Information and communication technology as an enabler to contact centre service delivery: A case of a public sector

Abstract

Background: The contact center industry is one of the world’s fastest expanding, and it has become a vital basis for businesses communicating with clients, whether through information sharing (inbound) or telesales (outbound). The goal of a contact center is to handle existing and future client queries, product support, and regular transactions.

Objectives: The purpose of the article was to examine the effectiveness of ICT in improving service delivery at the public sector contact centre and to determine the non-technical and technical factors that influence the effectiveness of the contact centre service delivery.

Methods: This article adopted a quantitative approach, using a survey questionnaire to solicit data from respondents. Convenience sampling method was deemed fit to sample contact centre agents and team leaders and managers in the contact centre of the Department of Home Affairs. Quantitative data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).

Results: Both the literature review and the empirical results revealed that the role of effective technology in service delivery has a significant influence on the quality-of-service results. The findings support the notion that many service failures are caused by a lack of technology training for employees.

Conclusion and contribution: It is concluded that the use of technology in the contact centre has significantly altered how employees perform their roles and responsibilities.

Contribution: The study found that training on new technological systems can help with service delivery.