How many of us would have liked this to be the first sentence we heard when we called to make an inquiry about a contracted product or to ask for information?
The origin of the Call Centers goes back to the end of the 19th century, when a German baker offered his manufactured sweets over the phone, although a Telemarketing campaign was not really launched until 1962, when Ford contacted more than 20 million people to arrange interviews with their salesmen.
In Spain, the origin of Call Centres is linked to the boom in mobile telephony by Movistar or Amena.
Call Centers have multiple objectives and functions, which also depend on the business in which they are located and among them they stand out:
- Receiving calls to request information from potential customers.
- Making calls offering information, advertising campaigns, attracting donations, etc.
- Technical support.
- Complaints service, suggestions and claims mailbox.
With the passing of time, technological advances and increased demands from customers, Call Centers evolved into Contact Centers, capable of managing multiple communication channels such as E-mail, chats and Social Networks, beyond telephony.
The wheel never stops spinning, so it is not enough just to offer various communication channels to customers, we must provide them with a unique and excellent service through three fundamental pillars: The user experience, the omnicanality and constant innovation.
Focusing on the third pillar, constant innovation, there is an element that has become very fashionable today, it is the development and use of bots. These bots are applications that communicate and perform basic tasks. Their main objective is to speed up interactions between services and people.
The question we ask ourselves is, do they really speed up the service provided to customers? In my opinion there is no single answer, but it depends on several factors. For example, if we talk about the insurance sector, the area of application of such a tool in most cases will depend on the type of product.
If I want to see a receipt for my policy, does a person need to be at the other end of the phone? The answer seems pretty obvious, doesn't it? However, when communicating a death for the purpose of applying for the services of a death cover, is human contact and dealing with a person preferable?
If there is one thing we are clear about, it is that both options must coexist, with the customer choosing to use either one. Therefore, we must not only focus on the type of product but also adapt to the customer's needs in order to offer the best possible service.
