Author:  Roger Sumner

According to a recent Wired article, the Internet celebrated its 38th birthday in April. I can hardly believe it as I remember all too well the days when big, bulky typewriters were used to type memos and reports, and we sent all of our important documents via snail mail. In call centers of yesteryear, before the advent of the Internet, agents only spoke to consumers via the telephone – there was no email or chat.  Agents answered questions and provided the best possible information they could (often frantically thumbing through bulky, hard copy three-ring binders that were chock full of factoids), researched the rest, and sometimes called their customers back when they knew more.  Life was slower, people were somewhat more patient, and good information was often difficult to come by.  Enter the Internet – which has significantly changed the way contact centers interact with consumers.

Over the past decade or so, the Internet has made some new avenues of communication available, which have given consumers different channels to access information and order goods or services.  And, the Internet has bestowed upon consumers a new and powerful ability to quickly and effortlessly share positive and negative experiences with thousands of others, providing them with the influence to potentially make or break a brand.  

From a contact center perspective, the Internet has given agents online access to important data which should, in theory, help them provide consumers with more accurate information more quickly. And, relatively recent tools, such as Web chat, allow agents to collaborate with their colleagues in real-time to determine the best possible solutions for difficult consumer questions or issues.

On the flip side, the diversity of contact channels continues to make it more difficult for contact centers to find and hire agents that are adept at both written and verbal communications.  It has also presented a new challenge – integrating systems and blending channels to ensure that consumers receive timely service, regardless of whether they are calling, emailing, or using chat.

I think this is only the beginning of how contact centers are going to need to be more agile and flexible to keep up with the fast-paced and ever-changing technology environment.

These are my observations.  Do you agree?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007 at 6:41 am and is filed under Contact Center Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.