Reducing agent churn
through unified desktop tools
This report excerpt made available compliments of Cincom Systems:
Cincom is a global enterprise applications provider, offering a specialist unified desktop solution for
contact centers. The solution, entitled Synchrony, is a customer-centric desktop that enables
contact centers to minimize manual tasks through process automation and workflow. The solution
pulls data from siloed databases and systems, such as routing, contact history, purchase behavior,
account status, customer satisfaction level and projected lifetime value to provide agents with a
360° view of the customer. In addition Synchrony includes an Intelligent Agent Guidance solution
that assists agents with real-time decision making. Cincom is an IBM Premier Business Partner and
works closely with IBM to provide Synchrony as a customer-centric desktop that is configurable to
connect with back-office applications and telephony.
© Ovum 2009. Unauthorised reproduction prohibited.
Reducing agent churn through
unified desktop tools
An excerpt from Ovum’s report, OVUM052658
Executive summary
In a nutshell
Contact center technology vendors provide unified agent desktop tools to
assist agents with navigating through numerous applications by
combining information onto one view. Agents benefit from these
solutions; they gain a simpler interface and improved knowledge and can
provide better customer service. The market is still emerging and
enterprises are reluctant to invest in unified agent desktop tools that
require expensive professional services engagements and lengthy
deployments. However, vendors are working to change this perception by
reducing the services needed to deploy the tools and providing additional
capabilities, including process monitoring and intelligent guidance for
agents. As a result, enterprises’ interest in the solutions has perked up
and vendors can now point to a number of successful deployments. Ovum
believes that, if vendors can further educate enterprises about the
benefits of their unified agent desktop solutions, the market will grow
steadily.
Ovum view
A popular topic of discussion between vendors and enterprises currently is the
importance of customer experience and how to improve it through collaborative
channels and analytics. Although customer needs should be a high priority for any
business, the contact center agent’s role should not be ignored. Agents remain a
key point of contact for customers with an organization. It is easy to overlook
contact center agent satisfaction and their work environment in favor of focusing
on efficiency and performance metrics. Ovum understands that contact centers
need to monitor average handle time and first contact resolution, but we believe
they must also continually improve the tools agents use to positively impact
performance.
Unified agent desktop tools provide a number of benefits for agents as well as
contact centers and customers. Process-oriented unified agent desktop systems
allow contact center managers to assess agent behavior and the ways in which
they use applications to answer customer queries. Managers, then, gain a clearer
picture of how to improve efficiency, which enables them to automate repetitive
task and workflows. Agents need not remember separate login information for
© Ovum 2009. Unauthorised reproduction prohibited.
different applications and switch between screens to complete transactions. They
have better access to information and can answer customer queries quicker.
Customers interact with more knowledgeable agents and agent satisfaction rates
improve. Ovum believes that job satisfaction is directly linked to agent churn;
enterprises, therefore, have a vested interest in working to improve agent morale.
Vendors are enhancing unified desktop
solutions with analytics and real-time guidance
Introduction
Contact center agents often face a daunting task: navigating through numerous
different applications to find information, all while trying to reduce the frustrations
of the customer stuck on hold. The difficulty of finding the correct information in
contact centers can drive up average handle times (AHTs) and lead to call
transfers, leaving both customers and agents frustrated. To reduce the incidence of
such frustrations, vendors developed unified agent desktop solutions.
The ‘unified agent’ desktop aims to solve a vexing problem facing enterprises of all
sizes and in all industries. In the course of a single interaction, an agent may use
numerous applications, including home-grown industry-specific applications,
traditional CRM, and financial and logistical applications. The unified agent desktop
attempts to bring all relevant information into one user interface to make agent–
customer interactions more seamless and reduce hold time for customers. The
agent has a single point of reference for all customer information and one set of
login details. This reduces the constant switching between applications to get
different sets of information, making the agent more efficient at dealing with
customer queries.
Unified agent desktop solutions are developing around
processes
Unified agent desktop solutions are maturing. The term ‘unified agent desktop’
refers to a way to link background applications and functions into an easy-tonavigate portal. However, vendors have added new capabilities to their solutions
including desktop monitoring tools. Enterprises can now intelligently monitor agent
processes in order to more effectively link the relevant applications. Once key
processes and customer queries have been noted, the agent can also be assisted
by real-time guidance suggesting actions or phrases to use.
Process or desktop analytics provide an application that runs on the agent’s
desktop. As agents open applications and switch between them to find information,
their actions are recorded. Contact center managers can then review the actions of
their team in a graphical interface, depicting the most popular movements between
applications or the length of time an agent spends using one application.
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As well as automating simple activities and linking application data onto one
screen, contact center managers can also uncover behavioral patterns. They can
use this type of tool to determine popular workflows and automate repeated
activities. Using historical data, contact centers can also provide agents with
guidance for each call, drawing information on customer preferences and loyalty
from CRM systems. For example, a long standing telecommunications customer
may be calling to enquire about a billing issue. The customer should be given
priority in queue and, once the service-related issues are resolved, an agent could
provide them with related offers or discounts to improve their service. Instead of a
replacement overlay application, the agent gains a dynamic desktop that provides
information about next best actions, remembers preferences of a specific
customer, and links with unified communications tools in case a subject matter
expert is required. As the solutions become more intelligent, contact centers will be
able to alter workflows and guidance to agents based on events and customer
interactions in real time.
Figure 2 indicates the way in which unified agent desktop solutions are evolving.
The original purpose of these tools was to automate workflows and consolidate
data from different applications. The solutions are now becoming process driven as
well, providing agents with real-time feedback based on their actions. Enterprises
should monitor desktop activity and analyze information on a regular basis in order
make continuous improvements. Analytics are starting to appear in vendors’
offerings, ranging from process and desktop analytics to multi-channel analytics,
all aimed at helping enterprises better understand agents’ behavior.
Figure 2 Unified desktop solutions are evolving, allowing enterprises to monitor
agent behavior and provide intelligent guidance
Source: Ovum
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Desktop tools help to improve agent
satisfaction and reduce churn
Contact centers may overlook agent difficulties with
navigating applications
Two key challenges daily faced by agents are navigating through different screens
on a cluttered desktop and having several different login codes. A need to enter
the same information on numerous applications can be time consuming and
frustrating. In addition, agents may be working in multiple environments, each
with its own look and feel, including home-grown CRM systems, Excel spreadsheets
and billing tools. Contact center managers often do not have good visibility into
agent activity; subsequently, it can be difficult to understand bottlenecks in
workflows. The best way for managers to determine agent activity is to watch
agents work, and, secondarily, to ask them about which processes are time
consuming and inefficient.
The key driver for contact centers to invest in unified agent desktop tools is to
improve efficiency, as measured by metrics such as average handle time and hold
times. They also implement agent guidance and scripting to ensure that agents are
using the right procedures when handling sensitive information. However, agent
satisfaction is often overlooked in favor of more tangible efficiency metrics and
compliance initiatives. There are also numerous benefits for agents that can result
in cost savings for the enterprise. By creating a better work environment for
agents, contact centers can increase job satisfaction and agent retention in order
to save on training costs, and create a more productive workforce. Ovum believes
that efficiency, effectiveness and agent satisfaction are related. Agents are able to
answer calls more efficiently when information is easier to access and customers
speak to more knowledgeable agents. This helps improve first contact resolution,
reduce average handle time and hold times as well as improving customer
satisfaction.
Agents are empowered with targeted knowledge,
improving satisfaction
By implementing unified agent desktop solutions, contact centers directly impact
agent satisfaction. Agents gain better access to information and intelligent
guidance to provide better responses to customers. This helps to create a positive
work environment where agents are empowered to answer queries. Agents gain
the following tangible benefits from unified desktop solutions:
•
Streamlined working environment - Information is fed from different
systems into a single view and agents gain a simplified, easier to navigate
working environment.
•
Faster access to information – By linking applications and processes, agents
no longer need switch between screens to find the information they require.
© Ovum 2009. Unauthorised reproduction prohibited.
•
Reduced data entry – Contact centers can automate form filling and simple
processes so that agents do not need to copy and paste text.
•
Less need for multiple logins – Enterprises can automate logins to different
applications so that agents do not have to remember multiple login
information. This speeds up the process and reduces agent frustration so they
can quickly access information from different screens.
•
More targeted knowledge – Contact centers can implement intelligent
guidance for agents by analyzing processes and determining the best cause of
action in each scenario. Agents will receive the more relevant information to
provide to customers and can answer questions more effectively.
•
More relevant upsell and cross sell offers – Contact centers can pull in
data from CRM systems to understand customer preferences and value. This
helps them to determine which offers are most suitable for each customer,
helping agents provide the most appropriate suggestions. With more targeted
information, agents are better equipped to hit sales targets.
•
Reduced training time – New hires only have one simplified desktop to
become familiar with and do not need to learn how to use multiple
applications. This is an advantage for new hires that want to get up and
running quickly.
Customer satisfaction also improves when agents have better tools
In addition to providing benefits for agents, unified desktop solutions can help
improve customer satisfaction. If agents are provided targeted knowledge and do
not leave customers on hold while they search for information, they can answer
queries faster, improving the customer experience. Customers will have less need
to repeat information when data is integrated from different systems such as IVR,
CRM and billing. Ovum believes there is a direct correlation between improving the
agent work environment and improving customer satisfaction.
Agents may resist learning new applications
Ovum believes that contact centers should also consider the potential disruption
when implementing any new solution for agents. Despite the complexities of
handling numerous applications, human beings are naturally resistant to change
and the unfamiliar. Agents that have worked at a contact center for a long period
of time may be reluctant to adopt new tools as they have invested time learning
systems and developing their own short cuts and tricks. Although unified solutions
provide a simplified view and easier to access information, enterprises should
understand that it will take time for agents to adapt. New hires should be able to
adapt quickly and once long term agents comprehend the benefits of unified
desktop solutions, they will be more likely to accept the new systems.
© Ovum 2009. Unauthorised reproduction prohibited.
Conclusion
Contact centers should improve the agent work
environment
Before implementing unified agent desktop tools there are a number of factors to
consider. Intelligent guidance based on agent actions help agents to provide the
right information to customers but too many scripted answers may make agents
feel restricted. Contact centers should differentiate between scripting and
guidance, allowing agents to personalize interactions and keep some flexibility.
Enterprises should implement behavioral monitoring and analytics tools and use
them regularly to automate repetitive processes and discover barriers in the
workflow. Customer interactions are likely to change depending on new products or
problems that arise and improvements to the agent work environment should be
continuous. Enterprises should monitor agent and customer satisfaction as well as
performance and efficiency in order to understand the impact of these solutions.
Enterprises should explain any new implementation to agents and solicit feedback
during and after implementing unified agent desktop solutions in order to ensure
its impact is positive.
Methodology statement
This report was produced largely on the basis of our ongoing research into the CRM and
unified agent desktop markets. This includes regular conversations with and briefings from
contact center vendors, and our analysis of their products. In depth interviews were
conducted with Cicero, Cincom, Corizon, Jacada and OpenSpan. The report represents the
results of these discussions and additional research on these players, their offerings, and the
market.
Ovum does not endorse companies or their products. Ovum operates under an Independence
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© Ovum 2009. Unauthorised reproduction prohibited.