FCR rates are associated with increased customer satisfaction, as customers appreciate quick and effective solutions.
Customer retention
Retaining customers is often more cost-effective than acquiring new ones, making customer retention a valuable metric. Positive service interactions contribute to loyalty and increase the likelihood of repeat business, enabling companies to focus on strengthening existing customer relationships instead of allocating resources solely toward acquisition.
Leveraging the contact center for strategic growth
Contact centers offer mobile and broadband operators a unique strategic advantage by enabling valuable learning capture, consumer behavior change and customer satisfaction. Here’s how:
Capturing learning
Each interaction in the contact center is an opportunity to capture insights from agents’ expertise. Skilled agents, adept at solving complex device support issues, provide learnings that can continuously enhance proactive and self-serve channels, improving the quality of answers available to customers.
Rewiring consumer behavior
Agents handle millions of calls and have a unique chance to promote self-serve tools directly to customers during interactions. By encouraging customers to try self-serve options for future issues, agents help shift consumer behavior toward self-sufficiency.
Building a balanced and holistic support ecosystem
Optimizing your contact center is a key step in building a truly holistic support ecosystem. By providing agents with the right tools, maintaining a strong training program and leveraging metrics to continually refine operations, companies can elevate their contact center experience and build long-lasting customer relationships. In a world where customers increasingly demand both self-serve options and empathetic, human interactions, a balanced support approach is key to long-term success.
Want to equip your agents with tools that empower them to solve tech issues faster and with confidence? Ozmo for Agents is trusted by Verizon, Rogers, TELUS and more. See how it can transform your support!
