Cost-effectiveness is driving a boom in call centre operations in countries like India and the Philippines, where an educated workforce are churning out customer support, and profits, while earning relatively little compared to their counterparts in the developed world.
While the government firmly supports local businesses in making South Africa a preferred offshore call centre destination, skills shortages here could impede potential growth. Keith Fenner, Strategic Sales Director, Softline Accpac, says that by giving call centre agents access to the data they need, South Africa could realistically outperform international competitors in terms of the service they provide.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is the tool which enables exceptional service. It gives call centre staff access to detailed information about customers – something other countries have not yet mastered. An integrated CRM database gives call centre staff access to the information they need to answer queries, while working alongside the customer who has simultaneous access to the database.
With South Africa already such an attractive call centre option both in terms of language and time zone, as well as offering competitive labour rates, integrated CRM could prove a critical differentiating factor when it comes to bidding for international contracts. Government should, therefore, says Fenner, not only look at investing in people and infrastructure to boost service at call centres, but should also consider the huge advantages in investing in an integrated CRM solution. An effective CRM solution is proven to increase customer loyalty and retention.
The true benefit of a CRM strategy can, however, only be realised if it is measured, reported on and, ultimately, acted on. It is not enough to simply record contacts made to the call centre to improve customer service. It’s the way in which you use and act upon this information that will make a difference to customer service.
To get to the core of customer expectations, Fenner says you have to harness all the CRM data gathered from telephone calls, web chat and email interaction. “This empowers call centre agents and managers with a complete view of their customer, from why they bought a specific product to how they are responding to a particular promotion or how they prefer to be contacted,” Fenner says. “This then enables them to reinforce the positive and eliminate the negative, so by improving the customer experience.”
“CRM is not a new idea when it comes to business and doing business. Knowing your customer intimately enables you to serve them better and add value, boosting their loyalty and giving you undeniable competitive advantage,” Fenner says.
