Many companies struggle with digital transformation. It should be so easy, though – out with the old and in with the new, correct? Well, wouldn’t that be nice! We all know that this is not how transformation works. No matter if you are a larger company, an enterprise, or a government agency, you cannot just get rid of all your legacy technology and implement some software that magically changes everything.
Looking at your contact center reveals how daunting this task could be. There’s all the hardware, routing systems and other big machines, cables, phones and more (can you see the layer of dust on all of them?) – equipment that is needed to keep going but should be replaced with digital versions of them.
The problem is that you can’t just close your contact center for a few months and redo everything. And even if you could, you still have to figure out how to address all those new hypes that are popping up left and right – from messaging to smart speakers to cross-channel analytics of your customers’ journeys.
The problem is that you can’t just close your contact center for a few months and redo everything.
Before you can dig into the actual technology and design, there are a few more aspects that might help you get started, formulating a plan and actually moving forward with that digital transformation journey. Let’s take a look:
Culture and communication
First of all, make sure the leadership team is on board. They are the ones that have to execute all the plans eventually. Assign governance, not just as a control mechanism, but to focus cross-functional teams towards the common goal and to be able to communicate the status of the project across the company. Since digital transformation is all about innovating processes, and since innovation requires some sort of risk, create a reward mechanism instead of just accepting the risk everyone is taking.
Digital business strategy
Figure out what today’s pain points are by gathering insights from your data. Then categorize it and provide a summary ROI to identify the most critical issues. Think about how you can drive efficiency for your contact center, but don’t just think about self-service. Keep your agents in mind and how you could simplify their everyday work life.
Organizational alignment
Similar to point 2, data is critical. It’s needed to inform decisions and to get funding for specific projects. Data allows you to get those insights that you need at the beginning to assess the situation and throughout to track progress and adjust as needed. Flexibility is critical because not every project will turn out exactly as planned, so adjust early to avoid unnecessary cost.
Omni-channel roadmap
Start simple, iterate and enhance to deliver incremental capabilities. Rome was not built in one day and so shouldn’t your customer engagement strategy. Again, data is your friend. Define the KPIs that help you keep track of the actual happenings and understand what your customers want (i.e. which channel they prefer). Don’t forget to communicate with them as well. They will be excited to see you change for the better!
Obviously, this is a rather high-level overview of digital transformation in the contact center. There’s more to consider and some strategies depend solely on your specific business needs. We prepared a whitepaper that will give you more insights about the different stages, what to keep in mind when thinking about a great customer experience and once you have embarked on that journey, the value it will drive for you and for your customers.
Josefine Fouarge is Sr. Product Marketing Manager in the Nuance Enterprise Division, focusing on automated and human assisted engagements in digital channels.
