Back in November, we published the first installment of a three-part blog series on the Microsoft Digital Contact Center Platform (DCCP). In that initial blog, we covered in detail the technologies that give the DCCP its punch:

• Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement
• Power Platform
• Azure
• Nuance
• Teams

We also did a deep dive into the DCCP’s omnichannel functionality, the first of its five key capabilities. In February’s second installment, we explored two more of its critical capabilities: self-service and intelligent routing. Today, we’ll conclude this DCCP blog series with an exploration of case management and resolution along with data processes and analytics.

Capability #4: Case management and resolution

Are you familiar with the idea of intelligent case swarming? Let’s explore it together because it serves as the foundation of the cutting-edge case management and resolution capabilities of the DCCP.

The traditional service model is tier based. Incoming customer calls are initially handled by tier 1 resources who are capable of resolving many of the most basic requests (think: address changes, status updates and comparably simple industry-specific call types). In many call centers, more complex requests result in a soft transfer to a tier 2 resource, a more experienced and knowledgeable agent. Escalations – based on either case complexity or customer demand to “speak with a manager” – are handed off to tier 3 resources, often the front-line supervisor or team manager.

This tier-based approach worked for many decades, but in our world of advanced technology and ever-increasing customer expectations for instant high-quality service, the model has become outdated and non-viable. In its place: intelligent case swarming, which efficiently routes work directly to the right resources based on case complexity, and when agents do need help solving resolving a case, makes it easy for them to collaborate with experts in real time. In other words, no more transfers. The agent taking the incoming call owns it all the way through, simply bringing in support as needed.

Microsoft’s answer to intelligent case swarming is Context IQ, a set of capabilities for Dynamics 365 that integrate collaboration into the flow of work, surfacing the right information, people and insights in the moment, in context with the task at hand. Agents can leverage Teams to collaborate with stakeholders directly from within Dynamics 365 and link those chat sessions to Dynamics 365 records – like Sales Opportunities and Service Cases – for convenient access for all participants.

Additionally, on a case-by-case basis, Context IQ proactively identifies colleagues with the required knowledge and experience to offer assistance, leading to faster case resolution. Agents can see who is available and start a Teams chat without switching apps, keeping them focused on the task at hand while collaborating with experts matched on relevant skillset.

Other ways the DCCP improves case management and resolution were mentioned in the previous installments of this blog series. They include:

• Providing agents with a 360-degree view of the customer and their journey. Agents can manage customer requests seamlessly from any channel, even while handling multiple sessions at the same time.
• Empowering agents with personalized conversational intelligence, including sentiment analysis, to truly understand customer emotions and needs. Next-best response recommendations help create valuable upsell and cross-sell opportunities.
• Assisting agents in identifying the resolution with AI-recommended knowledge articles.

The DCCP brings your contact center’s case resolution capabilities into the future of customer service delivery.

Capability #5: Data processes and analytics

It is often said that regardless of industry, a direct correlation exists between a business’ overall success and the breadth of insights it can pull from its own datasets. Stated another way, if you don’t view your data as an asset – and manage it as you do your other assets – you likely don’t have the necessary infrastructure to efficiently access it, analyze it in real time, draw conclusions from it and make insight-driven decisions based on it. You simply can’t maintain a competitive advantage in your industry unless you’re treating data as an asset. Yes, it’s that important.

As is so often the case, Microsoft’s Business Applications technology stack has you covered. For instance, to streamline service delivery and increase customer satisfaction, the DCCP leverages AI and deep analytics to anticipate customer requests, predict intent and provide rapid resolutions. Moreover, customer experiences are protected with integrated biometric identification, authentication and fraud prevention to build and maintain brand trust. The platform empowers you to:

• Identify trends with AI-generated insights on cases, agents, topics and sentiment​
• View individual agent performance compared to overall group KPIs​
• Better understand agent behavior with knowledge-search-related data​
• Gain real-time and actionable optics into how agents and support topics are affecting organizational KPIs

Simply put, the DCCP provides rich analytics to discover opportunities for service improvements​.

What’s Next?

Well, that does it for our 3-part series on the Microsoft Digital Contact Center Platform. To learn more, read our DCCP fact sheet, All-in-One Digital Contact Center Solution from Microsoft and HCLTech, or watch our webinar on demand, Meet Your Customers Where they Are – Everywhere – with Microsoft’s All-in-One Digital Contact Center Platform.