Text Messaging for Contact Centers and Call Centers: The New Frontier

By Dean Garfinkel, President

If you haven’t heard about it already, you will soon.

It’s the next big thing in the world of contact centers and when it comes to customer service today, it’s really the only thing standing between ‘good’ and ‘great’.

It’s called conversational text messaging built for the contact center; and fortunately for you, we’ve already outlined everything you need to know.

“Text messaging for contact centers and call centers makes it possible:
you can meet business objectives [increased volume],
while also catering to customer needs [of immediacy].”

The Business Case: Texting Tools for Call Centers

The immediacy of today’s digital age has changed how we do business – and more importantly, how as customers, we want to do business. It has created an ‘instant economy’ where customers want instant gratification, instant results and – no surprise – instant communication.

For these reasons and more, contact centers are now turning to texting tools to help navigate the ever-changing landscape of ‘how we do business’.

“Text messaging brings speed and convenience to
both the customer and the contact center.”

When thinking of text messaging for contact centers and call centers, consider this:

The average customer service email response time is seven hours. And while the average hold time for a phone call to customer service is better (about 90 seconds), it can still feel like an eternity. – Especially to a disgruntled or impatient customer.

That’s why texting tools are preferred by customers. And Unlike chat, text messaging does not require a computer, desk or internet. Customers are free to go about their lives – and are no longer chained to their computer or mobile device.

Texting tools are also better for business; essentially reducing your inbound FTEs with the same oversight and compliance as a phone call. Agents can close a sale, open a customer ticket, and chat with multiple customers at once – all over text.

So, what’s the catch? Well, like most things in business, picking the right partner is key. If not implemented correctly, texting tools for call centers could mean a lot of unnecessary time, money and frustration.

That’s why customers love Quality Voice & Data’s (QVD) approach to text messaging for contact centers and call centers. QVD offers a flexible platform for MMS/SMS text messaging that is easy to integrate without any disruption to your business.

Why Quality Voice & Data?

As an industry leader with over 30 years of experience in technology, telecom and business process management, QVD is uniquely positioned among providers who offer text messaging for contact centers and call centers.

Here’s what sets QVD apart from the competition:

• QVD integrates with just about any dialer, CRM or legacy platform, and can text enable any number – including your current 8XX and local numbers.
• There is no impact or change required for voice services or telecom providers, and no porting is necessary.
• And since there are no software installs or configurations, implementation is simple and quick. The service can be turned on in less than a day – and in most cases under 30 minutes.

The QVD platform also offers a flexible approach to text messaging for contact centers and call centers.

Customers can either text enable their existing call center phone number, or each agent’s individual phone number, depending on use case and what’s best for the business.

Text enabling your call center phone number allows you to interact with your customers real-time over text, without changing your phone number. QVD offers call center clients a TextDesk™ application as well as an API Solution.

• TextDesk is our web-based application that enables SMS agents to handle multiple conversations at the same time, while also enjoying the same benefit/features as a chat application.
• Our API Solution is easy to use and seamlessly integrates into your exiting dialer or CRM. Users can send perfectly formatted text messages – or pull a variety of key data points – all with one click of a button.

For Agents who own their Work Flow;

Texting tools are also better for business by allowing you to easily add the text feature to each agent’s current DID; enabling them to send texts using their email account. Our customers love how easy it is: no downloads or software installs; and no changes to your process, phone numbers or email accounts.

In fact, you can even archive texts using your existing process because your text enabled number is already paired with your email account.

Want to Learn More About Texting Tools for Call Centers?

Call us at 1888 656-5111 or use this LINK to schedule a call with us and we can help get you started. Our Sales Engineers are industry experts, dedicated to finding the right solution for you. We take pride in translating creative, insightful recommendations into efficient, stress-free implementations.

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Dean Garfinkel is the President of Quality Voice & Data, Inc. Mr. Garfinkel is recognized across the teleservices industry as the leading expert on telecommunications, Do Not Call, and related compliance technologies. Mr. Garfinkel is currently serving on the National Board of Directors for the Professional Association for Customer Engagement. He may be reached at dean@qualityvoicedata.com