In a space as dynamic as the CX contact center outsourcing, progress is a never-ending journey. 2024 promises a year full of innovation, preceded by trends we can already see reshaping the industry in real time.
Customer expectations are evolving with the times, and if your company wants to keep up, there are a few developments to keep an eye out for in the year ahead. Let’s take a closer look at how you can expect the CX industry to evolve in the coming months.
3 Industry-Shaping Trends to Watch for in 2024
With a few professional insights, you’ll be better prepared to tackle new CX challenges and make smarter decisions for your business. From new varieties of call centers to game-changing advancements in artificial intelligence, here are a few of the most vital developments we expect to shape our industry.
1. Cloud Enabled “Rightshore” Contact Centers
Contact centers have long been a staple of outsourcing solutions, allowing businesses to focus on core competencies while customer assistance is handled by external CX experts. Companies find success with different location strategies, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.
However, while BPO contact centers aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, the developments — and constraints — of recent years have brought a new dimension to the concept.
Traditional Contact Center Options
Businesses have taken advantage of the versatile options available in outsourced contact centers for many, many years. Offshore partners have often provided the most efficient solution financially, routing around many of the economic obstacles of localized centers (though they can leave something to be desired for the experience of international customers).
Onshore partners — for a more significant financial investment — offer advantages in both proximity and time zones, and often report higher levels of customer satisfaction. Nearshore contact centers, meanwhile, offer a strategic balance of both options by outsourcing to a neighboring country.
For decades, these options were all there were. But when the global pandemic rendered countless business operations temporarily non-viable, virtually every industry was forced to adapt. In the wake of COVID, many businesses have come out stronger than ever by leveraging advancements in technology to create a hybrid environment which includes in-office, homeshore, nearshore, and offshore teams.
Homeshore: Virtual Contact Centers in the Post-Pandemic World
The Power of Virtual Work
Catalyzed by the events of the COVID-19 pandemic, the homeshore concept is here to stay. Without the need for physical office space, homeshore teams can offer a more financially sound alternative for the businesses they represent, all while providing the CX advantages of onshore partners.
Cloud-Based Contact Centers
Integral to the success of the homeshore revolution is the adoption of cloud-based storage, an innovation that already had its foot in the door years before the pandemic. By eliminating the challenges and expenses associated with host servers, cloud-powered contact centers provide a fully remote workforce with superior operational efficiency and a greater capacity to adapt to the changing demands of today’s customers.
Transforming the Industry for Superior CX
As the industry navigates this paradigm shift, homeshore outsourcing and cloud-based information technologies represent a beacon for the future — as well as untapped opportunities. This amalgamation of flexibility, efficiency, and superior quality offers a chance for businesses to embrace a smarter way of doing things. Over the course of 2024, we expect to see big things on the “homefront” of contact center CX.
2. RPA and AI-Driven CX Strategies
Robotic process automation, or RPA, is nothing new; industry leaders have been finding creative ways to streamline CX with smart technology for decades.
With the advent of machine learning, however, we’re now closer than ever to seeing a truly viable general-purpose artificial intelligence. Still, as far as we’ve come, AI is in no place to fully replace human workers.
As the CX industry continues to evolve, however, artificial intelligence is quickly showing its potential as a transformative force, reshaping the way businesses engage with their clientele. The advancements of the past year alone have launched AI to the forefront of innovation, casting a new light on the viability of AI-centric outsourcing strategies. The following are just a few of the latest tools at our disposal.
AI-Equipped Contact Centers
If the last ten years have shown us anything, it’s how little patience the average consumer has for the stiff, robotic voices that so often answer their phone calls when they’re expecting and hoping for another human being. Customers hate repeating themselves — and why not? Aren’t they paying for the quality of their support experience?
Still, putting a real human being on every phone line isn’t always realistic. After all, customers aren’t too fond of waiting either.
The good news is that artificial intelligence has taken remarkable strides in the last few years as a viable solution for overwhelming call volumes. With the rise of machine learning, modern virtual assistants are a far cry from the automated responses that still plague the average department store caller. Cutting-edge contact centers can now leverage virtual assistants, chatbots, and predictive analytics that can learn and adapt to the needs of clientele, improving the customer experience in real time with each interaction.
Synthetic Customers
One of the most fascinating tools to emerge from the evolution of AI is the concept of the “synthetic customer.” These representations are AI-driven entities designed to simulate the paths and behaviors of real-life human customers, amalgamated through tangible data and machine learning algorithms.
With enough information, these representations can even be programmed to mimic distinct consumer personas. This creates a streamlined and (relatively) accurate means by which to test and analyze CX strategies without having to interfere with the current experience of actual customers.
Predictive Assistance
AI’s capacity for predictive analytics has already proven its worth for CX strategy. By analyzing historical data, AI can predict customer behaviors, which in turn allows outsourced support teams to more proactively address the needs of consumers.
For call centers — especially those with limited capacity — predictive analysis can help to streamline processes, reduce wait times, and ultimately improve overall customer satisfaction.
AI’s Limitations in Customer Experience
While artificial intelligence brings an indisputable wealth of potential to the table for CX operations, an awareness of its limitations is just as vital to our success. As “smart” as these algorithms are, even the most advanced language models still lack a nuanced understanding of human interaction and emotional intelligence.
The bottom line is that humans are still the key element of critical thinking, and it will be some time before AI can offer a suitable replacement for that.
Supplement, Not Substitute
The true potential of artificial intelligence lies in its ability to augment our abilities as human workers rather than replace us. With a collaborative approach, AI can act as a force multiplier, streamlining routine tasks and data analysis, which in turn allows human workers to do what they do best: provide the all-important human element for a better customer experience.
The Human Element
Empathy is a fundamental human trait that modern AI cannot yet replicate, and it remains a cornerstone of exceptional CX. Though AI can analyze sentiment and, at times, predict customer behaviors, it cannot replace the simple touch of a genuine emotional connection.
Businesses can use AI as a tool to prioritize human-centric experiences that make all the difference in customer-facing operations. As more and more AI-based strategies roll out, the path to success remains in embracing the collaborative potential of AI to elevate — not replace — the human touch.
3. BPO Contact Center Consulting
In a realm of business as dynamic as customer experience, staying ahead of the curve means investing in professional expertise and strategic insight. As technological advancements continue to open new doors, more and more companies are turning to outsourcing specialists to navigate the complexities of the industry.
As the new year brings new technologies and strategies, BPO contact center consulting is quickly forging its place as an industry staple.
Embracing Industry Shifts With Expertise
Though once a straightforward model for operational efficiency, outsourcing has since evolved into a non-negotiable for businesses looking to excel in CX. Traversing such a tumultuous landscape demands a high-level understanding of the latest trends and shifts in the industry, from cloud-based technology to AI integration.
Versatile Advantages of BPO Contact Center Consulting
By investing in BPO contact center consulting, businesses equip themselves with the means to connect with innovative partners and cutting-edge solutions. Staying abreast of the latest developments needn’t mean devoting your business’s limited hours to trial-and-error experimentation; instead, it should mean investing in a guide who already knows what works.
With a professional handle on the strengths, limitations, and regulatory nuances of evolving trends, you can make better-informed decisions for the success of your business.
AdviseCX: Your Team for BPO Contact Center Consulting
As modern technology continues to reshape the landscape of contact center outsourcing, outsourced consulting offers a starter means of navigation. At the forefront of this strategy is AdviseCX — an industry-leading team dedicated to connecting businesses like yours with the most qualified outsourcing partners.
With our exhaustive network of connections and a deep understanding of what makes the industry tick, AdviseCX is equipped to guide your business through these and any developments the coming year may bring.
Tailored Solutions
Years of experience have taught us just how unique businesses can be. AdviseCX can assess your specific needs to connect you with a personalized solution just as unique as you are. Skip the guesswork — we’ve already done the math.
Smooth Integration
A guided outsourced integration process is a successful one. When AdviseCX connects you with a partner, we provide all the guidance and insider knowledge you’ll need as you settle into your newly outsourced operations.
Navigate 2024’s CX Trends With Industry-Leading BPO Consulting
In the non-stop pace of today’s market, partnering with a BPO contact center consulting specialist is more than a strategic choice — it’s a necessity. With AdviseCX as your trusted partner, your team can embrace the advantages of the latest industry trends without fear, incorporating new technologies and strategies with the guidance of experts.
As the industry heads into another eventful year, 2024 promises a dynamic interplay of trends that redefine how businesses like yours connect with their audience. As customer expectations evolve, expert consultation can help you rise to the challenge, embracing new opportunities to elevate your CX strategies like never before.
Embrace the future with us — contact AdviseCX today.
