ICMI's Customer Management Insight - January 2008 - (Page 20)

S T R AT E G Y phones — whether it be at home, in the office, or in a retail store or bank lobby. NEW DIMENSION, NEW CHALLENGES Even with all the pieces seemingly in place, neither Kowarsky nor Sultan overly hypes the emergence of the VCC. Both acknowledge that the VCC has not evolved as quickly as had been predicted a few years ago. However, both agree that, technologically speaking, things have progressed nicely. “The technology that drives video has been in place for a number of years, says Sultan. “Indeed, ” the presence of SIP and IMS enhance video contact center capabilities. …Mobile phones, especially those with 3G, are already ahead of the game. Video contact centers have been rolled out in Spain, Portugal and Italy, and Middle Eastern mobile operators are very interested in rolling out 3G and 4G networks, which gives a lot of weight to video contact center uptake. ” Kowarsky expects that the success of such early VCC adopters will foster large-scale VCC growth industrywide. “Our view is that the VCC will rise in commercial use initially through its implementations in the customer support operations of 3G mobile operators. These operations will raise the bar for the industry, and gradually, call centers without at least [one-way] video from the agent will be perceived as quaint. ” Sultan, however, isn’t quite so sure that VCCs will become that commonplace, pointing out that “I see you and you see me” interactions can feel downright awkward for many agents, as well as for callers. “There are several key reasons icmi’s insight why the industry hasn’t embraced video, the most prominent being how intrusive a channel it actually is. People are more conscious of their surroundings when answering a video call. Aesthetics, therefore, play a huge part in video telephony. ” Kowarsky does not downplay the impact that the visual element of video has on agents and the cus- “The customer wants to see the agent look into his eyes and smile. He does not want to see the agent looking down at the computer screen with a confused and frustrated expression. [Video-related softskills training] is bound to spawn a new revenue source for consultants, who already coach agents on how to project the right personality via the telephone. ” “Naysayers would assert that there is no value in video — it’s not practical, call centers will have to hire for appearance, design special lighting and so on. I don’t agree. The value of video is that it personalizes contact with a customer. It’s all about the smile. We relate much better to a person whose body language, and especially whose smile, we can see. We teach customer service reps to put a smile in their voice. With video, customers will get the real thing, see the real smile. The reps don’t need to be beautiful or handsome. They need to be nice, and nice people smile.” — Ari Sonesh, CEO and chairman of CosmoCom tomer experience. However, he doesn’t see it as an insurmountable hurdle that will hinder the growth of VCCs. “Video adds a new dimension to the agent’s job, and that job is already a complex and demanding one, ” Kowarsky acknowledges. ”Video emphasizes performancerelated skills. However, we should not forget that telephone-only contacts are an exception; most of our daily commercial contacts — the live personal ones at the grocery store, at the bank, etc. — are video as well as audio. So, while the territory is still relatively unexplored in the contact center, it is very familiar territory in human interaction. ” Kowarsky adds that agent comfort levels with and performance during video contacts can be easily enhanced with the delivery of video-specific coaching and training. FROM THE CUSTOMER’S VIEWPOINT Regardless of how comfortable with and well-trained on video interactions the agent is, real VCC success hinges on whether or not the customer is totally down for this new communication medium. Kowarsky understands that some callers may be a bit hesitant to try video, but feels that most callers will welcome the more humanistic connection. “Do customers really want video? Many customers who do not want themselves to be seen, would still like to see the agent. We strongly believe that most customers, most of the time, will want and will appreciate the added dimension of human contact that video brings. ” Maybe not most customers and maybe not most of time, says Sultan, but she agrees that there is | JANUARY 2008 www.icmi.com 20 http://www.icmi.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ICMI's Customer Management Insight - January 2008

ICMI's Customer Management Insight - January 2008 Contents Customer Care Technologies Ad Index Editor's Page Contact Center Spotlight People: Prehire Tests In The Center Strategy: Video Contact Centers Show Preview Operations: Knowledge Management Industry Research Contact Centers Face Today's Realities: A Case for Consolidation 2.0 Is Your Agent Training Process Evolving with the Role? The Key to Innovation Is Maintaining Your Strengths Becoming Strategic: Using Customer Contact Analytics to Empower the Contact Center's Role

ICMI's Customer Management Insight - January 2008

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