Business process optimization (BPO) is an emerging technology, primarily for contact centers, encompassing five key components: communications recording, quality monitoring, speech analytics, eLearning and workforce management. Its enterprise-wide impact on business processes, human resources and executive decisions differentiates contact centers using it from those that don't.

Here are eight reasons why your contact center needs BPO and its inherent value for your future growth.

1) As you grow, you will be faced with an increasing volume of communications, and BPO can help you differentiate and determine those of value.

Speech analytics provides automatic categorization of calls from an otherwise unmanageable number of conversations. It enables the selection of best- and worst-practice scenarios for agent improvement. Speech analytics can also be used to determine whether agents are following their script and, through emotion detection, whether they are communicating in a courteous and appropriate manner.

2) eLearning provides a continuous loop of learning for your agents.

In tandem with its quality management function, BPO uses an eLearning module to provide a customized evaluation of each agent’s strong and weak points, then delivers customized instruction directly to their desktops. As the agent learns, new weak points will manifest themselves, and the module provides new instruction based on a revised evaluation.

3) The latest features make quality management more effective than ever.

Standard quality management helps supervisors evaluate agent performance through selective recording and analysis of their conversations. New features help agents through real-time assistance; for example, agents can contact their supervisors during a call without the customer’s knowledge, and supervisors can respond by chat or can even take control of the agent’s computer.

4) BPO helps contact centers in transition.

Communications recording has evolved from preserving standard voice interactions to screen activities, web chat and much more. Organizations making a transition from TDM calls to Voice-over IP often need hybrid support, and this capability can now be provided with just one unit. Alternative modes such as trunk radio and mobile communications can be included as well.

5) Modular architecture and hosted solutions (Software as a Service) avoid the need to replace your existing infrastructure with expensive new hardware systems bound to become obsolete.

Sophisticated new capabilities are now available as hosted solutions, similar to getting water from a tap or electricity from a power outlet. Users pay for only what they need, when they need it. Modular architecture also lets clients preserve existing investments in infrastructure and lets them add on capabilities in a customized manner. Finally, many companies have achieved certifications with major PBX vendors ensuring seamless operation among various systems throughout the enterprise.

6) Data security has become an essential customer concern.

BPO systems encompass the recording of customer interactions with the most stringent data protection standards promulgated by the credit card industry (PCI-DSS). In addition to handling encrypted communications, they allow automatic muting to prevent the storage of CSV numbers.

7) BPO integrates with business process management to increase productivity.

Business process management can automatically evaluate skills based on quality management reports to match the right person for the right job. The enterprise-wide nature of BPO leads to increased efficiency, avoids duplication of tasks and helps corporate staff make decisions with more information at their disposal.

8) The global economy magnifies small advantages over the competition.

Making improvements at the margins has become more important than ever. Customers are beset by a plethora of choices for almost any need, and the difference between success and failure can hinge on minor items. For example, it’s crucial to understand customer reactions to a specific campaign in order to make adjustments as quickly as possible. BPO offers sophisticated evaluation capabilities including feedback modules to capture customers’ opinions.

As can be seen from the items above, standard communications recording and quality monitoring has evolved to an entirely new level. Many of its capabilities include, in effect, artificial intelligence designed to ensure the most accurate and precise evaluation of your entire operation. In addition, BPO provides the flexibility and scalability needed to meet your changing needs and even new technologies for years to come.

BPO creates a synergistic conversion of existing technologies and meets contact center needs in a customized manner based on current infrastructure, size of your company and many other parameters. In short, your contact center may need BPO to ensure the viability of your entire organization.