Self-Service

Good contact centers are run by efficient people who manually answer phones, write e-mails, chat with online clients or check brochures and catalogs. With all the technological advances of this day, however, several innovations in the contact center industry have been added. There is what is now called the “self-service contact center.” This kind of contact center operates with the use of machines, using systems and software created specifically for the purpose of dealing with customers without the need for human intervention.

Self-service contact centers make use of things like videos, SMS and automatic voice and speech applications like the IRV or Interactive Voice Response System. With these kinds of software, customers interact with a set system by listening to audio prompts, menu options and pre-recorded instructions or responses. Using videos usually means that the customer can access information like self-help directions on the products or services they are inquiring about.

Though there are some companies using these self-service contact centers, there is always a live agent around to handle situations wherein human intervention is necessary. If a customer wishes a problem to be resolved without the use of automatic systems, for example, he or she can be transferred to an agent. While these kinds of technologies help a great deal in the contact center industry, it is still not possible to operate using only them. Many contact centers still prefer hiring employees to do the job.