TCN’s Call Center Software Trends and Predictions for 2021

A year ago, who would’ve ever predicted 2020 would turn into what it is now. Toilet paper shortages and working from home were just the beginning. We should all be subject matter experts on Zoom or Google Meet video calls now, to say the least. On the plus side, you’ll be able to teach a coworker, friend, or family member how to install and run a Zoom meeting with your eyes closed.

There is a lot to talk about for 2021 when looking ahead and planning for the future. Call centers are moving to capitalize on the work from home craze, and the need for cloud call center software solutions as a total replacement or add as redundant backup is increasing — plus so much more.  

Regardless, to get everyone geared up for what will surely be an exciting year, we’ve put together a list of our call center software top trends and things to look out for in 2021. 

We’ve boiled it down into six categories: Drum roll please…its predictions time!  

Increased Need for an Integrated Infrastructure

In 2020, we saw a massive leap towards a more integrated contact center and infrastructure software model. In 2021, we will continue to see every aspect of contact center budgets shift towards an integrated call center software.

According to Algiz Technology, an integrated infrastructure will account for roughly 53% of the cost savings to organizations. By simplifying and reducing the contact center complexity, call centers can focus on bringing back simplicity, productivity, scale, and flexibility to changing business needs — resulting in a lower total cost of ownership and operating expenses. 

More and more software providers, like TCN, will continue to develop an integrated infrastructure platform that will meet the needs of the modern call center.

Growing Opportunity with Omnichannel Communications

As we all know, omnichannel will continue to grow, but one thing we can all still count on is voice communications. People predicted that ‘voice’ in the contact center would shrink, but that has not been the case at all. And yes, post-pandemic SMS, email, chat, and [insert your favorite video chat platform] will continue to evolve how agents and consumers interact in 2021. 

For example, Lululemon apparel is ahead of the curve. Earlier this year, they launched a virtual shopping experience with an educator over video. This is one example, but we expect businesses will continue to adopt different omnichannel strategies as they move to provide virtual customer experiences that feel personalized and face-to-face. 

Workforce Engagement for an At-Home Agent Experience

Day-to-day agent engagement and performance metrics are growing in demand; 2021 will be no different when it comes to training, managing productivity, and coaching. 

This continued flexibility in how managers and agents interact with each other will be top of mind for contact centers. With many office perks no longer available to at-home agents, employee appreciation, at-home performance reviews, and gamification will be heavily adopted. 

Call center agents need to feel they are valued.  

Compliance and Data Management

As a result of the election cycle and impending change in the White House, we expect to see additional regulations surrounding TCPA, CFPB, and FCC. 

We are already getting wind of several major telecom providers filing extensions of the STIR/SHAKEN implementation deadline, which is set for June 30, 2021. 

Come January, we can expect to see more consumer-friendly policies enter the House on Capitol Hill.

Get our free 2020 CFPB eBook to learn more about what to expect in 2021. 

Tighter Integrations and Automation Workflows

This month Salesforce announced the acquisition of Slack for 27.7 billion dollars. Crazy, right? 

Regardless if you agree or disagree with the recent announcement, this could mean good news for consumers and technology providers looking to integrate more directly with tech stacks within any organization. We expect that we will continue to see M&A activity as businesses and call center software providers move to control their integration points in the coming months.

Relating this to the cloud contact center software market, the benefits of a controlled and tighter customer experience could mean cost reductions and streamlined processes for call center agents and managers. By moving compliance and data management under one umbrella, you can start to see how the future of tighter integration and automated workflows will eliminate human or cumbersome errors.

Business Intelligence, Reporting, and Speech Analytics

Business intelligence (BI) and other reporting metrics, such as speech analytics and transcription, have become invaluable resources for many call centers. 

Summarizing a recent report, Salesforce estimated that 1.7MB of data was produced per second for each human being in the world. Think about texts, phone calls, emails, pictures, etc. — and that number is expected to grow substantially! 

To help comb through all that consumer data, more contact centers will need the help of artificial intelligence assistants, collaborative BI reports, and customer-focused data that help digest actionable insights.

All in all, whatever the year 2021 has in store for us, we will be ready to tackle it with improved software features and performance. Request a demo to learn how your contact center can stay ahead of the trend.