Contact center companies without a good grasp of emerging tech trends and how they operate will find themselves in shambles if they don’t step up. To determine the best way to move forward and thrive in the industry, call center firms must be agile and responsive to the changing expectations of their customers.

It may be hard to keep track of the newest innovations, but these trends are living proof of how the world changes. In a highly connected world, these can impact how brands and the business process outsourcing (BPO) companies they’ve partnered with can deliver their services. It’s best to be prepared and stay on top of such a volatile industry.

As this year ends, we all have to be ready for what’s coming next. Here are five tech trends that can cause significant shifts in customer service as 2016 comes.

1. Personality detection

The operative concept here is big data, a term that loosely refers to the accumulation of information that allows machines to make sense of us, humans. Personality detection relies on algorithms that attempt to piece together clues about who a person is through web footprints: your Internet browsing history, subscriptions, and social media posts. For call centers, this can result either in a big disaster or a massive success. Brands must be wary of fully relying on this technology as they interact with customers.

 

2. Task automation

Transferring some call center tasks to software applications isn’t something new. Many BPO companies automate some of their processes to make transactions faster and smoother both for agents and customers. These applications allow contact center companies to have better interactions with customers by remembering previous conversations and boosting agents’ productivity.

 

3. Bugs and glitches

As more and more devices are being produced, expect to experience more glitches and encounter several bugs. These are understandable drawbacks of technology, which call for better systems monitoring and stronger IT solutions. Although some of these may be difficult to predict, having a mitigation system in place will minimize any damage.

 

4. Apps within apps

Facebook recently tied up with Uber to make it easier for users to order a ride or share one with their friends. It seems that we’re going to see more of this type of partnership in the coming year. Apps that connect customers to other apps eliminate the hassle of switching back and forth between applications, which undeniably slows us down. Brands and call center companies can apply this trend by creating in-app shortcuts as to how customers can reach them.

 

5. Information explosion

Earlier, we talked about big data and how it, if carefully planned, can help brands understand their market and deliver personalized products and services for them. The scariest risk in dealing with huge chunks of data, however, is information explosion. Data extraction can be costly and time-consuming and it’s only worth it if you have the means to fully maximize its power. If not, you’ll be left with volumes and volumes of data you won’t be able to use to enhance your relationship with customers.