Regardless of the industry, in the midst of a historical recession, all companies have come out to strengthen a fundamental area for these times: Customer Service.
Why? Because it is the last, but no less important, link in the User Experience (UX) chain.
Such strengthening is quickly supported by the main human resources consultancies, which report an increase in requests to occupy key positions in this area, whose structure is becoming increasingly complex, innovative and technological.
What motivates growth? "Given the current scenario, in which sales through e-commerce channels have grown exponentially, it is clearly seen that there has been a shift in the commercial strategies of companies and much of the focus - and success - is focused on attend to these queries, "Nicolás Rocha, regional manager of Bumeran Selecta, explains to iProUP.
Furthermore, companies are aware that user databases are "worth gold" and that valuable information is extracted from customers for decision-making. When that amount (of information) is very large, Big Data is used.
What is Big Data? It is the analysis of data at a massive level. The volume is so large that the procedures used to find repetitive patterns must be more sophisticated. Specialized software is required to process this material in order to obtain revenue in a timely manner.
"The most wanted profiles are professionals who use innovative tools, such as automation and machine learning. In this way, they can develop solutions to attend to consumer queries in a more efficient and innovative way," Federico Carrera, Managing Partner of High Flow, DNA Group.
According to María Laura Scarano, Bayton's Selection manager, what is most sought after is people who understand the quality standards of this type of position: "Before, they were basic positions, type call centers, sought without understanding the importance they have and even no previous experience. That now changed. "
"Instead, today, there are competencies at stake when choosing who should occupy these places, such as emotional intelligence, sociability, initiative, problem analysis and creative solutions," she adds to iProUP.
This look is ratified by the HSBC bank. "Most (83%) of those in Customer Service are professionals with a mix of studies in Economics, Engineering, Administration, Marketing, Communication, Psychology, Design and more. This training enriches the design of processes and facilitates the articulation of different variables ", reveals to iProUP Mariana Casey.
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The teams are multidisciplinary: social sciences, design, content, among the most wanted
Paula Cristi, Despegar general manager for Argentina and Uruguay, adds to iProUP: "There are the profiles of the UX team, which includes researchers, from fields such as the social sciences or industrial design, graphics, multimedia, among others."
"Also the talents of content, who study cultural habits, define the voice and tone of our relationship with the client; and the team of visual design and interaction, whose focus is to understand the problems of users to create solutions," he remarks.
As for IT support, searches are aimed at "developers who program in different environments, both backend, frontend and fullstack," Ariel Vázquez, head of the Bachelor of Human Resources at UADE, tells iProUP. "Also profiles that are dedicated to computer security as well as technical support, since they must cope with demand," he explains.
For his part, Ricardo Sarni, Marketing manager of Fanbag, assures iProUP that "professionals who join this area must be able to interpret data, trends and propose action plans with a comprehensive vision of the user experience."
In this sense, Sarni describes that "they are analytical and have some knowledge of data science or systems to manage the requirements towards the Development area. They are used to using agile methodologies to overcome obstacles together with the work team."
Gabriel Weinstein, partner and director of Innovation at the consulting firm Olivia, tells iProUP "these types of changes increase customer loyalty and motivate them to return to a particular brand when they need to buy again, because much of their decision-making process it is based on trust. "
Add technology
As consumers are increasingly omnichannel and digital, businesses face the challenge of having to provide a seamless and transparent experience.
"For this, companies must be able to offer a uniform quality service at all their contact points. Added to this are digital tools, such as interaction systems, CRMs, analytical solutions, call platforms and process management. in addition to artificial intelligence, all keys to the Customer Service areas, "Francisco Liguori, vice president of Marketing for SAP South Region, tells iProUP.
In effect, today the communication channels with users multiply: telephone, chatbots (powered by Artificial Intelligence), WhatsApp, apps, social networks, email. And they are all valid.
"Consumers have access to large amounts of information and can access it anytime, anywhere with a single click. They don't care about the medium, but what they are looking for is a resolution to their problems. Something that with the increase in e-commerce It is being tested, "says Miguel Terlizzi, president of HuCap, to iProUP.
Against this background, one of the most sought-after positions today by companies is that of Customer Service Manager. "He is the one who strategically designs the training plans for the User Experience Program", defines Carla Cantisani, Director of Services for Adecco Argentina & Uruguay.
And she details: "Their job is to supervise the implementation of changes or adjustments in the care models, identifying whether the procedures, care and referral protocols, as well as the support material are consistent with what was initially designed."
User experience is key and customer service is the last link in the chain
To account for how digitalization impacts customer service, Mara Fernández, Performance Director of Apex America, tells iProUP how they changed the implementation of automation processes.
"Our chatbot became a fundamental ally to satisfactorily and autonomously resolve more than 50% of the volume of queries that reached digital channels, helping our employees to focus on those more complex tasks that require human empathy", aim.
Damian Obremski, managing partner of Qstom, tells iProUP: "Customer service areas tend to have more than one level and the consumer has the possibility of gradually escalating their query."
"Thus, the initial one is the one who takes the query, analyzes it and follows the processes defined in order to solve what caused the contact. Today, that level is being replaced by intelligent virtual assistants, capable of receiving from different channels infinity of simultaneous queries and consistently answer each one, "he stresses.
It also highlights the importance of chatbots in the fintech ecosystem. Karina Guzmán, Head of Customer Service at the firm, confides to iProUP that this tool "can evacuate 95% of frequent queries and even conduct surveys." "Its added value is that it provides what every consumer is looking for: speed of attention. This is complemented by WhatsApp, the daily means of communication for consumers," she highlights.
Interaction continues
This is an increasingly cross-sectional area. For example, "there is permanent contact with the operations team, to facilitate a quick response to the client. What cannot be solved by the attention area in the first instance, it scales quickly. This mechanic guarantees efficiency and agility in resolution "Mariela Sandroni, CMO of Nubi, details iProUP.
Another case is that of La Caja, which with the arrival of Covid-19 had to go back to its collaborators in the area and also train those who were relocated to solve the growing demand they had on digital channels.
"Our staff is divided into two groups: people who serve only by telephone and others who do so through digital means. To bring the user quicker and more efficient responses, many employees who worked in the telephone area moved to digital , after virtual training ", entrusts to iProUP Roxana Dziob, manager of Contact Center of La Caja.
In this sense, it is a growth opportunity for these collaborators to migrate to the commercial area. "They are potentially good candidates to be part of that team. Especially in companies with services and products that require consultative sales," Martín Funes, Pointer's commercial operational chief, tells iProUP.
In what range are the salaries of the jobs in the sector? According to HuCap, the average salaries are as follows:
- Customer Services Manager: $ 230,000
- Head of Customer Service: $ 124,000
- Customer Services Supervisor: $ 87,000
- Help Desk: $ 52,000
- Call Center / Telemarketer operator: $ 45,000
"These profiles are the best gateway that a company can have. We are living in an era in which customer experience is the fundamental element to guarantee the growth of companies," iProUP highlights from Itaú.
And they conclude: "In this context, it is key to have people at the decision tables who have been in contact with customers, who know their needs, their wishes and what kind of problems they have."
