The Future Of Contact Centre Is Hybrid

Customer expectations: the status quo

The recent surge in consumer internet activities in India places it in a position from where we can get a glimpse of the future of the contact centre. The most popular consumer internet applications to have emerged over the past decade have all attempted to cut down on live agents and engineer a hyper-efficient customer success mechanism, but the results have been dismal.1 Time and again, it has been proven that customers want to talk to a real person who understands their problems, empathises with them, and delivers a ‘human-scaled’ solution that fulfils their expectations. This trend of ‘re-humanising’ contact centre ops is already underway globally, as companies that were earlier used to offshoring customer support operations are now relocating to their home countries2 and going back to placing a live agent at the centre of their customer support strategy.

Given that customers prefer human interaction, while simultaneously prioritising speed and convenience, it isn’t surprising that companies that are ahead of the curve are figuring out ways to empower their agents through technology. The most common method that is being employed by companies is the integration of various tools such as e-mail, chatbots, SMS, social media, and live chat software. These methods are relatively new in an Indian setting, and to understand why they may change the face of customer service in India, we’ll have to understand the problems that are unique to our multicultural, multilingual society that simply refuses to be pigeonholed and standardised into predictable ‘customer personas’.

Adapting the hybrid contact centre for BFSI operations for India

India has always been a tough nut to crack for businesses, both domestic and national. With over 22 official languages (and many more that aren’t), customer service functions cannot merely rely on one or two languages (like Hindi and English) and expect to be able to serve customers across the entire region responsibly. Until recently, this was a difficult thing to do as it didn’t make sense for companies to invest in teams in regions that didn’t contribute significantly to the business.

Given the number of opportunities India still holds for financial services, especially in the realms of banking et al., this is the perfect time for BFSI firms, both old and new, to recalibrate their operations to suit a population that is becoming digitally savvy. Much like how consumer internet companies drove deep into multiple sections of society to drive adoption, so too can the BFSI industry, provided they understand the nuances of the Indian market.

The initial layer of interaction can be automated across all touchpoints to allow for the customer to be able to choose their language of choice. This response can then be used to direct the query to the most appropriate agent and the most relevant medium of communication, depending on the circumstances under which the query is made. Robust platforms with easy to interface like Zoom can be utilised to ensure the connection is humanised with video and audio capabilities. Other complex tasks such as KYC authentication, compliance issues, etc. can also be undertaken using the simple-sophisticated Zoom solution.

On the other hand, simple queries and resolutions can be made away with completely by way of designing simple, concise FAQ sections and deploying bots that can guide the customer from beginning to end without compromising on the integrity of the resolution process. The hybrid model can be taken even further with the implementation of self-service models that shift the power back to the customer. This is clearly a win-win for both parties as the customer can resolve their problems by themselves (and at their own pace), while agents can direct their attention towards more urgent requests that require direct intervention.

Treading carefully

As exciting as the prospects are for the hybrid contact centre, companies should keep in mind that the technology should be moulded to fit human needs, and not the other way around. It’s important to not give in to the allure of short-term gains and sacrifice the human element at the altar of profitability. History has taught us that taking such a course will always end badly. The hybrid contact centre is an opportunity for the customer service ecosystem in India to step up its game, and by the looks of things, it just might become a reality sooner than later.