Customer Engagement Centers are a new and better way to improve the experience of your consumers

Throughout the years we have been blogging, we have talked about the advances that have taken place in technology and in the ways of conceiving the way in which companies contact their customers. From the evolution of the call center into multichannel options, to innovations in artificial intelligence. Today, what was once simply a call center to handle requests and inquiries has evolved into something much more complex and valuable to companies: the Customer Engagement Center (CEC), possibly translated as a customer interaction center.

In this new era, customer service, technical support, collections and even telemarketing areas are not only solving problems, but also creating meaningful connections with customers. Companies that have taken this step have experienced amazing benefits, transforming their operations and considerably improving the customer experience. But what exactly is CEC and why should you consider it for your business? Here we will explore this evolution and show you how it can positively impact your operations.

What is a CEC and how is it different from a call center?

Before talking about the benefits of a Customer Engagement Center, it is important to understand what differentiates it from a traditional call center. The latter focuses on a single communication channel: telephone calls. Its main objective is to attend and resolve customer queries in real time. This has worked for years and its evolution has been contact centers, which in addition to calls, offer a multichannel experience through e-mail, instant messaging, video calls, among others. However, today, consumers interact with brands through these channels and others, such as social networks, reviews on the online store site, etc. This is the reason why contact centers have had to adapt and evolve towards CECs.

Like the omnichannel options before mentioned, a Customer Engagement Center is a model that integrates all channels into a single point of contact. That is, the customer can interact with the company through the medium of their choice, and the CEC ensures that all these interactions are connected, offering a seamless and unified experience. Moreover, while a traditional call center tends to be reactive (responding only when the customer contacts), a CEC allows it to be proactive, using data and advanced analytics to anticipate customer needs and generate additional value.

So, if a CEC is similar in actions to a multichannel contact center, what is really the difference? The answer lies in the word engagement, because, while before the indicators par excellence of a call center were the calls, now all interactions that the consumer has with the brand are valuable information that translates into actions and objectives. In Gartner’s words, “the orchestration of intelligent customer processes through a CEC application is based on a registration and case management process”.

The benefits of a CEC for companies

Now that we’ve explained what a Customer Engagement Center is, let’s talk about its benefits and how they can transform the way you manage your customer relationships.

1. Improved customer experience

One of the main benefits of a CEC is the improvement of the CX or customer experience. By offering multiple communication channels and ensuring a seamless and unified experience, customers feel more valued and satisfied. This increases customer loyalty and can also lead to more referrals and repeat sales. The ability to interact through the customer’s preferred channel (whether chat, social media, call or email) ensures that they always feel comfortable and heard.

2. Increased operational efficiency

With a Customer Engagement Center it is easier to manage all interactions in one place, allowing customer service agents to be more efficient. In addition, a CEC often has automation tools that help streamline repetitive processes, which means agents can focus on higher-value interactions.

3. Increased personalization and data analysis

A CEC also allows you to collect valuable data on customer behavior and preferences. By considering more channels of communication, a complete view of each customer can be obtained, making it easier to personalize the experience. This is especially useful for identifying patterns and trends, which in turn allows you to anticipate customer needs and proactively offer personalized solutions.

4. Customer loyalty

As we mentioned in another post in this blog, personalization and improved customer experience also translate into increased loyalty. When customers feel that a company cares about their needs and is willing to go the extra mile to provide them with good service, they are more likely to remain loyal to the brand. A Customer Engagement Center allows you to build stronger and longer lasting relationships, which can have a direct impact on the long-term growth and sustainability of your business

Integrating artificial intelligence into CECs

Another key factor that is transforming the customer experience in Customer Engagement Centers is artificial intelligence (AI). By integrating AI solutions into CECs, companies can significantly optimize customer service. AI can handle automated tasks, such as answering frequently asked questions or sorting through queries, allowing agents to focus on more complex problems. In addition, AI can analyze large volumes of data to identify patterns and predict future needs, helping companies become more proactive and personalized in their interactions with customers.

A study by marketing platform Uberall has shown that 80% of consumers have rated their experiences with chatbots as positive, demonstrating that it is increasingly relevant to use this tool to handle a large volume of simple queries and, should the customer need more complex assistance, AI directs the conversation to a live agent immediately and frictionlessly. This technology improves the customer experience, reduces costs and increases efficiency.

The mission to evolve customer service

The evolution from call center to Customer Engagement Center is a clear sign of how the world of customer service is changing. If your company is looking for an effective way to improve customer experience, increase operational efficiency and build stronger and longer lasting relationships with customers, a contact center with a CEC approach will be an important part of the future.

At CallFasst, for more than two decades, we have been clear that it is not only about solving customer problems, but also about anticipating their needs and, thanks to today’s technologies, offering them a personalized and seamless experience, regardless of the channel they use. Although we specialize in contact center services, our strategy is aimed at offering more and more communication channels to our clients’ customers and reinforcing our focus on new trends and technologies in customer service and support.