In an earlier blog on the CHCG website, I talked about the impact of social media on the customer experience. Given the increasing emphasis on the usage of technology in all aspects of the contact center operation, it’s a good time to talk about how to merge emerging technologies and social media to boost your ROI.
Automation
CCW’s Market Study,’The Future of the Contact Center in 2019’ points out that there is a huge market of untapped potential for social media in contact center operations. While agents are trained to respond to customer service inquiries on social media, only 22% of businesses say they use social media to initiate contact with customers for sales.
Automation is a powerful tool that can be employed very successfully for social media marketing. According to the study, ‘over 30% of contact centers have automated processes in place for digital assisted-service channels like social media, helping to identify sales opportunities based on certain triggers’. The practical applications of automation are many, particularly in the form of the latest version of robotic technology, the RPA (Robotic Process Automation).
RPA, in very basic terms, is the usage of robots to mimic human activity. RPA benefits contact centers by enabling the automation of repetitive tasks that require manual labor, which in turn reduces costs and improves efficiency at all points of the customer journey.
RPA can be an active contributor to social media success. For instance, agents can use automated systems to send pre-designed sales offers and other marketing material. Automation can be used to capture information about leads 24/7 so that agents have a basic customer profile in hand, which they can then leverage for sales. Automation can also assist with providing basic responses to inquiries to facilitate the customer journey. Parts of the training and development for agents can also be automated.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Oftentimes, the terms AI and Automation are used interchangeably. However, AI is different in that it simulates human intelligence as opposed to purely mimicking human activity. AI software is still an emerging technology and potentially slower on the uptake. ICMI reports that AI is expected to handle 15% of all customer interactions by 2021.
In the initial stages of development, the interest in AI was geared towards replacing humans altogether. However, businesses have started to understand the value of a human-AI collaboration model to create custom experiences that will enhance both customer satisfaction scores and returns.
The CCW study points to a specific example of how this can be achieved in the context of social media marketing. Connecting the company’s CRM and a prospective or current client’s social media profile will help to enable the ability to predict customer choices based on existing behavioural patterns. This, in turn, helps in the creation of a more precise and targeted sales offer.
Analytics
Big data analytics enables the capture of data in a form that supports a Single Customer View (SCV), which is a holistic view of all interconnected data elements in one place. Analytics can have multiple applications in social media marketing. These include, but are not limited to: mapping the entire sales journey, identifying sales opportunities by analyzing predictive language patterns, providing much-needed data for process improvements, and the evaluation of the returns on marketing campaigns.
CH Consulting Group provides unparalleled expertise for today’s omni-channel contact center, driving exponential growth, astute change management, and enhanced profitability. Our team of Customer Experience (CX) Consultants, veterans in the field, understand the need for creating innovative and sustainable solutions that really work. For a comprehensive CX assessment and strategic plan customized for your unique business needs, connect with us here today.
