The past several months, the majority of the world’s population has been experiencing a new way of life that has dramatically changed how we interact and communicate with one another. In the midst of a global pandemic, businesses have had little choice but to adapt quickly.
Several months ago, when contact center locations were shut down to adhere to social distancing mandates, employees had to transition to remote work practically overnight. For an industry that can be very reliant upon a collaborative work environment, this transition required additional resources to make working remotely possible. The effects were especially apparent for support agents who needed remote access to a tech support solution.
For some enterprises, the transition to remote work involved using existing tools to adapt to the new environment, while others looked to new support tools to make the necessary changes. No matter the approach, enterprises had to adapt to maintain customer and agent relationships. Sticking with existing solutions may be easier to manage in the short term, but switching your current toolbox to a flexible and robust support solution has long-term benefits.
Future work conditions
Like many workforces, customer support teams have moved to remote operations and require technical support to stay informed. Having a robust support solution amongst other tools is key for successful remote work. This type of solution allows support agents and customers to communicate effectively. It also offers customers the flexibility to use any channel - assisted or self support - to solve their problems. It is uncertain how long this new work environment will last, but it's critical that customer support teams have the tools they need to succeed in the meantime.
A truly omnichannel tech support platform
Assisted support: Empowering agents
Many tools became critical almost overnight, including technology like virtual devices. A solution that provides a scalable library of virtual devices gives agents remote access to hundreds of devices and apps. This anywhere-access removes the need for agents to handle physical devices, reducing safety risks associated with shared handsets. It also cuts costs for enterprises by removing the need for purchasing physical devices for agent use, providing a fully scalable digital library instead.
A strong solution that empowers your agents to work from home also needs to provide direct access to your suite of enterprise applications. This is especially useful for outsourced agents who otherwise cannot sign into mobile provider apps. Making app support easily accessible for your entire agent workforce means that agents can successfully support customers through some of the most critical actions like paying their bills and managing their accounts.
Having the ability to virtually assist customers creates contactless, long-lasting support, and introduces a new relationship between customers and customer support. Instead of having to spend time searching for answers across various databases, agents can access comprehensive tech support from a single source of information, providing customers with everything they need and nothing that they don't.
Self-support: Enabling customers to digitally self support
By implementing an omnichannel support solution, customers can opt for self support giving them the ability to answer their questions in any digital channel, no matter the time or place. They also have the ability to locate answers without the hassle of long wait times. Having a consistent and accurate tech support platform ensures that no matter where your workforce is located, your customers will receive the support that they need.
Preparing for the future
Simply put, remote work is a reality of today. Whether or not workers will return to contact centers and other crowded offices remains to be seen. But the shift to a remote tech support workforce with minimal disruption is possible, given the right resources and partner to guide you through the transition. It’s important to take the time to objectively evaluate whether your current toolset can take care of your future needs. Now is the time to think about the future and make plans for it. For more information on how we can assist your transition to a remote workforce, contact Ozmo today.
