Whenever new technology begins to take centre stage in the call centre, the steps involved in implementation can be overwhelming. However, as live chat and chatbots become more commonplace, the best results come from remembering the basics of technology.
Just like any other application, advanced chat technology needs to be carefully integrated into your call centre and hosted dialler. It is vital to keep the flow of information and functionality going, even as your agents and customers explore new ways to communicate.
Read on to learn about the main areas you and your service provider should be considering when bringing new chat technology to your environment.
Integrate with the existing technology stack
To achieve even the most basic functionality, your live chat interface or chatbot will need to be integrated with the other systems in your environment. In most instances, this is a process that requires bespoke coding and the use of an Application Programming Interface, or API.
To some degree, you can choose the level of integration that suits your budget and your operations. However, the possibilities include:
· Integration with your billing platform, allowing chatbots to handle routine account enquiries
· Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system integration that can be used to personalise conversations
· Integration with customer support and ticketing platforms for close monitoring and escalation of support requests
In addition, chat technology should be integrated with your core call centre systems like predictive diallers and inbound contact centre solutions. This will ensure that customers can be seamlessly routed between chatbots, live chat, and other ways of interacting like calls from agents.
Integrate into your customer journeys
While integration with your existing technology is important, this technical level is just the beginning. At the same time, you will need to consider where chatbots can be integrated into the natural customer journeys that already exist.
Even with the most focused inbound and outbound calling, it is likely that your customer journeys are numerous. People looking for support go on a different journey to people making a serious complaint. Customers that are part of cold calling campaigns go on a different journey to warm leads.
If you haven’t already, it’s a good idea to explore and articulate these customer journeys so you understand the ways people interact with your call centre. Then, you can work in partnership with your chatbot provider to pinpoint the moments where chat could improve the journey for your customers. In particular, if any of your customer journeys already involve an interaction with your website, this is a prime opportunity to introduce chat.
Integrate chat with your agents
Finally, your agents themselves are perhaps the most overlooked part of the live chat and chatbot future. An implementation that is truly impactful on call centre performance needs to be embraced and adopted by your agents as much as your customers.
Beyond introducing the ways that advanced chat technology can make day-to-day life easier, it’s important to equip your agents with the right training and resources for every scenario. For example, in the event that a chatbot has given out the wrong information, what should your agents do? They’ll need clear guidance both in terms of resolving customer frustration and reporting issues that can be corrected by your chatbot team or service provider.
A smooth, seamless integration is about more than just technology. It’s about finding ways to make sure that your new technology helps the human beings at the heart of your call centre – your agents and, in turn, your customers.
Find out more about Hostcomm’s chatbots.
