Why EdTech cos should invest in the right contact center solution

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” This quote by Benjamin Franklin can go just as apt for investment suggestions in EdTech in India.

A 2017 report by KPMG predicted that the EdTech industry in India would grow to $1.96 billion with 9.6 million users by 2021. However, the report could not foresee a pandemic that disrupted the education sector across the globe. Regular schools and colleges were closed due to lockdown. But adapting to the changed scenario, EdTech emerged as a powerful aid to help students continue their learning in an online schooling environment.

How Customer Service Can Help EdTech Platforms to Grow

The user base that most EdTech players in India have penetrated till now is just the tip of the iceberg. Fast internet connectivity and smartphone penetration in the other regions have already paved the path for EdTech to grow.

The high potential of growth in EdTech brings in immense competition and hence brands will have to work towards developing an integrated system that helps in resolving and handling all customer queries and also generating new leads by developing a positive image in the market.

Contact center solutions have played a crucial role in the seamless transition of offline schooling into online schooling. With the help of the communication systems and customer care solutions internal and external communication necessities of schools, institutes or colleges have been met with a quick turnaround time in line with the EdTech platform. The communication systems easily integrate with the third-party software or database i.e., EdTech platforms, installed at any particular educational hub.

Digital Sales Focus

There are many EdTech startups in India, out of which eight already have positive EBITDA. Driving acquisition in such a competitive environment needs your contact center solution should be nothing short of a digital sales solution. It means that you can capture leads from different channels, assign them to agents in an automated (but intelligent) manner to ensure minimum lead leakage and optimum conversions. These solutions include fulfillment of custom requirements (like field agent monitoring) and focusing directly on improving connectivity and contextual engagement with the users to guide conversion.

Even in a cohesive strategy, one can choose different solutions for outbound and inbound requirements. For outbound calling, products like predictive dialer and Truecaller business identification increase connectivity for your telemarketing campaigns, while smart IVR and Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) can improve conversion for your inbound calls. Decision-makers and managers can track all interactions in real-time on a data-rich platform to know what’s working and what needs improvement.

Omnichannel Compatibility

Half of India’s population is below the age of 25, and 41% is below 18. Moreover, there is a growing interest among working professionals to take online courses. The challenge is that it’s a massive user base to connect with and with an enormous difference between their preference of channels. Many users are already well accustomed to traditional engagement channels like phone calls, email, and webchat. At the same time, there are several other emerging channels like social media, WhatsApp, and Google Business Messages. With the help of contact center solutions, users can switch between the channels at their will.

By offering more channel choices for the users, contact center service providers expand the growth potential of the EdTech platforms. Moreover, to deliver impressive customer engagement, where platforms can maintain a unified recording of interactions, using omnichannel solutions are a great way. It saves time for the user and agents, helping the Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Rate to skyrocket.

Video Call Centers

With the contact center service, even in a remote environment where physical meetings are reduced, video-based solutions can be harnesses as alternatives that help in building trust among the customers. Video call centers and video personal discussions are other channels that you can utilize to get an edge over others. In the current scenario where parents are concerned about their children’s education, using video-based engagement will help address their concerns better and build more trust.

Automation

Most EdTech startups have a B2C model to follow, which means there will be a large flow of customer queries. Hence, to reduce redundancy and save on manpower and resources, the contact center solutions provide automated mechanisms such as chatbots/voice bots which resolve all customer queries. The automated process coupled with the proper use of AI and ML helps in managing customer engagements in both inbound and outbound processes.

The bots have been developed with such precision that in several instances, customers are unable to discriminate between human and bot-based interactions. The bots are developed with artificial intelligence tools that can answer even the most complex problems. In a particular instance if the bot is unable to find a solution, then the call/chat is automatically transferred to the human resource by the system. Thereby ensuring that no calls are missed or left unattended and at the same time is answered to provide complete customer satisfaction.

As bots can handle almost any number of calls and chats across platforms, it enables to resolve the issues faster, allowing the human resources in contributing to operational enhancement. In short, one can utilize the agents efficiently and still boost the CSAT.

Customer behavior for EdTeches is unique in several ways. In some cases, the end-user might be a kid; the decision-maker for them is their parents. For other cases, the end-user and decision-maker could be the same (students in colleges). Such variations need your customer engagement strategy to be unique. While building a comprehensive contact center, several factors will bother you. However, if you can implement the points mentioned above, you will get most of your contact center set up ready in the proper manner.