Predictive analytics gives customer service agents relevant data at the right time, so they understand why people make contact and how best to solve their issues. It can also offer insight on the satisfaction levels of agents, so organisations can anticipate staff turnover and take proactive steps to reenergise their work.
Customers today expect convenient access to services with zero issues. If problems arise, they want a quick and easy resolution. If not, customer service agents bear the brunt. This is demoralising for staff and can lead to them leaving their jobs before you’ve had a chance to remedy the situation.
But if you could predict and analyse staff frustrations in advance, you could take steps to address their concerns and raise their morale, reducing the risk of them taking their experience elsewhere.
Re-energising work for service staff
In the field of customer service, the use of predictive analytics has mainly been applied to customers. It anticipates which customers are going to make contact and why; the best time and channel to engage with them; and what actions will serve them best.
These insights help deliver a far higher level of service. By connecting customers with the most suitable agent – which can be done automatically using advanced algorithms and AI – issues can be resolved quicker and with more empathy.
Through this ‘agent matching’ approach, customers feel that their issues are being dealt with seriously. It also helps agents feel more empowered, as they are working on tasks best suited to their skillset. And because they are able to solve queries faster, agents feel like they’re doing great work. It can be a real morale booster.
Addressing employee stress in advance
The same tools used to analyse customer behaviour and emotions can also predict which employees may be thinking of leaving – and then suggest appropriate actions to address their concerns, resulting in improved retention.
These tools can identify specific training requirements too, so you can give agents the opportunity to advance their skills and knowledge. This will help them feel even better about their contribution. And for high-performing agents, you can predict which rewards will be most effective in keeping them engaged.
A win-win for organisations and staff
Organisations are only as good as their people – so if you have good talent, it’s important to hold on to it.
Reducing staff turnover using predictive analytics and agent matching can help you cut the cost of recruiting, training and on-boarding new agents.
You’ll also retain invaluable experience that would take a long time to re-establish. So when customers do need to make contact, they’ll receive a consistent, knowledgeable and fast service experience every time.
Top benefits of predictive analytics and agent matching:
- Calls routed to agents who are best suited to resolving customer issues first time
- Suggested ‘best next action’ keeps calls short and avoids the need for repeat calls
- Proactive customer communications (SMS, email etc) helps reduce volume of inbound calls
- Analysis of agent behaviour and mood suggests meaningful interventions to boost morale
To discuss how predictive analytics and agent matching could help reenergise your employees, please get in touch. Michele Biron, Strategy Director and Lead for Channels Experience, NTT DATA UK Michele.Biron@nttdata.com