Editorial
The Gist
- Contact centers set the CX floor. As digital convenience and AI-driven service reshape expectations, contact center operations increasingly determine whether customer experiences meet — or miss — the mark.
- Operational gaps quietly erode performance. Assessments surface hidden breakdowns in technology, data sharing, procedures and training that undermine agents, slow resolution and increase risk.
- Operational rigor drives measurable CX gains. Stronger processes, compliance discipline and smarter tooling directly translate into higher satisfaction, loyalty and revenue.
As shoppers continue to rely on convenient online services, one-day shipping and AI-driven customer service, the expectations of consumers have shifted, leading them to settle for nothing less than top-flight customer experience. Companies need to pay close attention to the infrastructures and procedures that support their customer engagement initiatives, especially when it comes to contact center operations.
The contact center is ground-zero for delivering customer experience (CX) value. The more efficient, secure and streamlined its operations, the greater potential a company has to build excellent customer engagement, customer loyalty and repeat business.
An assessment of contact center operations can transform an organization by identifying areas of concern and providing proven strategies that elevate efficiency. A thorough assessment uncovers latent operational weaknesses and pinpoints technology shortfalls, outdated procedures or poor data practices that might degrade agent or sales performance, impair customer interactions, or even expose the organization to risk.
At its core, an operational assessment involves a deep audit of how a customer service organization works—not in theory, but in practice. Efficiency experts should work closely with either in-house or outsourced customer service departments, examining everything from the tenor of customer communications to the use of technology.
IVR routing systems, call drop rates, collections procedures, agent performance, maintenance of company branding, and quality assurance are all fair game for evaluation. Assessment reports often root-out issues like siloed information that is not shared between departments, procedures that employees refuse to adopt, or gaps in agent training.
Table of Contents
- Numbers Don't Lie: Smooth Operations Lead to Better CX
- Revealing Areas of Improvement in Customer Service
Numbers Don't Lie: Smooth Operations Lead to Better CX
As businesses navigate this era of service bots and offshore agents, they must recognize the profound role that customer experience plays in driving company success. According to Salesforce.com, 80% of consumers value their experience with an organization as highly as its products or services.
CRM software provider Zendesk says that 89% of businesses were expected to compete primarily on CX, outpacing traditional motivators, such as product portfolio and price, this year.
And CX services firm Khoros reports that 65% of shoppers switch brands due to a sub-par experience, which can include issues such as under-informed agents, lengthy hold times, unreliable company information or lack of product knowledge on the part of agents.
Revealing Areas of Improvement in Customer Service
Operational assessments must evaluate how data is managed and protected, verifying that privacy practices and regulatory mandates are strictly followed. This intelligence can save an organization thousands of dollars in compliance violation fees for companies beholden to HIPAA or PCI regulations.
In addition, companies are often shocked to learn of the inefficiencies and mistakes that occur in their contact centers. For instance, some workplace solutions function in theory, but are too complex or cumbersome to manage in reality, so workers ignore them.
Once recommendations have been generated, remediation work frequently becomes a natural follow-up, conducted immediately or over time. Whether done in-house, through a managed services provider or through a cost-effective outsourcing program, deployments and process overhauls streamline and refine operations. Companies can pursue fixes like easier access to customer records, stricter enforcement of compliance policies, or better agent knowledge of products and inventory.
This builds long-term value, and directly reflects in improved customer experiences that can expand income, build customer loyalty, foster repeat business and reduce client attrition.
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Operational assessments of the contact center generate far more than just a one-off checklist. They result in better service levels, deeper customer satisfaction, more efficient operations, and, ultimately, greater revenue.
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