Market Research

Contact Centre Agents Struggle with Traditional Desktop tools to Handle Customer Queries, Survey Finds

eGain, the leading knowledge management platform for customer engagement automation, announced findings from a groundbreaking agent experience (AX) survey of US contact centres.

Conducted by BenchmarkPortal, the leading contact centre benchmarking organization, the online survey was fielded in May 2022 and findings compiled from 456 responses.

Unlike other surveys, the sample included only contact centre agents. Here are key findings:

Environment

  • 76% of respondents still work from home, a surprisingly high percentage, given the easing of Covid restrictions

Knowledge

  • 63% of respondents said that customer queries are getting more complex
  • 64% of respondents said they do not have tools to guide them through customer interactions
  • 49% struggle with multiple systems to find answers

Sentiment

  • Novice agents were stressed 31% more than tenured agents

“Contact centre agents, especially work-from-home reps, do not have the safety net of in-office colleagues for answers,” said Bruce Belfiore, CEO at BenchmarkPortal. “It is concerning that most contact centres do not have adequate guidance tools even as customer queries get more complex. However, we also see this as a real opportunity to elevate the agent experience with modern knowledge management.”

“The findings are not a surprise. As self-service automates routine customer queries, agents naturally get more complex questions,” said Ashu Roy, eGain CEO. “This complexity, combined with WFH and the need for compliance, has elevated knowledge to the boardroom.”

Survey findings: https://www.egain.com/resources/customer-engagement-research/

About BenchmarkPortal

BenchmarkPortal is a global leader in contact centre industry benchmarking, survey research, certification, training and consulting. The BenchmarkPortal team has gained international recognition for its innovative approach to best practices. BenchmarkPortal’s mission is to provide contact centre managers with the tools and information to optimize their customer experiences. For more information, visit www.benchmarkportal.com.

About eGain

Infused with AI, our knowledge-powered software automates digital-first experiences for enterprises and government agencies. Pre-connected with leading CRM & contact centre systems, the eGain platform delivers quick value and easy innovation with virtual assistance, customer self-service, and modern agent desktop tools.

Visit www.eGain.com for more info.