Manhattan Associates connects the call centre to modern shopper expectations

Manhattan Associates, Inc. has announced key enhancements to its Omni-Channel Customer Service Solution. The solution provides call centre customer service representatives (CSRs) with a single application and single interface for servicing multi-brand, multi-currency, multi-country sales across channels.

For today's consumers, a great experience has no boundaries. If they see a product online anywhere in the world, they should be able to buy it, have it shipped and return it anywhere, anytime and with any currency. These consumers are pushing brands into new global markets, forcing the retail enterprise to expand its offerings, grow regionally and offer best-in-class customer service across channels. This new opportunity can provide infrastructure challenges for call centres and CSRs.

Typically, a single call centre supports one brand that operates across many countries, with each country requiring its own application. Or, a call centre supports many brands across many countries with varying currencies, requiring CSRs to navigate different screens and interfaces. In the omni-channel era, CSRs must deliver a quick, seamless and positive experience without the time drag of logging in and out of multiple customer service applications.

"One of the biggest opportunities for brands to grow right now is in global markets, especially through expansion of their e-commerce capabilities. However, while it's relatively easy to set up a digital presence in a new region, brands need a lot more than a site to be successful," said Nikki Baird, managing partner at Retail Systems Research. "Part of the value of a brand is in delivering a consistent customer experience, no matter where or how consumers choose to engage. Customer service and contact centre support have historically been overlooked as part of that consistent experience. The industry needs solutions that can address this gap."

Using Manhattan's Omni-Channel Customer Service application, enterprises are able to configure settings specific to a brand and country. This includes pricing, promotions, payment terms, currencies and shipping rules. Such granularity provides a powerful application that CSRs can leverage to switch between brands or geographies at the click of a button while effectively communicating with customers in just one call, reducing call time.

"Many enterprises see growing complexity associated with running a multi-brand, multi-channel, multi-region retail operation," said Brian Kinsella, vice president of product management at Manhattan Associates. "We recognise the challenges associated with these initiatives and are equipping our customers for success in an increasingly complicated marketplace."