live chat for the e-commerce website Archives - Page 35 of 38

November 2, 2024

Strategies to improve first call resolution stats: II

1. Minimize call escalations:

In order to improve first call resolution, you need to analyze your call center communications to find out the most frequently escalated calls. Once you understand the issues that prompt these calls, take steps to minimize the escalations. These steps may include more training, larger number of self service options on the website, change in business operations. This would help increase the FCR stats as customers don’t have to call too often.

2. Make use of group chats:

Group chats enable all members of the help desk to add information about issues they might be having and they can post questions about issues they might not be familiar with. Some of the softwares that can be used for this purpose are Google Hangouts, Lotus Notes Same time and Skype. You can leverage these softwares to boost your first call resolution stats insanely.

3. Avoid miscommunication:

Miscommunication occurs when either the customers or the agents start assuming things. As a result, customers call again as they are not very sure how the matter will be resolved. This further results in a decrease of FCR stats. So, agents have to be very careful to avoid any chance of miscommunication. For an effective communication, customers must be made aware of all the aspects of the case so that there is no need for them to call again to confirm.

4. Offer incentives and rewards:

Offering incentives and rewards is an enticing method to improve the FCR stats. You can have a monthly award for the highest level of FCR and special incentives for the team if they achieve their targets. You can consider instituting incentive programs among employees who hit the requisite numbers. This incentive can be tied in with other perks and can be in the form of bonuses, promotions, recognition and more.

November 2, 2024

Strategies to improve first call resolution stats: I

In our previous post, we talked about the importance of FCR for call centers. You are now familiar with the numerous benefits that first call resolution can provide you once you start using it in your organization. Now, let’s look at the some of the effective strategies that can be employed to improve your first call resolution stats:

1. Leverage knowledge database:

In order to boost the FCR rate, knowledge database can be used as a powerful tool. Provide updated, highly informative and quality knowledge databases to your agents. Make sure that the articles in the database should be clear and concise, with good instructions on how to fix the issues. The knowledge database should be efficient enough so that the agents do not have to scroll through tons of unnecessary information.

2. Train your agents and provide them superior analytical tools:

Invest in training your front line agents in all the necessary elements related to your business operations. Properly trained agents can do little even if they do not have good customer service tools and resources at their disposal. To boost the FCR stats further, you can even consider investing in an efficient live chat solution that identifies where the other person is chatting from. You can deploy tools with superior analytics capabilities and knowledge resources that make updating your FAQs and knowledge base easy.

3. Monitor call quality:

Monitoring involves checking call quality, making sure the agents are not being rude and checking that the right processes were followed . In cases where the agents miss an easy FCR, a helpful email should be sent informing them of where they went wrong and what they can do next time. Meetings can be set up in those cases where the agent is making consistent mistakes and the FCR level is far below what it should be.

November 2, 2024

Importance of first call resolution

By now, you are familiar with first call resolution and elements it consists of. FCR is a highly efficient method of improving chat centers’ efficiency. It is a fact that large number of organizations have heard about first call resolution but only a handful of them truly understands its importance. the actual usage of the metric is surprisingly low. The possible reason is their nonchalance towards this powerful mechanism. Here are a few reasons to let you know why you should aim for first call resolution:

1. Increases agent efficiency:

The most common parameter for evaluating the agents’ performance is call duration. It is employed by most of the call centers but it is of no use as it only leads the agents to quickly get rid of customers. Emphasizing on resolving customer issues in the first call, will not only help organizations to determine the best performers and reward that behavior but also increase their efficiency.

2. Improves customer satisfaction:

Instant query resolution is directly proportional to customer satisfaction. Therefore, an increase in first call resolution correspondingly translates to an improvement in customer satisfaction. Resolving your customers’ concerns in the first call means efficiently availing the opportunity that they give you to display the quality of service that they expect from you.

3. Boosts customer revenues:

First call resolution is an effective way of making your customer open to upsell or cross sell activities. But if the issue is not resolved, customers will be frustrated and will be least interested to do further business.

4. Deflates operational costs:

FCR directly impacts the repeat calls. This leads to an increase in the operational efficiency which further reduces the operational costs. Moreover, it takes the pressure off call centers caused by call spikes. According to a research, a 15% increase in FCR results in a 57% reduction in repeat calls.

5. Helps gain customer loyalty:

Resolving customers issues and concerns in the first call makes customers feel that they are being acknowledged and valued by the organization, eliminating the thought of switching companies. This helps gain customer loyalty, improves customer retention and repeat businesses.

November 2, 2024

Your ultimate guide to first call resolution

First call resolution is a term related to CRM system. It means properly addressing the customer’s need the first time they call. This eliminates the need for the customer to follow up with a second call. The average time an agent spends on each call is known as talk time and is a common call center performance metric. Moreover, fast talk time averages are desirable. However, fast talk time averages accompanied by poor first call resolution rates are a sign that customer calls are not being answered satisfactorily.

Follow up calls are consistently monitored by the call center managers because in addition to being an indication of customer dissatisfaction, follow-up calls create an overall increased call volume. This further indicates the increased requirement of agents. In most cases, an increase in talk time is acceptable as long as the first call resolution rate increases along with the talk time.

According to a research conducted by CFI Group states that FCR has the most impact on customer satisfaction, and therefore, a customer’s loyalty and likelihood to recommend. It also states that across all industries, almost a fifth of all callers hung up due to dissatisfaction as their issues could not be resolved. Out of these dissatisfied callers, 68% are at risk of defection, 43% said they would definitely defect, and 25% weren’t sure. Also, it has been reported that for every 1% improvement in FCR, you get 1% improvement in customer satisfaction. Moreover, if a customer’s inquiry or problem were resolved in the first call, only 3% of those customers would be at risk of switching to a competitor.

Unresolved queries lead to dissatifaction — Unresolved queries lead to dissatisfaction

These days, some of the centers allow agents to determine if the customer’s issue was resolved on first contact while other centers use their QA (Quality Assurance) people to decide whether calls were resolved on first contact. However, this method is based on random sampling and doesn’t reflect a complete picture. On the other hand there are a number of centers that employ post-call surveys and directly ask the customer whether or not their issue was resolved on the first contact.

November 1, 2024

What is meant by net promoter score?

Net Promoter Score refers to a management tool that can be utilized to gauge the loyalty of a firm’s customer relationships. It serves as an alternative to traditional customer satisfaction research and is correlated with revenue growth. NPS measures the loyalty that exists between a service provider and a consumer. The provider is the entity that is asking the questions on the NPS survey and consumer is the customer, employee, or respondent to an NPS survey.

Working of net promoter score:

The Net Promoter Score is calculated based on responses to a single question: How likely is it that you would recommend our company/product/service to a friend or colleague? The scoring for this answer is most often based on a 0 to 10 scale. Moreover the consumers are also categorized according to the score with which they respond:

i) The ones who respond with a score of 9 to 10 are called Promoters, and are considered likely to exhibit value-creating behaviors, such as buying more, remaining customers for longer etc.

ii) Those who respond with a score of 0 to 6 are labeled Detractors, and they are believed to be less likely to exhibit the value-creating behaviors.

iii) Responses of 7 and 8 are labeled Passives, and their behavior falls in the middle of Promoters and Detractors.

The Net Promoter Score is calculated by subtracting the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters. For calculating a net promoter score, passives count towards the total number of respondents, thus decreasing the percentage of detractors and promoters and pushing the net score towards 0.

Companies are encouraged to follow the likelihood to recommend question with an open-ended request for elaboration, soliciting the reasons for a customer’s rating of that company or product. These reasons can further be provided to front-line employees and management teams for follow-up action. Moreover, additional questions can be included to assist with understanding the perception of various products, services, and lines of business.

Net Promoter System also requires a process called closing the loop. It is a process by which the provider actively makes efforts to convert a detractor into a promoter.

Proponents of the Net Promoter approach claim that the score can be used to motivate an organization to become more focused on improving products and services for consumers. A customer is able to leave comments in the surveys sent to them which allows a company to use the VOC (Voice of Customer) to ensure that company is meeting the expectations.

November 1, 2024

What is customer experience management?

Customer experience management refers to the collection of processes a company utilizes to track, oversee and organize every interaction between a customer and the organization throughout the customer lifecycle. CEM aims at optimizing customer experience through gaining the loyalty of the customers in a multi-channel environment. A company needs to create a strategy that encompasses all customer interactions in order to manage the customer experience.

Customer experience management

CEM depicts a business strategy designed to manage the customer experience. Moreover, it provides benefits to both retailers and customers. Customer experience management can be monitored through surveys, targeted studies, observational studies and other such methods of research.

CEM monitoring process

Customer experience management can be related to customer journey mapping. Journey mapping is a design tool used to track customers’ movements through different touchpoints with the business in question. It shows the track starting from the first encounters people may have with the brand continuing through all the different route people can take through the different channels or marketing. Other strategy involved in CEM is integrated marketing communications which involves sending a consistent message amongst platforms such as advertising, personal selling, public relations, direct marketing, and sales promotion.

Customer journey mapping

CEM holds great importance in terms of research. In order to leverage CEM, development into the conceptual and theoretical aspects are needed. The reason behind the interest in CEM increasing so significantly is that businesses are looking for competitive differentiation that makes them stand out of the crowd. Therefore, they inculcate CEM in order to be more profitable. That is why businesses want to offer a better experience to their customers and want to manage this process efficiently. Researches prove that in order to gain success as a business, customers need to be understood. Academic research along with recognizing past customer experiences can help manage future experiences.

Businesses utilizing CEM

November 1, 2024

Uses of automatic speech recognition system: II

1. Provide quick access to information:

Automatic speech recognition system is the best available technology if you have customers who need fast access to information. There are many circumstances when customers do not actually need or want to speak to a live operator. This happens when they have little time or they only require basic information. In such cases, speech recognition can be used to reduce waiting times and provide customers with the information they need. Using a speech recognition system, incoming customer calls are filtered according to requirements and those wanting basic information are automatically directed to the speech recognition system that quickly evaluates the nature of the enquiry through a series of prompts. However, there is an option to speak to a live operator at all times for the caller’s convenience. In addition to all this, the average call time is reduced significantly with the use of this amazing technology, hence, freeing up skilled agents for more complex calls.

2. Intelligent call steering:

Automatic speech recognition system provides an option of replacing complicated and often frustrating ‘push button’ IVR. This is done by leveraging the ‘intelligent call steering’ (ICS) which does not involve any button pushing. The system simply asks the customers about their requirements and then transfers them to the most suitable resources to handle their call. As an example, in some companies, callers dial a number and are greeted by the message “Welcome to ABC company, how can I help you?” The caller is then routed to the right agent within 20 to 30 seconds of the call being answered with misdirected calls reduced to as low as 3-5 per cent. Moreover, the system can more accurately assess the nature of the call and transfer it to the most appropriate department in the very first attempt. This further helps in reducing the call waiting time and exempting misdirected calls to a large extent.

November 1, 2024

Uses of automatic speech recognition system: I

By now, we are familiar with the automatic speech recognition technology. We have already discussed about its basics, working and benefits. Now, let’s take a look at its uses. Automatic call recognition can be used for the following purposes:

1. Handle high volumes of customer service enquiries:

Automatic speech recognition system is highly beneficial for businesses that have very high volumes of calls from repeat customers. It is useful in cases where calls occur in irregular peaks. The problem of high volumes of customer service queries can be solved by diverting the calls depending simply on their nature.

2. Identity authentication:

ASR technology proves to be highly useful where you need to authenticate someone’s identity on the phone without using personal data. Some advanced speech recognition systems provide an answer to this problem in the form of voice biometrics. The system allows you to create a voiceprint based on specific text such as ‘Name’ and ‘Account Number’. This information is then stored against the individual’s record, so that whenever they call again, they can simply say their name and if the voiceprint matches what they have stored, then the person is put straight through to a customer service representative. The benefit of this technique is that it takes less than 30 seconds and also bypasses the need for the individual to have to run through a series of tedious ID checks such as passwords, address details and more.

3. Put caller’s through the right department:

By applying speech recognition, you can allow callers to choose a ‘self-service’ route or alternatively ‘say’ what they want and be directed to the correct department or individual. This technique helps in in three ways:

i) It ascertains what the call is about

ii) It takes the customer through security checks or other parameters if required

iii) Lastly, it transfers the customer to the appropriate member of staff.

The details that the customer has already provided appear on the screen so that they do not have to repeat the information. In other words, it helps the customers to voice their needs in the most appropriate manner.

Directing the callers to the right department

November 1, 2024

All you need to know about automatic speech recognition

Automatic speech recognition, also known as speech recognition is the inter-disciplinary sub-field of computational linguistics that develops methodologies and technologies that enables the recognition and translation of spoken language into text by computers. This technology is known by various names such as computer speech recognition or speech to text (STT). Automatic speech recognition can further be defined as the independent, computer‐driven transcription of spoken language into readable text in real time. In other words, ASR is a technology that allows a computer to identify the words that a person speaks into a microphone or telephone and converts it to written text.

The ultimate goal of ASR research is to allow a computer to recognize all words that are intelligibly spoken by any person, with 100% accuracy, in real time. Moreover, this recognition is independent of vocabulary size, noise, speaker characteristics or accent. Commercially available ASR systems usually require only a short period of speaker training and may successfully capture continuous speech with a large vocabulary at normal pace with a very high accuracy.

The entire process that takes place in an automatic speech recognition is described below:

i) The process begins when a speaker actually speaks a sentence.

ii) The software then produces a speech wave form, which embodies the words of the sentence along with all the extraneous sounds and pauses in the spoken input.

iii) Next, the software converts the speech signal into a sequence of vectors which are measured throughout the duration of the speech signal.

v) Lastly, using a syntactic decoder it generates a valid sequence of representations.

Being an amazing and highly efficacious technology, automatic speech recognition offers various benefits. Some of those benefits include:

i) Accessibility for the deaf and hard of hearing

ii) Cost reduction through automation

iii) Searchable text capability

October 31, 2024

Benefits of automatic call distribution (ACD): II

1. Shorter response time:

One of the most important benefits of ACD is short response time. This call distribution system is highly capable of identifying VIP callers who have a reputation of high-ticket transactions. Since, the ACD system filters the calls on predefined criteria, these calls get answered more readily by the agents and in cases of non- availability of agents, VIP calls are placed first in the queue. In addition to all these benefits, a caller can also opt for a call back instead of waiting in the queue that further improves call handling.

2. Cost reduction and resource optimization:

In ACD, the call is transferred to the most appropriate agents such that the customer can get his query resolved without transferring him to other agents or departments. This reduces the time taken to answer a call and hence reduces cost-per-call of the call center. It enables the agents to use their expertise in solving the problems of a caller rather than indulging in activities that are outside their scope. ACD acquires usage data which enables the managers to assess KPIs and optimize resources more efficiently.

3. Enhanced customer contentment:

Callers hate it when their call is transferred to a number of agents with none of them having the solution to his/her problem. As a solution to this problem, ACD provides an option to receive an agent call back. This facility reduces their pain of waiting in the queue. For this purpose, pre-built messages are sent to callers with estimated wait times based on the length of the queue and agent availability. Moreover, automatic call distribution system aids in delivering highly responsive customer service that channels each contact to the right queue and agent resource and creates better business outcomes. This further leads to increased customer contentment.

October 31, 2024

Benefits of automatic call distribution (ACD): I

So far we have discussed about automatic call distribution system, its features and its integration with the IVR technology. Apart from its mind blowing features ACD offers a number of benefits that are extremely useful in increasing the efficacy of any organization. Let’s take a look at some of those benefits:

1. Deeper understanding of customers’ needs:

Automatic call distribution system is highly efficient. However, upon integration with CRM and other communication platforms such as social media and live chat, it allows the agents to have a smarter conversation with the customer by understanding their needs thoroughly. ACD enables the entire team to view all the past communications and history of the customer on a single interface which is easy to update. This further enables call conferencing and transferring to different departments with customer’s data on their tips.

Better understanding of customers' needs — Better understanding of customers’ needs

2. Impeccable call routing:

Automatic call distribution system follows an algorithmic approach that analyzes vital caller statistics such as caller ID, area code and IVR specifications to assign the call to the most appropriate agent. This enables the contact center agents to reduce the possibility of errors, call drops and call transfer to wrong agents. Thus ACD provides an impeccable call routing or skill specific routing which improves the efficiency of the entire system to a great extent.

3. Improved agent efficacy:

When ACD is employed, agents are directed to handle calls for which they are trained. Since they have expertise and the required subject knowledge to handle a customer this increases their confidence in dealing with a call and also improves their productivity. Moreover ACD provides them access to the caller’s information before answering the call, which results in a meaningful discussion. This further leads to customer satisfaction, strengthens customer relationships and increases loyalty to a large extent.

October 31, 2024

Capabilities of automatic call distribution system

Automatic call distribution refers to the process of routing incoming calls to the most suitable agent who can answer the caller’s need appropriately. Moreover, it comes pre-integrated with a Computer telephony integration technology and an IVR that provides the options of self-service and helps in reaching the appropriate department directly. ACD is a highly capable technology. Some of its capabilities include:

1. Skill-Based Routing :

Skill based routing means that incoming calls can be routed to the specific agent or department based on pre-determined criteria. In other words, the call is routed to an agent with appropriate skill-set and who can address the customer’s needs properly and efficaciously.

2. Quick responses to VIP Callers:

Some of the callers are regarded as high value callers based on pre-determined info. With the help of ACD, such callers are immediately routed to the most appropriate agent. In cases of non- availability of agents, they are placed first in the waiting queue.

Immediate responses to high value customers

3. Meaningful and valuable conversations with the customers:

CTI stands for computer telephony integration. Upon integration with CTI and skill-based routing, ACD allows agents to view the customer’s information such as past communications history, before they answer the call. This results in a very meaningful conversation with the customer.

4. Route calls to agents at different locations:

ACD has a provision for connecting agents at multiple locations. In other words, it can easily route calls to agents sitting at remote locations. Therefore, all the agents working in different geographies can function as a single team.

5. Call-back Feature:

With ACD, callers can opt for call back instead of waiting in a queue. Due to this facility, the callers do not have to wait and as soon as an agent is available, he calls back immediately.

6. Upgrade agent coaching processes:

Call center managers can go for call monitoring, whispering and call barging with the aid of automatic call distribution system. This can help in upgrading agents’ skills by leveraging the call monitoring facility.

Utilizing call monitoring to coach agents

October 31, 2024

ACD and its integration with IVR technology

As discussed earlier, IVR is a technology that allows users to obtain information from a phone system without the assistance of an operator. On the other hand, ACD technology automatically routes calls to phone agents based upon organizational rules.

ACD stands for automatic call distributor or automated call distribution system. It is a device or system that distributes incoming calls to a specific group of terminals or agents based on the customer’s selection, customer’s telephone number, selected incoming line to the system, or time of day the call was processed. In most cases it is a part of a computer telephony integration (CTI) system.

ACD system is meant for routing incoming calls which employs a routing strategy that determines how the calls are handled inside a system. This strategy is a rule-based set of instructions based on an algorithm that determines the best available employee or employees to respond to a given incoming call. Additional data are solicited and reviewed to find out the customers’ requirements and help make a match accordingly.

Integration of ACD and IVR technology:

After IVR and call distribution integration the system works as follows:

i) ACD system uses the DNIS (Dialed Number) to check the necessary rules for processing a call on the number as soon as it receives a call.

ii) Further an associated IVR program is invoked by the ACD.

iii) The IVR client process then invokes a server process on the application server and starts a two-way communication with the respective IVR Server.

iv) An IVR program controls the flow of the IVR script by prompting the caller and requesting key input or directing the caller to another ACD call routing path, extension, or voice mail.

v) The respective IVR program can perform customer information lookup, transaction processing or initiate outbound calls and prompt the called individual with the same messages and accept phone key input from this individual as well. Hence, the caller and called individual can be connected.

October 31, 2024

Incredible benefits of IVR technology: III

1.Faster problem resolution:

IVR system offers a faster problem resolution. When this efficacious system is employed, it routes the callers to the best employee to service their needs, questions are often answered and problems are resolved in the initial attempts. This further results in an improved customer support system and contented customers.

2. It reduces the cost of operator talk time:

IVR helps cut down on answering service talk time as well. Using front end IVR with your answering service means giving callers the opportunity to service their own needs or promptly transfer themselves to the right person which further leads to the reduction of the cost of operator talk time.

3. It exempts call transfers and saves time:

Since the callers are always directed to the most capable agent or most appropriate department, so the probability of instant problem resolution is high. Moreover, the agent who receives the call will be more qualified to answer the caller’s question and will be less likely to transfer the call to another agent. Hence, IVR systems prove to be real time saviors.

4. It improves the quality of customer service:

As a matter of fact, the agents working in a company that uses an IVR are more proficient at solving specific problems and meeting specific needs of the customers that they are assigned. This results in an increase in customer service efficiency.

5. It boosts the inbound call capacity:

With the aid of IVR, more calls can be answered simultaneously. Unlike the traditional reception, where there is a flurry of please holds or funky hold music while customers await transfer, IVR technology encourages a speedy problem resolution. It allows for a higher call volume and eliminates the need for additional reception staff, and its low cost means a higher ROI.

October 31, 2024

Incredible benefits of IVR technology: II

1. It encourages automated customer service:

Automated customer service means that customers are enabled to solve their own problems and obtain the required information without speaking with an agent. Therefore, IVR systems simplify the customer service by automating it.

2. It enables handling of large call volumes:

Companies are allowed to easily handle high call volumes with the help of IVR systems. By employing this technology, callers are automatically directed to the most appropriate agent or department or they have to wait in a queue when all agents are busy. Another solution for such instances is that the systems allow the caller the option of having an agent return their call rather than wait in a queue.

3. It helps keep customers happy:

Different customers have different preferences. For example, some would prefer to get the answers they need by interacting with a recording rather than speaking to a live person while others may insist on it. IVR systems let the customers have whatever they require, thus, keeping them happy.

4. It helps create a sense of professionalism:

In case of startups and smaller companies IVR technology can be used to make the company appear larger than it actually is. Moreover, IVR prompts can be configured so as to allow callers to talk to sales, support, marketing or technical support, etc. They will be routed to the person on your team assigned to answer all of the calls, regardless of the department they choose. In other words it helps create a sense of professionalism that can help impress the customers.

Improve company's image — Improve company’s image

5. It reduces operational expenses:

IVR systems are very affordable as they replace a receptionist or a customer service agent who answers calls and directs calls to agents. This in return increases efficiency and reduces operational costs which further results in a huge ROI.

October 30, 2024

Incredible benefits of IVR technology: I

As mentioned earlier IVR technology refers to an automated telephony system that interacts with callers, gathers information and routes calls to the appropriate recipient. IVR is a simple and efficacious system that will significantly reduce costs and increase efficiency within any company. It has to offer a number of benefits to the organizations employing it. Some of those benefits have been listed below:

1. It helps attain valuable information about your customers:

IVR technology helps collect information about customer’s needs and transfer calls to the most appropriate agent or department depending on their IVR input. Making use of technology to direct calls, reduces the probability of the caller being transferred to the wrong agent or department, hence, increasing the efficacy of the entire system.

2. It aids in an increased productivity:

Directing callers to the perfect department or agent to address their issues exempts the wastage of time. It also means that there won’t be any sort of confusion in finding the right answer or transferring the caller around for a query resolution. Thus, it would lead to more problems being solved in lesser time.

3. It has a provision for personalized greetings:

IVR technology allows you to record any sort of personalized greeting you want, and include the appropriate prompts to transfer callers to the corresponding department.

4. It exempts any sort of errors:

Since an IVR system does not require a receptionist for answering your calls, so, there is no chance that in the hundreds of calls received daily, a couple of them will wind up in the wrong place. Error exemption is yet another benefit provided by an IVR auto attendant.

5. It allows the usage of pre- recorded messages:

Its not always preferable to use your own voice on the IVR. In such cases, you can use pre-recorded IVR messages to make your task easier.

October 30, 2024

Essentials and applications of IVR technology

IVR stands for Interactive Voice Response. It refers to a technology that allows a computer to interact with humans through the use of voice and DTMF ( dual- tone multi frequency) tones input via keypad. IVR technology is also employed in telecommunication systems where it allows customers to interact with a company’s host system through a telephone keypad or by speech recognition, after which services can be inquired about through the IVR dialogue. IVR systems can respond with prerecorded or dynamically generated audio. This directs the users on how to proceed further. A single large IVR system has the ability to handle calls for thousands of applications, each with its own phone numbers and script.

IVR and voice automation allows callers’ queries to be resolved without the need for queuing and incurring the cost of a live agent. IVR systems are employed for the following reasons:

i) to service high call volumes

ii) reduce cost

iii) improve the customer experience

In situations where callers do not find the information they require or need further assistance, the calls are often transferred to an agent. This allows agents have more time to deal with complex interactions, hence, improving the system’s efficiency. Dialled number identification service (DNIS) ensures the execution of correct application and language when an IVR system answers multiple phone numbers.

There are a number of fields where IVR systems find their applications. Some of them are as follows:

i) IVR systems are used in call centers to identify and segment callers. This allows the services to be tailored according to the customer profile.

ii) IVR systems are employed by banking institutions for customer engagement and to extend business hours to a 24/7 operation.

iii) Pharmaceutical companies leverage these systems to conduct clinical trials and manage the large volumes of data generated. In addition to this, they are also used for patient randomization, drug supply management and for recording patient diaries and questionnaires

October 30, 2024

Tips to reduce average handle time: III

1. Encourage agents to provide top- notch service:

Average handle time boosts up in cases where many customers are waiting on hold. Reasons responsible may be that agents get exhausted handling call after call and hence, slow down. This leads to customers’ dissatisfaction and hence frustration. Therefore, it needs to be dealt appropriately. One of the most efficacious method of doing so is to encourage agents to take breaks between calls and get refreshed from time to time.

2. Leverage call control:

Call control is a skill and can be taught to the customer support agents through specialized training. The nature of calls being received at a call center is heterogeneous. In other words, the content of a call may vary from customer to customer such that, while some might come straight to the point, others might go into irrelevant details before they come to the reason for their call. Therefore, it is extremely important for agents to remain focused and encourage customers to get back to the real point. Call control is a skill and can be taught and trained.

3. Make the most out of experienced customer reps:

As a matter of fact, nothing can beat the real, on-ground experience. Therefore, processes should be established leveraging the inputs of the most experienced customer service agents. Valuable experience can actually let the newbies know about the popular shortcuts and workarounds to achieve a target. On the other hand, managers should identify those agents who have a low AHT and discover what tactics they employ. Thereafter, these agents should be held as role models and be encouraged to share practical tips with others so as to improve their efficacy as well.

4. Access AHT data carefully:

As mentioned earlier, the nature of calls being received at a call center is heterogeneous. A variety of calls can be encountered there like some deal with billing while others may be related to accounts or general queries. As a matter of fact, AHT for all these are different, and thus an agent’s performance should take into consideration the nature of call handled by him or her. Therefore, the result for AHT should be analyzed accordingly. Similarly, if the marketing strategies or management decisions change, the impact should be calculated accordingly.

October 30, 2024

Tips to reduce average handle time: II

1. Inculcate short and pleasant customer greetings:

Visitors love being treated appropriately. Therefore, opening and closing greetings are critical to create a positive customer experience and also help in reducing average handle time. Whether automated or manual, it needs to be ensured that such greetings are short and pleasant. Instead of asking unnecessary questions, relevant questions should be asked such as “Hello Mr. ABC, how may I help you?”. Apart from reducing the average handle time, this would also instigate the customer to come directly to the point. Moreover, he/ she would definitely get impressed with the brand’s friendly attitude. Conversations can also be personalized by keeping the customer’s data up-to-date.

2. Ensure system efficiency:

Call center managers must ensure the system’s efficiency. In other words, every aspect of the system should be efficacious including the load time, number of window tabs that could be opened at one time etc. This is crucial because when system response time is slow, agents wait longer for their computer screens to refresh which adds unnecessary minutes to the overall call. Therefore, managers can take note of their system efficiency during the busiest hours of operation in order to employ strategies to reduce AHT. Moreover, the telephone lines should be up and running, with 100% voice clarity and multiple menu options such as mute/un-mute, record, etc.

3. Leverage knowledge repository:

The call center agents should be provided with necessary knowledge base so that they can quickly identify the relevant answers to some tough queries. Such that instead of thinking about the tough questions asked by the customers, the agents can quickly check the knowledge base to find the right answer, hence reducing the average hold time and eliminating customers’ dissatisfaction.

4. Make use of self service technologies:

Self service technologies such as the IVR technology helps in improving the efficiency of the customer support system. IVR collects basic customer information, presents answers to common queries such as address, hours of operations, and routes the calls to the right agent, which saves a considerable amount of time. Therefore, you need to make sure that your call center is equipped with an efficient call center software with features such as ACD, intelligent IVR system and skill-based routing. These self service technologies reduce the workload of the agents to a large extent.

October 30, 2024

Tips to reduce average handle time: I

Average Handle Time (AHT) refers to a call center metric that calculates the average duration of contact between a customer and an agent. This includes both hold time and talk time.

The formula for calculating AHT is:

Average Handling Time = (Total talk time + Total hold time + Total wrap-up time) /Number of calls handled

A low AHT indicates a good performance, while a high AHT signifies that the call handling technique needs improvement. Here are some effective tips that help reduce the average handle time to a large extent:

1. Set up regular training sessions for customer support agents:

Customer support agents should have a thorough understanding of the company’s products and services so that they are able to contribute towards conversions and also resolve queries instantly. Agents should be trained at frequent intervals in order to help them reduce AHT. This training should include educating them about the usage of the contact center software and tools such as CRM and chat to ensure that the call is answered in the lowest time possible leaving the customer satisfied. Moreover the agents should also know whom to contact in case of any doubt and from where to extract any relevant information.

2. Record all inbound and outbound calls:

Recording every inbound and outbound call makes it easier to assess the productivity of an agent and other issues that might affect his or her output. This can also be helpful in case managers are not able to review calls in real time such that they can always refer to the recorded version and get the desired insights. Moreover these calls can be leveraged to train the customer support agents and improve their performance. Making them listen to some of the good examples of calls wherein the customer’s problem was resolved and the handling time was less can help them learn valuable tactics for reducing AHT.

3. Tailor agents’ workflow and processes:

Tailoring agents’ workflow and productivity can help optimize their productivity. Managers should work hard to spot inefficiencies and work out strategies to eliminate them thereafter. One of the best method of doing this is automating all their manual tasks so as to minimize their busy time and hence reduce AHT.

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