What you Need to Know to Implement New Call Center Software

With more and more call center software available, many teams are wondering what new products they should be implementing. But, before investing in call center software, it’s important to first do your homework and determine your team’s specific needs.

When considering new software, it’s important to remember that adding technology will not compensate for inefficient systems, teams, or procedures. Software and technology can help to make teams and processes more effective, but it will not create a strong team or an effective process. As a result, it’s important to thoroughly consider and address your team’s strengths and weaknesses before implementing new call center software.

What does your Team Need?

The first step is to determine why you need to either update or add more software. Broadly speaking, here are three main reasons why teams do this:

1. To improve the customer experience: If your customers experience long wait times for calls, if you’re missing service levels, or if your team is regularly spending extra on overtime or additional expenses, this might be an area where you need additional technology. Potential software includes:
   • Skills-based routing
   • Callback technology
   • Proactive Messages
   • Quality Assurance
   • Speech Analytics
2. To reduce operational costs: If you want to reduce your call center’s operational costs, the right software, in conjunction with team management strategies, might be the right solution. Software that can help to reduce costs includes:
   • Workforce management systems
   • Real-time dashboards
   • Knowledge management tools
   • Self-service portals
   • Scripting software
   • Virtual contact centers
3. To improve team member’s experiences: The key to improving employees’ experiences is to talk to your team. Some experts suggest asking the simple question, “if you could improve one thing, what would it be?” Based on the team’s feedback, you should get an understanding of the specifics that will help to improve their experience and make them more effective. Software to consider includes:
   • A smart desktop
   • Wireless headsets
   • Chatbots
   • Internal communications systems
   • Predictive dialer
   • Robotic process automation
   • Wallboards
   • Voice of the customer software

Drafting a Business Case for New Technology

Once you’ve determined what software will be most effective for your team, you’ll want to create a compelling business case, justifying the project and the resources it will take. As part of your business case, you’ll need to be able to answer some key questions like:

• Can you isolate the benefits that the software will provide?
• What will it take to implement the software? Is it feasible to do so?
• Why is now the right time to invest in new technology?
• How will you measure the results that the software provides?

Effectively going through this planning process can help to ensure that you add the right software and that your team is prepared to benefit from it.

Hopefully, these tips will help your team use technology to strengthen your call center. Over the past 20 years, we’ve created hundreds of unique solutions for businesses around the world, helping call centers achieve their maximum potential. If you have any questions about the right software for your call center, contact us and let our team of experts help you improve your call center’s performance.