COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on many customer service models, forcing evolution and innovation to meet new, remote requirements. One trend we are seeing is that traditional call centers are shutting down onsite operations and moving to an omnichannel, virtual call center to empower these customer interactions.

Just how do you get started with a virtual call or contact center, and what are the steps to become fully operational? Check out the replay of our webinar where we dive into the steps needed to get there. Watch it here.

Meaningful work and call centers: Is that even a thing?

Terazo is a values-driven organization, meaning we guide all of our work and decisions by our six corporate values. My favorite, “Seek Meaningful Work,” has two contexts here – work that has a net positive impact on society, and work that is fulfilling, fueling growth for our staff.

In the face of COVID-19, we have had countless opportunities to put this value into action, especially in revolutionizing customer interactions through call centers in healthcare, finance, logistics, and services industries. We answer the call for companies that need to rapidly transform the customer service experience by providing omnichannel communication options, increased metrics, and automation of workflows to expand the impact of now-remote teams and customers.

Meaningful impact: A customer story

I recently splurged – after months of quarantine – on getting my nails done. The normal chat ensued with my technician: our names, where we live, and the inevitable “what do you do?” I used my trusty, easy to share fall back: IT consultant.

“OMG!” she exclaimed. “Let me tell you a COVID story about my IT issue!”

My new friend (let’s call her ‘Jen’) went on to explain that the salon had been closed without pay for more than two months, meaning she had no income to support her two children at home. Desperate for new ways to support her family, Jen used her precious savings, time and effort to become certified in Life and Annuities Planning. She completed all the coursework (while playing supermom and juggling her kids schooling online), finished the coursework and paid for the exam – only to discover that all local testing centers were shut down. Jen only had one other option: an online proctor. But it would take weeks to get an assigned date.

Finally, exam day arrived. Jen completed the extensive “IT checklist” the day before. Fifteen minutes before start time, she tried to log in, only to look on in horror as error after error popped onto her screen. Minutes flew by as Jen frantically reached out to everyone she could for help – the company’s global IT team, family, and friends. Finally, a friend was able to help her (it turned out she had to update the OS version on her computer) and she logged in, very late. The experience was glitchy, she felt panicked, and the proctor struggled as well. Despite the odds and the issues, Jen had just found out the morning I met her that she passed. She told me this with tears in her eyes, and I’ll admit… allergies got me a bit too in the moment. If she had not passed, she would have lost her investment, her efforts would be for naught, and she would have had to wait weeks to retest, at a significant fee that she couldn’t afford.

Bring meaningful change to your organization

The chill bump factor in this story? Terazo had just been brought on board that week to revolutionize the platform that she’d used to take the test. Our team was in the midst of creating a call center solution that was scalable to allow multiple test-takers simultaneously, to scale globally, and empower both the proctors and test-takers alike omnichannel experiences and a uniquely customizable platform made possible through Twilio.

At Terazo, we are grateful for the opportunities to engage in such work every day. Our call center solutions are fast and agile, and are implemented in as little as four to six weeks. It’s an amazing thing to imagine that in that timeframe, stories like Jen’s will be ancient history.

Call center transformations are just one of the many ways we’re helping our customers survive – and even thrive – in the face of a global pandemic. How can we help your company achieve a rapid revolution? Let’s chat.