We recently received the following question through our "Ask The Experts" form:

Over the past year we've seen an increase in frustrated customers and Customer Service Representatives.  Our customers feel like we don't know anything about them - they complain that they have to provide the same information to our reps as they do in the IVR.  And on the flip side, our CSRs are frustrated about having to constantly deal with angry customers -- they feel like they don't have the right information at their fingertips to help the caller.  What can we do to make our customers and reps know that we care about them?

The issues your contact center is facing are not uncommon in today's customer service environment.  Customers are demanding quality service that is specific to their particular needs.  The "one size fits all" approach isn't acceptable anymore.  We have seen companies struggling with this more and more these days. 

The biggest thing that companies are doing to address this today is implementing Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) solutions.  CTI solutions improve caller experience by allowing customer data entered during the IVR transaction to be passed along to the CSR upon transfer of the call.  This approach allows for a personalized greeting and makes the customer feel valued by the company.  It also (obviously) makes the job of the CSR to provide quality service a whole lot easier.  They're also able to see detailed and relevant information about the customer and more importantly where the caller exited the IVR. 

It's this kind of insight that allows a seamless transition and meaningful interaction with the CSR.  CTI can also be leveraged to improve your company's ability to effectively route callers.  Implementing CTI skills-based routing strategies enables the customer to be delivered to the right CSR the first time, based on the caller's profile and intention. 

If you'd like to learn more about CTI, don't hesitate to contact us at consultingteam@nuance.com.