Now more than ever, consumers want the best of both worlds – technology and human interaction. Both human interaction and technology are vital in driving callbacks and dollars collected for call centers and collection agencies.
But with new technologies being introduced and consumer needs constantly changing, it can be hard to find the right balance between agent-assisted and self-service channels.
Agent-Assisted
There’s no denying the importance of human interaction in call centers and collection agencies. From day one, agents have been there to help consumers answer any questions they may have. Whether it be about their payment options or the effect their debt can have on them, some things are better voiced coming from an actual human on the other end of the line than from an automated machine. A little empathy goes a long way.
As the business world becomes more competitive, what many businesses forget to keep in mind is that there is a human behind every call, and humans are emotional beings. In order to drive collections and inbound calls, each interaction a consumer has with a collection agency or call center must evoke positive emotions – emotions and interactions they may not receive from self-service channels and AI.
Self-Service
Consumers are becoming increasingly independent, and expecting that businesses follow suit.
Younger generations who grew up in a digitally-connected world want to have independence, convenience, and options available at their fingertips. The days of intrusive calls are coming to an end as more consumers want to be able to make call back decisions on their own terms.
Within the next two years, it’s predicted that consumers will manage 85% of the relationship between themselves and businesses without ever having to interact with a human. Even though a large percentage of the transactional relationship will take place digitally, that doesn’t diminish the importance of balancing agent-assisted and self-service channels.
Regardless of the arguments you see for and against the two channels, one thing that’s never going to change is the need to leverage both, rather than pitting them against one another. Combining human interaction with the latest technology is what’s going to help you deliver the quality of service that consumers expect, and drive your business towards success.
DirectDrop Voicemail is a technology that can help you give consumers the best of both worlds. To learn more about our technology, reach out to us here.