When contact centers purchase new software, they hope it’ll be the answer to their problems.
But new tools don’t offer a solution straight out of the box. They must be properly integrated into your tech stack and optimized to work the way your agents do.
When contact centers don’t implement new tools effectively, agents don’t use them. And leaders don’t see the benefits of their investment.
This is how to get the most out of new contact center software—and ensure your agents adopt it.
Choosing the right software matters just as much as its implementation.
While a comprehensive adoption plan is important, the first step to select software that works with your contact center’s model—in order to prevent it from sitting on the shelf later.
1. Choose simplicity.
You don’t want to completely re-educate your agents every time you get new software. Purchasing software that’s intuitive and easy to use reduces the obstacles to adoption and keeps your agents happy.
When considering new tools, prioritize a better user experience. Does the software’s interface look similar to other tools your agents have encountered? How much training would agents need?
2. Invest in easier integration.
Any new tool requires an integration process. But if you can make this process easier, it saves you time and effort—and makes it more likely that your new purchase will be utilized to its maximum potential.
Eliminate software that doesn’t mix well with your tech stack or requires agents to open a new application or window. You want to avoid a trial-and-error-style integration process.
3. Upgrade later on.
Every software vendor is interested in selling you the version of their tool that boasts the most functions and features. But a good question to ask is: do you really need it?
The more bells and whistles a tool has, the more work it takes to adopt. So if your contact center will see strong improvement with the simpler version, start there and make a plan to upgrade later on.
4. Ease internal implementation.
Contact center IT teams are already overburdened. Take the time to find software vendors who will implement new software for you, freeing up your IT team’s time and reducing the internal effort required to get a new tool up and running.
“We know that so many digital transformations fail. One of the biggest fears C-level executives have is shelfware, or how much software that ends up sitting on the shelf, unused. When organizations consider new software, they need to fully prepare for its adoption.”
—Adam Saad, CEO of Tech Stack Advising
Focus on your adoption plan.
It’s no secret that adopting new technology can burn out your agents. So It can be difficult to persuade them why a new tool is worth the effort.
Develop a comprehensive plan that addresses the agent’s perspective so you see better adoption and maximize your investment.
1. Explain why you’re implementing new technology.
If you help agents understand the gaps in your current process and how new software tackles them, they’ll see those benefits during their everyday responsibilities.
Helping agents recognize how new tools can make their jobs easier is a key strategy that gets you closer to a 100% adoption rate.
2. Establish a training process.
Don’t leave your agents to figure out new software with a presentation. They need to work with the tool to learn how to use it properly.
Introduce the new tool with a training process that instructs agents without overloading them with information.
3. Expect questions and concerns.
Create a helpful guide that addresses FAQs you expect agents to have. And give agents the opportunity to express their thoughts, questions, and concerns, so they can get a clearer picture of the new tool and how to use it best.
Stop new software from turning into shelfware.
When you put extra time and thought into selecting and implementing new technology, you get the most out of your investment.
