Why an Omnichannel Contact Center Is a Must for State and Local Government Agencies
The primary function of state and local government agencies is to provide services to their constituents. Traditionally, these services have been provided based upon the requirements of the agency. However, people are now taking a more consumer-like approach to government services. They expect services to be accessible and transparent, and agency resources to be easy to navigate.
The problem is that many government agencies continue to deliver services based on their own needs rather than the citizens they serve. To improve service delivery, agencies need to understand the journey of their constituents and what they need and expect at different stages of that journey.
The contact center is a primary point of interaction with constituents, but traditional contact center solutions don’t provide the best experience. They often rely heavily upon traditional communication channels that aren’t necessarily the most convenient anymore. What if someone would rather use email or live chat than pick up a phone? If they contact you through social media, will you respond?
The Benefits of an Omnichannel Contact Center
Omnichannel contact centers provide a better experience by enabling constituents to communicate via the channel of their choice – voice, email, chat, text, web page forms, social media, etc. Omnichannel architecture coordinates, aggregates, and continually updates the interactions from all available channels to ensure your constituents receive a seamless experience as they switch between channels or are passed from one agent to another.
Omnichannel also makes life easier for contact center agents, who no longer have to bounce between disparate applications to view constituent data. They always have access to a unified view of the constituent’s interaction history with current, accurate data, so the constituent doesn’t have to start over and provide the same information every time they move to a new channel. With relevant constituent data at their fingertips, agents can resolve issues more quickly. A single agent can engage multiple constituents at the same time, for example, by simultaneously assisting one person via chat, another via email, and yet another via text.
Constituents who prefer self-service options, such as interactive voice response (IVR), FAQs, and tutorials, will be less likely to request the assistance of a live agent because data from all channels is integrated. The key is to provide clarity to constituents by making your self-service options engaging, using images, video, and audio. Fewer interactions translate to more issues being resolved in less time, which is the ultimate goal of every contact center.
Impact
Omnichannel contact centers are at the forefront of ever-evolving customer service trends. They provide constituents with the experiences they expect from a modern contact center. However, the value of omnichannel contact centers goes beyond just adding more channels for your constituents. By simplifying citizen interactions, omnichannel contact centers boost agent performance and productivity and make operations more efficient. Omnichannel can also enable self-help channels to free up agents’ time so they can focus on handling more complex issues. Additionally, because chat, social media, forums, and even webinars, leave a recorded written customer trace, omnichannel contact centers enable agencies to gain more significant insights into the community they serve. Preserving the history of constituent interactions with your agency regardless of the channel they use also helps with compliance and regulatory mandates.
Contact Center Solutions Delivered by Cerium
Don’t let an outdated approach to service delivery and an antiquated contact center platform erode the trust of your constituents. Let us show you how omnichannel contact center solutions deliver a better experience and enhance operations.
