Transactional vs knowledge-based call centers

Faith Ocampo Published on March 23, 2016

female-call-center-agents

In a fast-changing business landscape, all customer service providers must aim to become more knowledge-driven.

In a contact center, routine can establish consistency and help familiarize agents with the organization s standards and policies. However, too much of it can also be detrimental to an organization s growth.

smiling-female-call-center-agent

For instance, the repetitive nature of voice customer service may be one of the underlying causes of absenteeism and attrition. Employees forced to follow strict rules may feel that the company doesn t allow them to express their creativity. Thus, on a bigger scale, the entire call center remains stuck in its old ways and may find it hard to embrace the necessary changes.
This stagnancy separates routine-based, transactional call centers from knowledge-driven ones. Whereas the former is characterized by monotonous, sometimes robotic, practices, knowledge-driven companies encourage new ways of executing their functions. They use information wisely and deliberately to sustain organizational development. This principle then manifests in all aspects of customer service in the following ways.

1. Use of customer service metrics

In a transaction-focused environment, interactions with customers are evaluated according to metrics that are productivity- and compliance-oriented. On the other hand, a knowledge-driven contact center focuses more on the customer experience. Sure, they also refer to quantitative metrics, but they do so without losing sight of what matters to customers. This way, they ensure that the company continuously builds good relationships with customers without sacrificing productivity.

2. Call handling

Knowledge workers refrain from relying on scripts as they solve customer problems. While other call centers find scripts helpful in reducing errors, this practice can make the agent sound mechanical. As a better option, data-driven brands train agents to become good listeners. This way, they ll learn how to ask the right questions so they can identify the root causes of an issue and recommend solutions right away.

3. Quality monitoring

customer-service-team-supervised-by-call-center-manager

When it comes to recording calls and evaluating them, transactional companies only concern is compliance. As long as the agents are doing what they re supposed to, quality analysts usually don t probe deeper into the conversations. In contrast, knowledge-based contact centers are focused on improvement. They analyze whether agents were able to fulfill the needs of the customers while looking for possible ways to better enhance the customer experience.

4. Knowledge management

Every call center has a knowledge base that agents consult when responding to customers queries. However, transactional and knowledge-driven companies use them differently. In the former, agents use this resource to provide consistent answers. The latter, however, uses this tool to help collect information that would expand the company s knowledge bank.

If you want to transform your contact center into a more forward-thinking, innovative organization, you first need to identify the practices that are delaying your growth. It s important to start with small steps and gradually create a culture that encourages employees to be more resourceful and progress-oriented.

Faith is a digital media enthusiast aiming to become an active part of the tech world by sharing her insights. She likes to blog about everything digimarketing, technology, and social media.
Join us on facebook
Open Access BPO 2 days ago
๐—ข๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—”๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€ ๐—•๐—ฃ๐—ข ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—œ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜ƒ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—˜๐—ป๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ง๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—บ ๐——๐˜†๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐˜€

Open Access BPO Manila recently hosted ๐ˆ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ ๐๐ฅ๐š๐ฒ ๐‹๐š๐› on March 28th, bringing new experiences to its workforce.

This engaging session provided a hands-on experience designed to cultivate collaboration, creative problem-solving, and stronger communication skills among team members. By exploring the fundamentals of improvisation in a supportive environment, participants enhanced their adaptability and teamwork abilities โ€“ qualities crucial for effective partnerships and workplace harmony.

This initiative underscores Open Access BPO's commitment to fostering a dynamic and people-centric work culture, ultimately benefiting our partners through more cohesive and innovative service delivery.

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
Open Access BPO 3 days ago
Ready to elevate your brand? Open Access BPO empowers you to unlock new opportunities and achieve scalable growth.

From customer support to back-office solutions, we're your partner in expansion.

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
Open Access BPO 8 days ago
Call center managers are responsible for keeping operations running smoothly.
This means they also have to take note of the usual issues they need to keep at bay.

๐—›๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐Ÿฐ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฏ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜ ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—บ๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ #๐—–๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐—–๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐—บ๐˜‚๐˜€๐˜ ๐—ณ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ: https://buff.ly/CCAZeNL

---------
Our industry expertise and the skilled workforce enable us to create exceptional experiences for your customers.

Call us today and let's start building the best team for your brand:
https://buff.ly/zQqgKkw

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerSupport #CX #CSat
#CustomerSatisfaction #outsourcing
Open Access BPO 9 days ago
The Holy Week is a time to renew our faith and find peace in reflection.

If youโ€™re traveling to be with family or friends or venturing on a pilgrimage, do so with patience and caution.

Let's extend care not just to our loved ones but also to everyone we share the road with. May your journey be safe, and may this season bring you clarity and renewal.

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#OABPOholidays #HolyWeek
#MahalNaAraw #HolyWeek2025
Open Access BPO 9 days ago
Given the substantial complexities of staff and project management, it is understandable that numerous team leaders underachieve or fail upon assuming this role.

๐—™๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐˜‚๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ฐ๐˜‚๐—น๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฒ #๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ฝ๐—ฆ๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—น๐—น๐˜€ among your #CustomerService team leaders: https://buff.ly/9BhNb6G

โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”
Invest in your leaders, elevate your #CustomerSatisfaction.

For a #LeadershipDevelopment program that ensures high-quality #CustomerExperience and drives tangible business results: https://buff.ly/cAnQNot

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
Open Access BPO 9 days ago
Improving on your #CustomerExperience can be just as simple as #outsourcing to a #CallCenter.

But is it really worth it? How can an outsourced call center upgrade your CX strategy?

Learn all of that and more in our latest blog: https://buff.ly/lSMmCDo

โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”
Open Access BPO is your trusted partner to see your #CX strategy through.

Partner with us today: https://buff.ly/cAnQNot

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#OutsourcingCX #CallCenterCX
#CustomerExperienceOutsourcing
#BPOCustomerService