10 Effective Call Center Operational Performance Strategies

10 Effective Call Center Operational Performance Strategies

Regardless of the customer’s location, call centers daily play a crucial role in delivering reliable customer experiences. Each call center has unique goals to meet, but ultimately, the focus remains on providing quality service to customers. Industry surveys indicate that despite the rise in self-service technologies, customers prefer interacting with customer service professionals (CSP) to experience quality service.

Customers too are more knowledgeable regarding the products they purchase and hence prefer interacting with CSPs who possess superior language, communication, and problem-solving skills to resolve their issues. Research has revealed that more than 50% of the time, customer service agents fail to answer customer queries. It, therefore, becomes imperative for companies with call centers to constantly work on improving the quality of service to the level that customers expect from them. A reliable customer care call center service expert can provide you with the necessary support required to set up and run an excellent contact center.

Here are a few strategies that Call Center management can implement to improve their performance:

  • Groom CSPs Young

    It’s optimal to recruit young call center representatives. Candidates should be hired early in their careers and trained to excel. Emotional intelligence must be assessed during hiring for its impact on performance, teamwork, and decision-making. Providing attractive incentives and benefits is essential due to the high annual attrition rate in the call center industry.

  • Bridge the Gap Between Classroom Training and On-the-Job Work

    Working professionals frequently encounter scenarios for which they lack training. This can result from outdated training methods or lack of communication between trainers and front-line managers. Trainees should learn on the job, with trainers and managers collaborating. Managers should also mentor trainees to improve performance.

  • Teaching Multi-Tasking

    Multi-tasking is critical for any customer service professional to provide efficient customer service. The job requires not only speaking over the phone but also other activities such as data input and using reference materials for answering any customer query, all of this while maintaining sound interpersonal and communication skills. However, the process of teaching these aspects must involve an integrated approach. A study conducted by Peppers and Rogers Group has found that 65% of companies train their agents using effective tools to gain their customers’ trust. Soft skills and technical skills must not be taught separately. Training must be built around calls and how to handle them efficiently to provide the best customer service.

  • Implement Robust Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

    Automating business processes or using software is not what CRM is all about. We have a culture within the organization that focuses on providing the best customer service by leveraging our resources and having a holistic view of the customer. Customer service agents immensely benefit from a robust CRM as they can access the required information about the history of a customer in real-time to deliver impeccable customer experience during online support calls. Forrester Research has noted that close to 66% of enterprise organizations have implemented various capabilities in CRM.

  • Reduce Hold Time and Eliminate Abandoned Calls

    Customers with queries, already frustrated, detest waiting for a qualified CSP to answer their calls or resolve their issue, directly impacting satisfaction. Most hung up after less than a minute. For those abandoning calls due to wait times, offer a call-back option. A Benchmark Portal study suggests, “If the call centre’s data indicates that caller satisfaction improves 1 per cent for every 2% improvement in first call resolution, the centre could expect a 3.5% increase in caller satisfaction”.

  • Emphasize Intelligent Use of Technology

    Implementing contact center technology has the potential to satisfy customers and help the organization reduce their expenses of retaining old customers acquiring new ones and becoming more competitive in the business world. Technologies such as advanced routing, reporting and analytics tools, courtesy callbacks, speech recognition, cloud and many more can be used to improve first-call resolution rates, reduce costs per call and improve calls per agent per hour. According to DMG Consulting, in 2018-2019, contact centres utilizing cloud-based technology will increase by 50%.

  • Promote Transition to Cloud

    Utilizing cloud computing technology in call centers has benefits written all over it. Call centers invest a huge sum of money on solutions, technology and infrastructure to provide flawless customer service and stay ahead of their competitors. Cloud allows organizations to utilize an agile operational expenditure (OPEX) budget to deploy solutions thereby avoiding expenditure on expensive infrastructure. Another advantage of implementing cloud technology is flexibility and scalability. Call centers have to keep evolving to the ever-changing market demand. Cloud makes it easier to add new functionality, as and when it is required, in a cost-effective manner.

  • Provide Real-Life Training for Candidates

    Identifying suitable candidates poses a challenge for every call center. The hiring and training phase is crucial for finding individuals who can fulfil their duties consistently. Many recruits expect a stress-free environment but encounter angry customers, leading some to quit due to the demands. This results in significant losses for companies, given the time and money invested in training. A Contact Center World case study reveals annual attrition rates in India at around 50%, even higher in other countries. Thus, exposing candidates to realistic training scenarios is vital, and those unable to cope must be released.

  • Streamline Processes

    Call centers, these days, use multi-channel avenues for interacting with customers. They utilize various tools for carrying out simple as well as complex tasks. Fulfilling these tasks most efficiently is what results in a satisfied customer. Simple tasks can be handed out to less experienced professionals or the customers can be directed to self-help tools for the speedy redressal of their issues. Complex tasks on the other hand can be carried out by qualified professionals. Improving first-call resolution rates must be the sole objective. By following this strategy of separating tasks based on complexity, companies can minimize operational costs and make the best use of resources.

  • Prioritize Customer Feedback

    After clearing a customer’s query, prompt feedback through email or other non-intrusive means. Customers often express anger on social media if issues remain unresolved, serving as feedback, albeit negative. Integrating change management into project and program management fosters positive growth. Organizations must embrace change to showcase project value. Utilize social media and direct feedback to identify and address operational shortcomings.

    In providing excellent customer service, the language, decision-making, and communication skills of a customer service professional matter most, while most technical aspects remain largely hidden from the customer. Moreover, advanced call centre technologies have been instrumental in helping call centers reduce cost per call, segment customers for personalized services, reduce average queue time, and most importantly improve first-call resolution rates. Companies need to adopt these strategies to improve the overall operational performance of their call center. An experienced call center outsourcing service provider can help you improve the performance of your call center

Author Profile

Nitish Kaul
Nitish Kaul
Nitish is a CX Solutionings Expert at DialDesk. He has helped provide our customers with fantastic services and made sure their needs have been met promptly. His knowledge of pertinent business strategies and his decision-making skills help add to the team dynamic by creating positive results for every project we work on. He knows how to get the job done efficiently.


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