Contact centres are classified based on the size and magnitude of a company’s operations e.g. virtual contact centres typically operated by people working from home, medium sized and large contact centres that cater to several clients, and also have expanded operations such as handling domestic and international calls. Other classifications are based on mode of communication. In this age of the internet, agents not only make or receive telephone calls but use online platforms such as real-time chats on company websites, or email communication. Generally, there is a shift in the nature of contacts adopted by contact centres as a means of communicating with the public i.e. use of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter e.t.c. This trend can be seen with some of the big companies in Kenya with large customer base especially in telecommunication, banking and energy sectors. This is due to the increased number of people on social media platforms, making it necessary for communication. Despite the shift, the contact centre is still the preferred method of interaction for most complex customer interactions. A survey done by KPMG on top 10 customer interaction methods, revealed that 79% of the customers prefer phone conversation as a way to interact with contact centres.

Click here to read the full article.