Omnichannel Dominates the Service Revolution: Q&A with Dimension Data

Customer demands have increased and channels have proliferated while the Internet of Things (IoT) has become a reality. Companies are standing face-to-face with a customer base that demands an intuitive and frictionless experience. As the pace of change accelerates, traditional approaches to revenue growth, cost reduction, and improved customer loyalty are no longer enough.

During the last decade contact centers have undergone a major transformation to address these evolving demands. For years the Dimension Data Contact Centre Benchmarking Report has provided the industry with a comprehensive global overview and perspective on the state of customer interactions and customer management in contact centers. The report highlights research conducted through a comprehensive survey of contact center professionals on the current state of their contact center, including usage of various channels and tools, key pain points, and plans that are most relevant to the future of the contact center.

I have invited Andrew McNair, Head of Solutions and Global Benchmarking for Dimension Data to join me for a question and answer session on the history of the industry-leading report and  key 2016 highlights.

Question: When did the Dimension Data Contact Center Benchmarking Report first start?

Andrew:   The report was first launched in 1997 by Merchants, Dimension Data’s subsidiary contact center specialist. Merchants has a 30-year history of customer management excellence.

Question: What can you tell us about the research methodology?

Andrew: The findings of the 2016 report are based on responses from 1,320 participants from 81 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, Australia, the Middle East and Africa, and the Americas. It covers 14 industry sectors.

We perform information analysis at eight different levels, as we consider results by region, industry sector, contact center size, provider type, service type, contact type, country, and history.  The 2016 benchmarking questionnaire comprised 82 questions that considered all aspects of multichannel CX contact management. Data was collected from September to November 2015.

Question:  Last year’s provocative report tagline was “Engagement models – go digital or die.” Has this trend continued in the 2016 report?

Andrew:  Yes, the digital revolution continues. Today, digital interactions account for over 42% of all interactions and are on track to overtake voice interactions by end of the year.

Question: What is the top trend for 2016?

Andrew: Connected omnichannel journeys is the #1 industry trend in 2016. Organizations are becoming more mature around digital and multichannel. The focus is now on omnichannel and better designed, connected customer journeys. This is all the more important as the majority of organizations will be supporting up to nine channels by end of year, and ease of resolution is the key success indicator.

For now, capability is lacking, particularly so when reviewing the cross-channel experience.  Currently 17% of organizations can locate problem hotspots and only 35% can track a customer journey that spans multiple channels.

Question: Which trend do you see having the biggest impact in the future?

Andrew: The power of data analytics helping organizations deliver a more personalized customer experience is the top trend that will change the industry in next five years. That said, 79% of organizations still have no big picture view of interactions across their service channels.

Learn More Insights 

Have we piqued your interest? Would you like to hear more about the trends shaping the industry, and learn how to realize the potential Return on Investment (ROI) by making a move to an omnichannel engagement center?

Watch our on-demand webinar, The State of the Omnichannel Contact Center, led by Lisa Abbott, Senior Director of Product Marketing, Genesys, with guest speakers from Dimension Data, Mike Wells, Director of Consulting Services, and Michael Slip, General Manager, CX and Collaboration Business Unit.