Why Your Agents are Your Best Resource When Selecting Call Center Technology

There’s a pretty common truth that most people agree with: experience matters.

In homebuilding, we trust carpenters to handle structural decisions. In finance, we count on bankers to grow our savings. And in dining, we crave a chef’s skill with every meal.

Even in news reporting, embedded journalists consistently offer the most potent insight to the public. Famously Hunter S. Thompson spent a year conducting immersive reporting, living as a member of the notorious Hell’s Angels biker gang in the mid-60s.

So why then, when choosing call center technology for agents, do organizations get blinded by vendor recommendations and ignore the feedback of those whose experience matters most — their agents?

THE COLD, HARD TRUTH ABOUT AGENT TECHNOLOGY

The truth about technology: agent efficiency can only come from agents. They understand the efficiency needs, their day-to-day challenges, and the fool’s gold solutions that vendors push onto organizations.

If you want to add technology that increases efficiency and drives results, you should work with your agents and technology partners to leverage real-world expertise within your industry.

WHY AGENT FEEDBACK FROM AGENTS – NOT VENDORS – IS NUMBER ONE

It’s not uncommon for companies to be persuaded by vendor pitches alone without ever consulting the agents who will actually be using the solution.

Some of this is due to time constraints, as agents are busy doing their actual jobs and can’t be pulled away to assess potential vendors. But much of it is simply lack of a holistic view by leaders, accepting vendor claims at face value.

Agents give you insight into the feasibility of projected ROI from a particular vendor just by sharing their perspective, preferences and experience with other agent solutions.

It’s no different than taking a car-crazed friend along to the mechanic for a second opinion. You want a reliable resource working on your behalf when making big enterprise decisions.

AGENT EXPERIENCE IS THE BEST TEACHER

In a digital world filled with readily-available information, most people won’t even try a new restaurant without checking how previous diners rated their experience.

Consumers everywhere rely on feedback from individuals with the experience to offer guidance and recommendations.

When selecting technology, call centers should consider the input from their agents, and ask other vendor customers what their agents are saying.  

The collective feedback you will capture is more instructive than anything you can find on a vendor website, and it will give you greater confidence in the actual viability of a vendor technology.

SHINY OBJECT SYNDROME IN CALL CENTER TECHNOLOGY

Without the perspective of agents, call centers can fall victim to vendor sleight of hand, which we’ll call “shiny object syndrome.”

This affliction is often seen in demos where a software solution is shown in a controlled environment, offering dazzling functionality, only to find later the solution cannot meet expectations for real customers and real agents in real situations.

No one understands the day-to-day use of call center software better than your agents, and no one is less likely to be blinded by impressive but hollow feature sets than the people who trust their solutions to drive success.

Here’s what agents know that is important to consider:

What works well:

• Agents can identify the fastest path to better results.
• Your agents can highlight techniques that save time.
• Agents can recommend critical features that support business success.

What works poorly:

• Agents can see through solutions and features that look good on paper but add little value.
• Most agents will have handfuls of processes they can highlight that slow their productivity.
• Agents can direct you to the “hacks” or alternatives they employ to deal with  current technology gaps.

An experienced agent will be able to tell you exactly the capabilities and tools they need to do their job faster and more efficiently. More importantly, they’ll ignore the things that don’t elevate their success.

AGENTS KNOW WHAT’S AT STAKE

Call centers expect their agents to deliver amazing customer experiences — it’s a vital factor in customer retention and loyalty — that same focus should be applied to the agent experience, too.

By tapping into your best resource – your agents – you can choose a vendor solution that reduces common agent frustration, improves performance, captures more KPIs, and makes work more enjoyable.

This will ensure your customers get unmatched, high-level service while giving your agents a work environment that boosts engagement and lowers employee attrition.

By no means are we suggesting that your agents should lead your next technology acquisition.  We are simply stating that because you are selecting products that impact their everyday lives, you should include them in the discovery and selection process.  When putting together a committee or group to go through the product review, bring in a senior level agent or two. Engage them as key stakeholders and you will find they will drive your engagement back to the agents when you eventually deploy.  

LET OUR CLOUD CALL CENTER SEARCH AGENTS HELP YOU FIND THE PERFECT VENDOR

There any many technology options in the call center marketplace to choose from. At no charge to you, Cloud Call Center Search can work with your experienced agents to select the right cloud software technology and vendor partner for your industry needs.

Work with an agent-focused partner that is in your corner to discover the right vendors to bring out the best in your call center agents.