Apple released its first iPhone in 2007 and by 2014 there were more mobile devices on earth than were people. This paradigm shift toward mobile device technology has elevated the importance and utility of location-based services (LBS) for the contact center industry. Trust is paramount for building customer loyalty and providing agents with the tools needed to work smarter not harder is a goal for any contact center.
In this blog post, we examine how LBS can help improve agent productivity and enhance customer confidence.
How do contact centers use LBS?
LBS enable contact centers to utilize automated location determination to efficiently route and prioritize call, chat and SMS engagements based on the geographic location of callers. This service provides access to multiple location methods ranging from cell tower location for call routing, precise assisted GPS for service assistance and IP insights for web localization and analytics.
How does LBS improve agent productivity?
Contact centers use LBS to help streamline a number of vital processes for agents so they can focus on providing exceptional customer service. Automating location determination can reduce average handle time, minimize human error, streamline proximity or store locator services and it facilitates location-based call routing.
With automated location determination, agents are no longer required to ask for the location of callers so call times are instantly shorter and dispatches to the wrong location are nearly eliminated. Additionally, agents can better assign and prioritize calls during emergency or high-volume situations because geographic location can be used as a qualifier. The contextual location data available to contact centers can also be used for audits, compliance and more. Overall, LBS allows agents to service calls more quickly, it delivers contextual insights that have proven to increase customer satisfaction and it can help improve contact center experiences.
How can LBS enhance customer confidence?
Approximately 72 percent of customers expect agents to know their contact information and service history without being asked. Also, many customers who call a company have already tried to resolve the issue themselves so they expect effective communication and a quick resolution. With this context, contact centers already face an uphill battle before a caller dials their number.
Efficiency and reliability are keys for contact centers to get customers to trust their products and services. Automated location determination meets both of these requirements and it enables agents to focus on delivering a personal experience to customer queries and complaints.
From a caller’s perspective, automated location insights eliminate several of the most common irritants before they even speak with an agent. For example, callers are quickly connected with an agent at the nearest contact center office, the agent knows where they are located and there is a high likelihood that their service history is already visible to the agent. These elements of the customer experience are fast and the potential for error is minimized because the human element is gone. Furthermore, LBS deployed by contact centers allows agents to easily execute follow-up procedures to report status updates, ETAs and more. These are critical for service assistance and roadside assistance use cases.
Another beneficial aspect is the flexibility of LBS because the technology can be integrated into all engagement methods so customers can choose how they prefer to engage with agents. LBS is available for voice, email, social media, chat, text messaging services and more.