The COVID-19 pandemic has not left any industry unscathed. All areas of business have had to adapt to meet the new conditions. The contact center industry is certainly no different. Some of the trends that were already developing in this sector prior to the outbreak have now accelerated. According to the Contact Center Satisfaction Index, the public is largely dissatisfied with contact centers. Additionally, this level of satisfaction continues to decline. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for customer service that doesn’t involve direct, face-to-face contact. This means an increasing demand for contact centers. Both contact center capacity, and the quality of service these centers offer, need to adapt and improve.
Post-COVID trends in the contact center industry
Grace Federal Solutions provides and manages contact center facilities as part of our operations and administrative support services. In our experience, the following trends have come to dominate the world of contact centers since the beginning of the pandemic.
Remote work
Traditionally, contact centers have included hundreds of operatives working side by side at fairly close quarters. Since COVID-19 arrived, this is no longer feasible. It became necessary to manage logistics and staffing requirements. These enforced social distancing and prevent transmission of the disease. Halving the number of operatives on duty at any given time is one solution. But, this is not a viable option if it reduces the center’s ability to manage the workload. Instead, companies have started offering their contact center operatives the opportunity to work from home. This appears to be a win-win solution. Although, it does involve first ensuring that IT and connectivity requirements are all in place for seamless remote work.
Diversification of contact center locations
Following the previous trend, the move towards remote work has diversified the number and nature of contact center locations. Before you could house all staff members within a single location. Now, companies must now provide for workers logging in from a variety of locations simultaneously.
Greater investment in digital technology
As a logical consequence of the previous two points, companies have had to increase their investment in the latest digital technology. These would ensure that their staff can continue to do their jobs, wherever they may be based. Additionally, companies are also rethinking their customer service solutions, since it may well make more sense to set up chatbots or direct messaging services, rather than employing and equipping remote contact center operatives.
Grace Federal Solutions offers a range of operations and administrative support services, IT support and services and more, to businesses in the healthcare sector, as well government agencies. Contact us for more information about contact center solutions and other services.
