Big Data: What It Is and How to Use It
The call center and customer service industries are filled with buzzwords. Omnichannel, upselling, wrap time, and first call resolution all command a large amount of attention. However, big data seems to be taking much of the focus lately.
What is Big Data?
Around 2001, Gartner defined it as data that contains greater variety and arrives in increasing volumes with ever-higher velocity. In layman’s terms: it is larger, more complex data sets (especially from new data sources). These data sets are so large that traditional data-processing software can’t handle them. However, this data can be used to address problems businesses haven’t been able to confront before. The commercial value comes from breaking down the data and analyzing it into actionable insights that form many benefits for both the customer and the company that owns the data. Today, users create more data that is more tracked than ever before. With technology reducing the costs associated with storing and processing this data, it has become easier to utilize and improve your company’s viewpoint of customer interaction.
How Call Centers Can Use Big Data
Utilizing data is a great way for call centers to create superb customer experiences. There is a distinct relationship between exceptional customer service and successful call centers. A good call center provides a pleasant experience for customers, and the level of customer service offered determines the success of a call center. Data can assist with customer experiences in several ways, but we’re going to look at only three: Call center metrics, social media, and customer feedback.
Call Center Metrics
One benefit is providing keen insight into key performance indicators (KPIs). KPIs disclose the efficiency of a call center’s practices. The KPI metrics available for study include call abandonment rates, average handling and hold times, and first contact resolution – among many others. Receiving this data and studying it closely allows a business to determine if its call center representatives are trained properly for every type of interaction with customers and if the technology used within the call center is necessary and performing optimally to suit customers’ needs.
Social Media
Unless you live under a rock, odds are you have at least one social media account. These days, customers often interact with brands on social channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. Whether it’s asking a question, finding information, or leaving a review, many take to social media to fulfill some sort of need. Now offered are social listening tools that are essential for capturing every comment made about a business and attributing them to a specific customer. From there, a call center can assess how customers feel about a certain brand and take immediate action to solve any issues.
Customer Feedback
We touched ever so slightly on feedback via social media in the previous paragraph, but the form of customer feedback we’re discussing now deals more with customer surveys. When customers are asked specific questions about their experiences with a certain product or service, the information returned allows businesses to make improvements with precision. Customer surveys are perhaps one of the most useful data types, as they provide accurate opinions straight from the source. They also allow customers to make suggestions as an added way to improve upon what’s being sold.
Big data offers a plethora of information about customers. Feelings about a product, purchasing habits, and more are all available to a business through data. Studying that information wisely allows a call center to better understand its customers and create the positive experiences they deserve.
