2013 ICMI RESEARCH RELEASED: The Multichannel Agent: A 2014 Contact Center Roadmap, Research Report and Best Practices Guide

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Dec. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Customer Management Institute (ICMI) has released its latest research report, The Multichannel Agent: A 2014 Contact Center Roadmap, Research Report and Best Practices Guide, which evaluates the role of contact center agents in a multichannel environment.

ICMI turned its attention to agents after analyzing data from Extreme Engagement in the Multichannel Contact Center: Leveraging the Emerging Channels Research Report and Best Practices Guide, published in July 2013. Those findings revealed that – irrespective of channel – a happy, well-trained agent was at the core of customer satisfaction.

In response, ICMI conducted a new survey: "The Agent's Experience in the Multichannel World." Results were collected and analyzed from 525 respondents, including senior executives, directors and managers. Analysts, contact supervisors and agents also took part. Participation in the study came from a wide variety of industries throughout the U.S. and the world.

The survey was designed to get at the root of agent challenges:

• How are contact centers currently leveraging their agents?
• How can agents and their supervisors adapt to meet the demands of a multi-connected customer?
• What kinds of decisions are executives making about multichannel technologies and analytics?
• Where should businesses direct their resources in 2014?

"Allowing customers to use their channel of choice is now considered the minimal acceptable level of service in contact centers," says Sarah Stealey Reed, Content Director for ICMI. "But it can be tricky for companies to know how to prepare their agents for multichannel interactions. This report lays out the groundwork for creating a faster, happier, technologically smoother experience for all involved."

Key findings from the report note:

• Over 66% of companies see linkages between operational efficiency, agent engagement (AE) and agent satisfaction (ASAT)
• 64% of respondents said multichannel necessitates that agents learn new technology or new processes
• Although multichannel agents do not demand higher wages, 46% of respondents recognize they have more extensive training needs
• 85% of contact centers believe that happy agents make happy customers

As part of ICMI's commitment to actionable research, The Multichannel Agent: A 2014 Contact Center Roadmap, Research Report and Best Practices Guide also provides step-by-step guides to hiring and training multichannel agents, including a employer's roadmap from Brad Cleveland, Senior Advisor and Former CEO of ICMI, and an agent training plan from Justin Robbins, ICMI's Manager of Training & Development.

In addition, the report includes tips on best practices for improving day-to-day processes and technology. Businesses are advised on more effective ways to:

• Measure agent engagement and satisfaction
• Understand the driving forces behind productivity and efficiency decreases
• Eliminate channel and department silos, work duplication and inconsistent customer care
• Turn data into actionable data through the use of desktop analytics 
• Involve agents in the development and implementation of new tools 
• Implement a universal CRM platform
• Adapt to mobile and social media
• Experiment with non-voice channels and a cloud infrastructure

"The experience of the agent lies at the heart of every successful multichannel strategy," notes Reed. "No matter what the path, contact with a live agent is where the most complex and most valuable customer interactions take place. It's imperative we prepare these employees to handle the new multichannel reality."

A complete review of the study's final results can be found within the research report, The Multichannel Agent: A 2014 Contact Center Roadmap, Research Report and Best Practices Guide.

In addition, ICMI offers a free whitepaper, Overcoming Productivity & Efficiency Challenges in the Multichannel Contact Center, featuring a portion of the study results and presents commentary and related research findings through a recorded webinar and educast.

About the Sponsor

Funding for the study was provided by inContact, INC. inContact provides on-demand customer contact center platforms to approximately 650 contact centers across the globe. With its roots in telecommunications and network infrastructure, inContact combines a powerful connectivity backbone with a world-class software platform. The inContact platform includes: a powerful Automated Call Distributor (ACD) with skills-based routing, Computer Telephony Integration (CTI), Interactive Voice Response (IVR) with speech recognition, an innovative online hiring solution, an eLearning application, workforce management functionality, and a customer feedback and survey solution.

(Note: The underwriter, inContact, does not have access to individual study responses, nor will they be shared with the underwriter.)

About ICMI

The International Customer Management Institute (ICMI) is the leading global provider of comprehensive resources for customer management professionals -- from frontline agents to executives -- who wish to improve customer experiences and increase efficiencies at every level of the contact center. Since 1985, ICMI has helped more than 50,000 organizations in 167 countries through training, events, certification, consulting, and informational resources. ICMI's experienced and dedicated team of industry insiders, trainers, and consultants are committed to helping you raise the strategic value of your contact center, optimize your operations and improve your customer service. For more information, visit www.icmi.com. ICMI is a part of UBM (www.ubm.com), a global live media and B2B communications, marketing service and data provider.

Questions or interview requests may be directed to:  Sarah Stealey Reed, [email protected] 

SOURCE International Customer Management Institute (ICMI)