Unified communications improves customer satisfaction
By Aspect Software
MOST interviewees (85 per cent) in a European business survey conducted by Strateco and commissioned by Aspect believe that unified communications (UC) improves customer satisfaction by improving service levels and raising first call resolution levels.
The study investigated the role that UC could play in helping European contact centres achieve their key objectives. Other findings revealed:
67pc of organisations believe that UC will deliver cost advantages within three-five years and even 83pc believe that UC will be a competitive differentiator in the future.
82pc believe that UC facilitates real time communications, broader teamwork and more streamlined processes, resulting in reduced delays and better workgroup productivity
79pc believe that by implementing UC in their customer contact centres they can improve the perceived value of those centres within their organisations
While organisations were in broad agreement about the positive impact that UC could have on their customer contact operations, they were divided about who should be responsible for driving its introduction. Half of the interviewees pointed to the IT department; and half to the customer service department.
Participants in the survey, carried out in late 2008, comprised 270 public and private sector organisations across France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK.
Anita Marsh, Manager, Marketing, Europe and Africa, Aspect commented: “The survey shows that when UC touches the end customer, the return on UC investments really begin to accelerate.
“It is therefore in everyone’s interests that IT and customer service departments work closely together to ensure that information silos are broken down, and UC benefits maximised.
“With more than half of respondents to the study stating they will start their UC process in under three years, there is no time to waste in planning, strategising and piloting the technology to achieve these goals.”
To obtain a free summary of the findings of the 2009 Aspect European Communications European survey, please go to http://www.aspectregistration.com/aspect-unified-communications/survey09/?lng=en&dl=0