Compliance with the principles of sustainability and social responsibility is one of the most relevant topics for any company now. Many corporations even set up special departments to work in this field. Any business has the potential to follow the principles of sustainability and social responsibility. For example, companies work with βgreenβ partners or participate in local social initiatives. The requirement to enter the international business market is providing positive non-financial reporting that signifies these principles. Thus, we identified call center providers’ primary ways to comply with sustainability and social responsibility rules.
What actions help contact center service providers remain social responsible
#1 Diversity in the workplace
Companies create multinational departments and teams, including representatives of different races, minorities, people with disabilities, etc. They strive to provide equal opportunities for everyone and support the desire for self-expression. This multinational approach also improves the living standard of people in developing countries such as Bangladesh and India.
A diverse workforce boosts the contact service experience, making it more personal. Verizon customer service company practices inclusion in hiring employees, claiming that this practice helps connect with customers. When the workforce is represented by individuals of different nationalities and language groups, you can provide clients with agents they are most comfortable communicating with. Thus, customers value such an individual approach and turn to the company repeatedly.
#2 Employee care
A business has to maintain a high involvement level of the agents in the work process. The constant turnover of staff leads to the increasing use of various types of resources and negatively affects the overall well-being of society, let alone the business itself. Companies use different ways to achieve the effect of employee involvement. One of them is gamification- the practice means involvement through the transformation of the work process into a game (e.g., the best employee of the month). The essence of the approach is to encourage and reward the employees by making their hard work more interesting.
Bloomfire develops a unique way of employee care by providing them with additional knowledge of dealing with challenging cases and customers. They propose to equip agents with a knowledge engagement platform where they can find all the information on raising issues. It boosts employee satisfaction with the job results and provides clients with timely and high-quality service.Β
#3 Social initiatives
Enterprises have already accumulated a variety of ways to improve the lives of humankind through joint efforts. Some visit vulnerable groups of the population, others organize free education for the elderly, build playgrounds or do charity work, etc. Like any other business, contact center service providers also keep up with social work and benefit humanity differently.
For example, VXI Global contact center service company, based in the Philippines, engages the employees in social initiatives by helping rebuild homes in Asia-Pacific regions after a natural disaster and organizing cleanings of teamsβ local communities. They support children in underprivileged communities by providing them with essential school supplies in the βDream in a Shoeboxβ project.
Contact center businesses and sustainability: top ways how they comply with principles
#1 Optimizing processes related to service implementation
The goal of contact center service providers is to ensure a fast time2market, as business customers usually need to launch a contact center in a short time. Companies pay attention to optimizing the following processes: recruitment (if necessary), software settings, and onboarding to keep everything in balance and meet customer requirements. Optimization allows them to use resources sustainably: spend less time and use less utility energy (including electricity, water, consumed by contact center staff during overtime, etc.). Thus, by improving its business and customer satisfaction by optimizing processes, the company also adheres to the basic principles of sustainable development.
Adtance company developed a Ticketing program that links customersβ requests to the particular agent right away so that the customer has a person to turn to for any questions. The program shortens the response time by sending the client the automated ticket via the channel they received the message. It states the contact person and gives the feeling that the specialists handle the problem.
#2 Fast and high-quality service to end customers
One of the main KPIs for providers and their business clients is the number of interactions and the average time spent to solve the problem. Everyone is trying to reduce this time and increase the number of interactions to help as many people as possible. The high level of results justifies the rational use of resources, and it is how contact center service providers comply with sustainability.
Some customers can help themselves and enjoy that process more than directly engaging with customer service. Help Scout provides customers with self-service by putting all the information on the page in front of them to find appropriate tips and fix the problem on their own. Self-service is a cost-effective way that optimizes the workflow and satisfies certain groups of clients. In case people can not help themselves with available knowledge, they can receive help from an actual agent right away.
#3 Using green software and hardware
Using sustainable software and hardware is the most vulnerable place for any company because to have the status of an eco-friendly business, you have to choose the software and devices used at work carefully. The companies usually select the quality devices by paying attention to the amount of energy used and pollution created in the environment. Therefore, the selection process is time-consuming, and eco-friendly appliances are pricey. Fortunately, contact center service providers have found the right way to get one step closer to compliance using the right software.
For example, WOW 24-7 tries to adapt to customer needs and uses convenient software for its business partners. As all partners strive for sustainable development, their collaboration with WOW 24-7 creates a coalition of companies moving in one direction.
Afterwords
Companies need to cultivate sustainable and socially responsible business practices. They help develop positive brand recognition, customer loyalty and increase the motivation of employees. A diverse workforce, employee care, and social initiatives assist the contact service providers in remaining socially responsible and standing out from the competition. At the same time, sustainable business practices optimize processes, save energy costs, and show the companyβs care for the environment.Β
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