Workforce performance management leaders Calabrio have announced a partnership in Australia with customer experience and service operations specialists Customer Driven Solutions.

Calabrio will partner with Customer Driven who provide service management for users looking to improve the customer experience through enhanced contact centre operations and workforce management.

“Customer Driven have an extremely strong and mature WFM practice from a consultancy, implementation and managed services perspective, having a partnership with one of the leading partner focused in this area makes complete sense,” said Peter Trowbridge, Director Customer Driven.

The partnership will empower companies to do more with their resources, particularly in cases where contact centre talent remains hard to come by. It is also a major asset to business productivity and stability at a time where Artificial Intelligence is beginning to pervade a lot of industries, and potentially disrupting business functions such as rostering and forecasting.

Nick Smith, Vice President of Sales for Asia Pacific at Calabrio, said of the partnership: “Strategically this is an important partnership for Calabrio in the region, as it brings us closer to a dynamic, like-minded organisation that is laser-focused on improving the efficiency of contact centres and their customer service capabilities. Customer Driven are built from the ground-up by experienced and passionate workforce management practitioners, so they live each day by the creed of demanding better end-goals for their customers.”

The partnership will be of service across a broad range of industries including insurance, banking and finance, government, telecommunications and retail to name a few.

“In many sectors it remains hard to find experienced talent for contact centres, so arming employees with the best technology can go a long way towards helping that organisation run efficiently with limited resources, as well as enhancing employee satisfaction and aiding retention. That part comes back to flexibility, and by empowering staff with flexible, self-service capabilities gives them the control they need. Calabrio is a huge enabler for that functionality, especially with their mobile applications,” concludes Trowbridge

About Customer Driven

Customer Driven is a leading customer experience management consultancy and services business with the reputation of delivering exceptional customer and business improvement outcomes through a team of experienced managers, business practitioners and specialists.

They assist organisations by designing and creating great customer experiences, improving your customer operations, developing your team’s capability, and providing ongoing expertise.

They provide a range of consulting and managed services including customer experience consulting, workforce management optimisation, knowledge management, training and organisational development, outsource partner procurement, technology selection and optimisation.

With customer expectations are rapidly evolving, artificial intelligence (AI) and automation have emerged as transformative solutions that can empower contact centre organisations to deliver unparalleled customer experiences (CX). While it’s clear to many business leaders that digital solutions like AI and automation are the key to success with their promise to streamline operations and provide a competitive edge, not every organisation understands how to turn their AI dream into reality.

Strategic implementation of AI

Business leaders need to recognise AI and automation as practical tools for real-world customer service solutions, not just trendy concepts. It’s important to identify specific areas where AI can enhance efficiency and customer satisfaction, rather than adopting it merely for its novelty. There are five key areas where AI can help to drive outcomes for businesses:

1. Always-on support: integrating AI-driven tools like chatbots and virtual assistants delivers instant, round-the-clock support for an immediate response capability that addresses the modern customer’s demand for quick and convenient service.
2. Customised experiences: personalised interactions, powered by AI’s ability to analyse customer data, create a more tailored experience which can increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.
3. Advanced analytics: AI enhances predictive customer service by analysing data from sources like past interactions and behaviour patterns, anticipating needs and identifying issues before they escalate. This leads to more effective problem resolution, better understanding of customer trends, and improved service strategies.
4. Workforce management: AI’s role in workforce management is also pivotal. It can predict call volumes, optimise staff scheduling, and even assist in training by identifying skill gaps. This leads to a more efficient workforce that is capable of meeting customer needs effectively.
5. Revenue growth: AI’s data analysis enhances personalised CX, boosting sales by identifying cross-selling and upselling opportunities. Its predictive analytics help pinpoint market and customer segment opportunities, empowering contact centres to tailor services and strategies for better customer acquisition and retention.

Quality data is crucial for effective AI implementation and, without it, even the most sophisticated AI systems can fail to deliver desired outcomes. This is why every successful AI strategy must start with a solid data foundation. Businesses should assess their current data collection and management practices to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement in terms of both operational efficiency and customer engagement.

Realising value through automation

Working hand-in-hand with AI, automation plays a pivotal role in modernising contact centres by streamlining repetitive tasks and freeing up agents to handle more complex issues. This shift both improves operational efficiency and boosts agent morale and job satisfaction.

As with AI, implementing automation requires a careful analysis of existing processes to identify high-volume, low-value tasks that are ripe for automation. This ensures that automation efforts yield tangible benefits, such as reduced wait times and improved resolution rates. Automation can also have a positive impact on the bottom line, especially as automated systems can handle a large volume of routine enquiries without human intervention, reducing labour costs.

This shift lets contact centres allocate their resources more effectively, focusing human efforts on more complex and high-value interactions. At the same time, automation reduces the likelihood of errors, which can be costly in terms of both resources and customer satisfaction.

Navigating the challenges of digital adoption

Implementing AI and automation in contact centres, despite its clear benefits, poses challenges, particularly in integrating new technologies with existing legacy systems. It’s crucial for businesses to develop integration strategies that overcome compatibility issues without extensive downtime or disruption.

Addressing the skill gap is another major challenge in adopting AI. Staff need proper training in technology and customer service to work effectively with AI tools. At the same time, it’s vital to keep a human touch. AI should support, not replace, human agents, handling routine tasks while agents deal with more complex and sensitive interactions.

The pathway to AI and automation in contact centre operations requires a deep understanding of current operations and a clear vision of how AI and automation can enhance them, as well as strategic planning, careful integration, and continuous adaptation. With a focus on practical, value-driven implementation, these technologies can help meet evolving customer expectations and maintain a competitive edge.

– Rod Lester, managing director ANZ, NICE 

About NICE

NICE is a worldwide leader in artificial intelligence (AI)-powered self-service and agent-assisted customer experience (CX) software for the contact centre and beyond. Over 25,000 organisations in more than 150 countries, including over 85 of the Fortune 100 companies, partner with NICE to transform and elevate every customer interaction.

NICE is passionate about removing the friction between companies and consumers, creating extraordinary experiences that build brand loyalty and create unbreakable bonds. Featuring CXone, the world’s leading cloud native CX platform, NICE empowers contact centre organisations to address consumer and employee expectations by delivering effortless, consistent, and personalised digital-first experiences.

NICE leverages innovation and a comprehensive end-to-end CX approach that combines digital entry points, journey orchestration, smart self-service, agent assist, workforce engagement management (WEM), and a complete performance suite, all embedded with its purpose-built CX analytics, AI, and domain expertise.

In an age where technology and customer service intersect more magnetically than ever, the introduction of tools like Twitter’s X and Grok marks a significant turning point in the nature of contact centres. As inspired by an analysis of Harvard Business Review, innovative technologies in 2024 will transform the way contact centres operate and engage with customers. 

Twitter’s X: Reinventing Customer Engagement 

Twitter’s X, an advanced customer engagement tool, is set to change how contact centres interact with customers through social media platforms. It’s not merely a tool; it’s an asset that enables real-time, personalised, effective customer communication. 

1. Enhanced Real-Time Interaction: Twitter’s X allows contact centres to engage with customers in real-time, providing immediate responses to inquiries and complaints. This punctuality is more important than ever now when customer expectations for quick and efficient service are at its peak.

2. Social Media Analytics: Beyond real-time engagement, Twitter’s X offers valuable insights into customer sentiment and behavioural trends through social media analytics. This feature helps contact centres to understand customer needs and preferences better, tailor their services accordingly, and predict future trends.

3. Proactive Customer Service: With Twitter’s X, contact centres can move from reactive to proactive service. By monitoring social media channels for brand mentions and customer feedback, they can address issues before they escalate, improving customer satisfaction and inspiring loyalty.

Grok: Empowering Contact Centres with Predictive Analytics 

Grok, an advanced predictive analytics tool, is set to transform the backend operations of contact centres. It offers a level of data analysis that goes beyond traditional metrics, providing insights that are not only descriptive but also predictive and prescriptive. 

1. Predictive Workforce Management: Grok’s ability to analyse and predict call volumes and customer query trends is invaluable for workforce management. Contact centres can use these insights to optimize staffing levels, ensuring they are adequately prepared for peak times without unnecessary resource expenditure.

2. Personalized Customer Experiences: By analysing customer interaction data, Grok can predict individual needs and preferences. This capability allows contact centres to offer highly personalised customer experiences to provide an edge on the market.

3. Operational Efficiency: Grok enables contact centres to streamline their operations by identifying inefficiencies and bottlenecks. By providing valuable insights, it helps in making informed decisions which may enhance overall operational efficiency.

Synergizing Twitter’s X and Grok for Maximum Impact 

The combination of Twitter’s X and Grok in contact centres represents a powerful synergy. While Twitter’s X assists the front-end customer engagement experience, Grok expands upon backend analytics and operational efficiency. 

1. A Comprehensive Customer View: The integration of these two tools provides a comprehensive view of the customer journey. Twitter’s X captures the voice of the customer through social interactions, while Grok offers an awareness of their behaviour and preferences, allowing for a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the customer.

2. Enhanced Decision Making: The data and information provided by both tools enable contact centre managers to make more informed decisions regarding customer engagement strategies, workforce management, and operational improvements.

3. Continuous Improvement: The combination of Twitter’s X and Grok allows for a continuous feedback loop. As Twitter’s X brings in real-time customer feedback, Grok analyses this data to break down information, which can then be used to refine and improve customer engagement strategies.

Ethical Considerations and Future Challenges 

Just like any technological advancement, the integration of Twitter’s X and Grok in contact centres comes with its set of challenges and ethical considerations. 

1. Data Privacy and Security: With the vast amounts of customer data being processed, ensuring privacy and security is vital. Contact centres must adhere to tough data protection regulations and ethical standards so that they maintain customer trust. 

2. Balancing Technology with the Human Element: While these tools provide efficiency and insights, it’s important to balance them with the human element of customer service. The goal is to enhance, not replace, human interactions, so that customer service remains empathetic and genuinely responsive.

A New Age for Contact Centres 

The integration of Twitter’s X and Grok in 2024’s contact centres marks the next phase of customer service. These tools offer unprecedented additions in customer engagement and operational analytics, setting new standards for efficiency, personalisation, and customer satisfaction. 

The key to success lies in strategically leveraging these technologies to improve the customer experience, whilst maintaining the human touch that is at its heart. The future of contact centres looks not only technologically advanced but also more customer-focused, promising a richer, more responsive, and more effective engagement with customers.

With Insights from the Optus Outage of November 9, 2023

Telecommunications forms the backbone of our interconnected world – where we are ‘always on’. We rely on seamless communication for nearly every aspect of our daily lives, from banking to healthcare. However, when a major telecommunication provider experiences a massive outage, the consequences are far-reaching, affecting millions of Australians and triggering waves of disruption.

Optus’ Telecommunications Network Collapse

On November 9, 2023, millions of Australians woke up to a digital nightmare as Optus, a prominent telecommunications giant, grappled with a severe network outage. The outage, which lasted for an excruciating 12 hours, had a profound impact on digital banking and customer services across the nation.

Digital Banking Disruption

While most of Australia’s 91 deposit-taking institutions managed to keep their digital service platforms operational during the outage, a significant number of customers found themselves locked out of their accounts. Why? Because they relied on Optus phone and broadband services for access.

The impact on the Australian banking landscape was palpable, with contact centre operations taking a direct hit. Some of the country’s largest banks, including Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, and ANZ, struggled to maintain normal operations as their contact centres were paralysed for the majority of the day.

The Commonwealth Bank’s Predicament

Commonwealth Bank, in particular, felt the brunt of the telco’s 12-hour outage. The bank, which heavily depended on Optus for telecommunications services, saw its customers unable to make calls to the company’s contact centre. In a bid to manage the crisis, CBA urged customers to use its banking app for communication since call centres were incapable of receiving calls.

The disruption went beyond just calls. The Netcode SMS-based security service, a vital component of the bank’s security infrastructure, was also severely affected. While the bank assured customers that branches, ATMs, NetBank, CommBank app, CommBiz, and merchant terminals were fully operational, the communication channels were strained.

Disruptions at the contact centres persisted well into the afternoon, leaving customers to grapple with delays. The bank issued warnings to customers, urging them to be patient as they navigated through the crisis.

A Glimpse into the Wider Impact

The outage had a domino effect on various sectors. Retailers and merchants faced challenges in processing Eftpos transactions, requiring adjustments to Eftpos terminals settings. Not all merchants could readily reset their machines, given limited access to the bank’s support centre.

Westpac, too, reported merchant customers experiencing issues with EFTPOS transactions but noted that services were gradually returning to normalcy. Call centres at Westpac were also adversely affected, unable to accept calls until the early afternoon.

A Sector-Wide Challenge

While some banks managed to navigate the Optus-induced storm relatively unscathed, others like Macquarie Bank, Great Southern Bank, and Auswide Bank reported issues stemming from the outage. These institutions, too, faced temporary disruptions in their call centre operations.

Great Southern Bank revealed that customer calls couldn’t be received until around 2:30 pm, and customers with Optus accounts found themselves unable to make online payments. Auswide Bank’s staff mobile phones were also impacted.

The Assurance from Australian Payments Plus

Amid the chaos, Australian Payments Plus sought to reassure the public. They stated that the Optus outage was not expected to affect the processing of Eftpos, BPay, and NPP transactions executed by account holders on Wednesday.

Optus’ Efforts to Restore Services

As the nation grappled with the outage, Optus, on its website, announced that it was working diligently to restore mobile and broadband services. However, it was notable that as of 6 pm on the same day, there was no acknowledgment of the outage on the company’s media portal.

The Resilience of Contact Centres

The Optus outage of November 9, 2023, serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of our digital infrastructure and the critical role that contact centres play in times of crisis. Contact centre agents, the unsung heroes of customer service, faced the challenge head-on, adapting rapidly to maintain essential services.

Ultimately, the resilience and adaptability of contact centres shine through during adversity. They exemplify that even when technology falters, the human touch and adaptability of contact centre agents remain invaluable in preserving customer relationships and ensuring the continuity of essential services.