While 75 per cent of businesses make key decisions based on customer lifecycles, only 22 per cent of contact centres deliver any information in this area. Similarly, 77 per cent of businesses see the contact centre as revenue-generating, but only 22 per cent of contact centres actually measure revenue per call. If contact centres can close this gap then they will be able to play a significant role in defining overall business strategy.
Genesys research shows that there are still some steps that contact centre managers must take if they are to be truly recognised as business-critical. Many contact centres demonstrate their efficiency through first call resolution percentages, as well as their effectiveness through customer satisfaction figures. Both of these metrics are important to effectively run the contact centre, and will help it contribute to the bottom line effectiveness of the business. But contact centre managers must now move beyond these metrics to understand the metrics required by the business in order to make their department essential in the strategic direction of the organisations.
"Over the last few years contact centres throughout the UK have made significant strides in becoming a more recognised element of the business," commented Keith Pearce, EMEA Marketing Director for Genesys. "The customer service element of the contact centre has always been valuable for a business, but only recently have its revenue generating and bottom line enhancing benefits become truly recognised. Now, if contact centres can plug into strategic business decisions by delivering key information, they will become even more indispensible to the enterprise."