People, Preparation, Partnership: 3 ways to bolster your contact center strategy in 2021

Credit union contact centers have had quite the year. As the front line for fielding and responding to member inquiries, contact centers play an outsized role in the member experience. This year, that experience has been upended by COVID-19, forcing contact centers to adapt quickly in order to ensure the safety of their agents and continuity of service for members. Now, as a second wave of COVID-19 descends upon the U.S., credit unions can look to the lessons learned in the early days of the pandemic to better prepare and respond to the challenges ahead.

Like most credit unions across the country, CO-OP has experienced massive spikes in call volume with our CO-OP Contact Center, as high as 75% to 100% over normal levels during the early months of the pandemic. While some of that can be attributed to the initial transition to “physically-distanced” banking, the fact that volumes remain high today indicates this may be a prolonged trend.

“Members have experienced so many changes in their daily lives the past nine months, from having virtual medical appointments to home-schooling their children, or ordering groceries online,” says Tammy Snyder, SVP, CO-OP Contact Center Services. “Some of these behaviors may change as the pandemic dies down, but many others may be permanent.”

 

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