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Call centers must implement an ideal client experience more than before to differentiate themselves. However, delivering a seamless customer experience is challenging. Customers are becoming more demanding, expecting rapid and accurate solutions to their inquiries. This is where the need for better management of callbacks in contact centers emanates. And the best practices and tips for managing callbacks
Agents proposing the best product or service is no longer a sure bet for success. It is essential to understand how to stand out in a market where competition is becoming increasingly fierce and how to provide a memorable customer experience.
It is challenging to offer a good customer experience when customers hate long wait times. One solution to this problem is to increase the capacity of call center agents. However, if your contact center experiences occasional call spikes, hiring additional agents can increase agent downtime and costs. And the other solution that withstands all these challenges is to offer the callback option for all the clients in the queue.
Let’s find out more about the potential of the Callback feature for call centers, its benefits, and best practices for managing callbacks in contact centers.
What is a call center callback option?
The callback option is a Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) feature that allows clients to request a callback if the line is busy, if no agents are available to take their call, or if they wish to be called back later instead of waiting on the line.
The concept behind the callback is pretty straightforward. Let’s say a client called your contact centers when all the agents were already on the line. In this case, the client has two options: wait for an agent to become available and answer, or hang up and receive a callback later.
Why do call centers offer the callback option?
The answer is personalized Customer Experience and User Experience. Indeed, Callbacks are an excellent way to make interactions easier for call center agents and clients. Let’s see how callbacks are a crucial aid in managing callbacks in contact centers:
1. Promoting customer satisfaction
The asynchronous aspect of callbacks promotes customer satisfaction by removing the need to wait. This results in better handling of customer issues.
Before the agent calls back the customer, the agent will be able to examine the client’s profile and prepare accordingly. This customer will also be less inclined to give up and hang up.
From an operations perspective, this makes callbacks a very convenient tool to simultaneously boost customer satisfaction and interaction quality.
2. Better workforce management
Suggesting a callback when the agent is available benefits both the consumer and the agent. The former can better plan his calendar and manage his time. But, ensure agents are not overburdened and have adequate time to handle each issue without being rushed.
A well-implemented callback system can help improve agent satisfaction and performance while lowering the overall employee turnover rate.
3. Handling dissatisfaction on social media
The social media world comprises open platforms where customers may voice their frustration. These concerns can easily taint your business’ image. And the primary cause of criticism when contacting a brand via social media is the long wait time.
An automated callback is the easiest method to eliminate the delay. Offering voice callbacks on social media is another approach to provide choices and alleviate discontent.
Slalom’s Bob Furniss, Senior Director, Global Salesforce, agrees there is a need to make the job of contact center agents simpler by crafting a better human experience for both the agent and the client. What are some of the approaches? Learn more from our podcast episode on “Tools to Support Human Experience and Interaction.”
What are the advantages of implementing a Callback system?
1. Improves the First Contact Resolution (FRC)
If you operate a call center, you know the importance of First Contact Resolution (FCR). This is a metric that assesses the efficacy and quality of customer service and has a direct impact on customer satisfaction.
The callback feature of the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) guarantees that the consumer is reached again by an agent who is qualified to address his queries. This eliminates the requirement for transfers between departments or even asking the consumer to call back and make new selections to reach the correct department.
Resolving customer requests on the first call means:
- The customer is more attentive, and therefore, the agent is faster and more efficient;
- Customer satisfaction rises;
- Lower cost for processing customer requests.
From a business perspective, the FCR is one of the metrics that have a direct and meaningful impact on the effectiveness of a contact center and, ultimately, on its bottom line.
2. Eliminates long wait times
According to Bloomberg, Customer-service wait times are three times higher in the United States. And they are increasing due to entering the post-pandemic world: employment openings and work-from-home opportunities.
When there is a long wait, the consumer begins the conversation in an irritated and anxious tone. Waiting times are seen 2.5 times longer by clients than they are.
With a callback option, clients no longer get the idea of waiting but instead are assisted in every step. This rewrites everything in the client-agent dynamic: as interactions start in a calm manner and in a less stressful environment.
Being able to eliminate (or significantly reduce) one of the most critical stress factors for clients – the dreaded wait time – call centers can finally start building a sound and solid Customer Experience strategy.
3. Reduces call abandonment rates
As mentioned before, customers despise waiting in line! The longer they wait, the more likely the consumer will hang up. High call center Abandonment Rates swiftly lead to customer dissatisfaction, recurring calls, and a high decrease in the first contact resolution rate.
If the waiting time is too lengthy and the abandonment rate increases, some businesses may reinforce their teams while others would use call dissuasion.
The first approach is prohibitively expensive, while the second is devastating regarding client satisfaction. The solution? A well-implemented Callback system.
Offering clients the option for a callback is the most significant way to decrease abandonment. By optimizing resources, callbacks may smooth out calls during peak hours and balance your workflow.
In many cases, the simple trick of implementing a callback system can take the pressure off the customer care department, eliminating the main cause of stress for both the agents and the clients.
4. A higher conversion rate
A contact center Callback system is invaluable for satisfying customers’ demands at critical points in the purchase process. Indeed, a prospect may appear skeptical or mistrustful at first, only to be reassured by the quality of the dialogue with the agent.
As a result, your call center abandonment rate falls dramatically, and your chances of finalizing the purchasing journey are higher. Hence, a higher conversion rate.
5. Improves efficiency
A callback system can improve efficiency in a contact center by allowing agents to handle calls in a more organized and structured manner. This can be achieved through several mechanisms:
- Prioritization: A callback system can allow agents to prioritize calls based on factors such as the customer’s urgency or the type of request. This can help ensure that the most pressing issues are handled first.
- Scheduling: A callback system can allow customers to schedule a call back conveniently, which can help reduce wait times and improve the overall customer experience. This also allows agents to manage their time more effectively and plan their workload in advance.
- Automation: A callback system can automate some of the processes, such as scheduling, queueing, and callback notifications. This can help reduce the administrative burden on agents and allow them to focus on handling customer requests.
- Managing call volume: A callback system can help manage call volume by reducing the number of customers waiting on hold. This can help reduce agent burnout and improve overall productivity.
Best practices for managing Call Backs in Contact Centers
1. Clients should not wait a second time
Once the client is at the head of the queue, the call-back system connects the agent and the caller. Two options are available: the agent waits, or the client waits.
If the client is waiting, the call-back system estimates when the next agent will be available and contacts the client a few minutes before that time. This optimizes agent productivity, but it’s not good news for your customer satisfaction as this will only build up frustration on the client’s end..
On the other hand, when your consumer answers the phone in the agent-wait scenario, your agent is already on the line. The caller enjoys a better customer experience this way.
2. Callers should not repeat information on the phone
Clients despise repeating information they’ve already given. Even in the absence of callbacks, this is a regular occurrence at contact centers. And it is mainly caused by a lack of compatibility and integration between various contact center tech systems.
Any data given by the client before requesting a call-back should be saved and brought back when the callback happens. To put it another way, your callback should also integrate all the client’s data and match it perfectly. Callback features should work perfectly with your contact center solution, CRM, and other software integrations.
3. Focus on the voice channel
While it is excellent for contact centers to be present on all communication channels. Each channel has its own set of advantages. But telephony is the one that stands out, even in this digital era.
Many call centers spend extensively on self-service channels but pay little attention to what happens when their clients are on a dead end and need to speak with an agent.
This is one of the many reasons why call-backs are such a vital tool: they allow your callers to seamlessly transition from any other channel to voice a interaction. Your callback solution should have true omnichannel capabilities to draw out its full potential.
Increasing self-service is part of the call center’s future. With the growth in tough calls and contacts, supporting the future agent with appropriate tools and efficient technology will look slightly different. Colin Taylor, CEO & CCO of The Taylor Reach Group, is shedding light on this topic.
4. Train customer service representatives on callback protocols
Training customer service representatives on callback protocols can ensure that the callback system is implemented effectively and that customers receive high-quality service. Here are some steps to train customer service representatives on callback protocols:
- Provide an overview of the callback system: Explain how the callback system works, including how customers can schedule a callback, how the callback queue is managed, and what self-service options are available.
- Demonstrate the system: Provide hands-on training by demonstrating how to use the callback system, including how to schedule callbacks, how to manage the callback queue, and how to handle callbacks when they come in.
- Emphasize the importance of follow-up: Emphasize the importance of following up with customers who have requested callbacks.
- Provide examples: Provide examples of common callback scenarios and walk through how to handle them.
- Role-playing: Provide opportunities for representatives to practice handling callbacks through role-playing exercises.
- Continuous improvement: Offer ongoing training and coaching to ensure that representatives are up-to-date on best practices and new procedures.
- Monitor and evaluate: Monitor and evaluate the performance of representatives to identify areas where they need additional training or support.
5. Use data to improve callback performance
Using data to improve callback performance can help ensure that the callback system is effective and that customers receive high-quality service. Here are some ways to use data to improve callback performance:
- Identifying patterns: Analyze data on callback requests to identify patterns regarding when clients request callbacks, the types of requests made, and the customers making the requests. This can help to optimize the scheduling of callbacks and ensure that representatives are readyto handle the types of requests they are likely to receive.
- Measuring performance: Use data to measure representatives’ performance, such as the number of callbacks they handle, their average handle time, and their customer satisfaction ratings. This can help identify areas where representatives need additional training or support.
- Analyzing abandonment rate: Analyze data on call abandonment rate, to identify the reasons behind it and find ways to reduce it. This can help to reduce the number of customers who hang up before speaking with an agent.
- Optimizing resources: Use data to optimize resources such as representatives, phone lines, and self-service options. This can help ensure effective resource use and that customers receive high-quality service.
- Identifying bottlenecks: Use data to identify bottlenecks in the callback process, such as long wait times or many abandoned calls. This can help to identify areas that need improvement and find ways to reduce wait times and improve the overall customer experience.
Conclusion
The callback feature ensures that consumers never lose time waiting on the phone. This leads to happier clients who are more inclined to stay loyal to your business, and a better way to manage your contact center.
To optimize callbacks, you must have a provider that ensures the tech stack functions seamlessly and perfectly with your workflow operations.
In this regard, at NobelBiz, we pride ourselves on being known as the promise keepers of the call center industry. Why?
Because we provide you with an expert team of customer service representatives, available 24/7.
What’s more, our cloud-based call center solution NobelBiz Omni+ integrates all communication channels – phone, social media, webchat, and SMS – into a single, unified platform that can integrate with most CRMs on the market.
In addition, our telecom network, NobelBiz Voice Carrier, is built with a highly redundant architecture that can meet the needs of any call center, no matter the size, industry, or activity (inbound, outbound, or mixed).
Abdelmounim Benharouga has always had a strong passion for writing and digital marketing. He started as a Digital Content Writer part of marketing department then moved to being Customer Success Manager for the African Region within the Nobelbiz team.