U.S. Contact Centers Focus on Cloud Technologies, Remote Work After COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 has forever changed the workplace landscape in many verticals. For contact centers, the new way of working for these roles includes new technologies as well as operating models as businesses adapt to the changed worker and consumer expectations.

A new report by Information Services Group, “The 2021 ISG Provider Lens Contact Center – Customer Experience Services” ltake a close look at the ways enterprises are changing how they conduct business and accelerating their digital transformation plans.

During the lockdown period of the pandemic , many customers adapted by moving their commerce activity online, while connecting with businesses online more than ever before. With digital channels widely available, many consumers now prefer this method of contact over anything other option. And many businesses are keeping these channels available to help preserve brand loyalty.

"The pandemic has dramatically changed how consumers make purchases and communicate with companies, as well as how companies deliver services and support to their customers," said Jim Kane, ISG Americas leader for Contact Center Solutions. "To preserve brand loyalty, U.S. enterprises are exploring new ways to provide the best possible customer experience."

The study also found that contact centers are adding new tools to their arsenal in an effort to meet changing digital demands and to ensure they are providing an omnichannel experience for customers ,as well as maintaining remote possibilities for employees.

New technologies such as conversational AI, chatbots,  analytics, and consumer behavior prediction tools are helping bots and human agents to do their jobs more effectively.

When it comes to work-from-home possibilities, most contact centers realize that, at a minimum, they need to offer a mix of remote and office-based work if they want to keep costs low and have access to more talent.

These set-ups come with their own sets of requirements, such as connectivity, security, and monitoring to help keep things running smoothly.

The report also uncovered emerging trends in cloud adoption for call centers as many realize the optimization, productivity, and cost savings they can obtain via the cloud.

Finally, the report shifts focus to Latin America for nearshoring and call center outsourcing in the near future, with a greater English-speaking population and desire to reach Spanish-speaking consumers.

Edited by Luke Bellos