When it comes to a core customer service function like a contact center, an impending change such as an online conversion or branch closure can potentially impact your brand and level of service your account holders have come to expect. During times like these, evaluating a contact center supplier may seem particularly daunting.
You may feel as if you have to make a tradeoff between supplier quality, level of customer service, and the business’ needs. With the right contact center supplier, however this fear is larger in fantasy than in reality. Here are five of the most common contact center myths and the facts to put those fears to rest – once and for all.
Myth: It’s too difficult to onboard a contact center supplier.
Fact: It can be difficult to onboard a contact center supplier, which is why it is important to choose wisely! To decrease difficulty and the time it takes to onboard, take the time to find a supplier with both a deep understanding of financial services and proven experience in helping other brands create successful online conversions. Flexibility is also important when making a wise contact center selection; consider augmenting your contact center staff rather than outsourcing the entire business process to a new supplier with new staff, systems, and solutions. While previously unavailable, this flexible contact center offering is now possible via advanced solutions such as Burst from Harland Clarke.
Myth: I don’t think I need a contact center supplier for my conversion to be a success.
Fact: You can attempt a conversion without a contact center supplier (no one is stopping you), but we wouldn’t advise it.
On average, thirty percent of online banking users call during a conversion event, potentially doubling call volume1 — and handle time — leaving your current contact center overwhelmed and understaffed. Scarier still, it can take customers up to twelve positive interactions to make up for just one negative experience with an underprepared call center.
With those statistics, do you really want to risk not having the right supplier in place?
Myth: We can’t outsource because it’s too risky giving access to account holder information.
Fact: This goes back to our first point about choosing a reputable contact center supplier from the outset, one that understands your business and shares the same sensitivity around customer data.
Using a flexible solution like Burst from Harland Clarke also offers two big advantages when it comes to securing customer data. First, because of Harland Clark’s deep background in serving financial institutions, we are fluent in security protocols, and are especially sensitive to the needs of a financial institution when it comes to data security. Second, augmenting staff with a service like Burst, instead of outsourcing the entire process, also keeps security in line as your institution is still in charge of the day-to-day of the contact center itself.
Myth: A third-party supplier won’t be able to accurately represent my brand and deliver a consistent customer experience.
Fact: If you choose a supplier with a long history in managing the way financial institutions do business and market to customers, there won’t be any messaging problems. Additionally, by utilizing a custom solution like Burst, your organization gets a solution designed to seamlessly integrate into the way your brand is currently interacting with customers.
Myth: It’s too expensive to outsource a contact center and I won’t be able to see a strong return on investment (ROI.)
Fact: A contact center is a cost for your business. With 59% of customers willing to change brands after a negative customer service experience, it isn’t so much a question of whether or not your contact center provides a return on investment, so much as ensuring your customer’s needs are met through the provider you choose so you don’t lose business.
Because of Harland Clarke’s wealth of experience in the financial industry, we’re able to estimate contact center capacity based on the type of event you’re experiencing. With this knowledge we can create a flexible, scalable program tailored to your financial institution’s needs of the moment, with the ability to scale up or down as needed.
Putting common fears aside, there are many upsides to outsourcing your financial institution’s contact center, particularly if you go with a trusted and knowledgeable supplier.
> Learn more about Burst from Harland Clarke and see how our solution is different