Contact centers don't have the same obstacles they once faced; thanks to the huge tech disruption, there are endless options for call centers to implement to optimize their business model, agent productivity, revenue, and scalability. Take this checklist we're providing below and see what your business is missing, and what features it could benefit from. 
Product/service knowledge
Contact centers are more likely to hire agents with expertise in their area of business, regardless of the industry. An agent who is also a product expert is much more likely to be able to answer questions, troubleshoot issues, and bring in more business than someone without the product knowledge. Educated professionals bring an entirely new level of value to a product, and businesses are acknowledging this and hiring those industry experts. Grow a virtual team
Simply put, the product experts mentioned above don't necessarily have to be in the same location as the business itself. A popular trend we've seen a lot of in the past several years are agents working remote, from all over the globe. A huge benefit is being able to cover more ground, having agents available all hours of the day, and in various time zones. Virtual is the new 9-5!Training
Don't rely on basic tutorials and YouTube videos to get your agents trained to handle inbound and outbound phone calls. Investing in proper training with professionals is one of the best ways to modernize your business; spending ample time teaching your team about the software they're using, the industry they're working in, their target audience, the products they're selling, etc. Opt for more real-life examples and role playing in training, versus a ton of material your agents have to read. Acting out situations will get them to think quickly in the moment and will also show you what their individual strengths are. Software is key
If you do one of these suggestions, let software be the one you choose. You can have a great team of agents selling your product or taking inbound calls and offering stellar customer support. You can have an amazing business strategy with proper protocol, procedures and policies in place. However, without advanced call center software, particularly in a cloud-based model, you'll be operating in a less than modern and efficient way. When all communication channels are hosted from one location (voice, text, email, chat, social media, etc), mishaps are minimal and all team members are always available. You'll cut costs in maintenance, hardware, integrations, and much more. Cloud technology is just the beginning for contact centers!
