Fifty to a hundred calls are waiting and you know the next customer you talk to might be upset. There is extreme stress on the floor to answer every call that comes in and avoid become abandoned.
Some centers have implemented IVRs that would capture a customer’s information in order to be called back. This is a good idea and we’ve managed to do this with several clients and it has worked wonders in terms of customer satisfaction.
In Harry Sheff’s post Can We Call You Back, he asked “Why don’t more call centers do this?"
The answer is COST. The ultimate goal of any center is to answer all the calls in the queue and ensure FCR (first call resolution) to maintain good customer relationships and satisfaction. All efforts are targeted here and managers will avoid possible call backs. Depending on the scope of your customer base, this will also mean local and international rates for each callback.
Okay, there is VOIP and this should be taken into consideration. It is still a solution that organizations have to decide whether they are willing to incur these costs, however minimal.
Read more about Cell Phone Data Cables, Mobile Brands and Cellphone Brands.
Good points, Jam. I must, however, be a broken record in chanting my mantra, "know your customers." In many Customer Satisfaction surveys we've conducted for clients we've been able to quantify that, while one call resolution certainly drives their satisfaction, the data reveal satisfaction does not measurably deteriorate until the second or third contact. In some industries, we've seen as many as four contacts before you experience an appreciable drop in customer satisfaction.
A parallel is in the financial industry where customers will always SAY, top of mind, that lower interest rates on loans is what drives their satisfaction. When you do the research and crunch the numbers, however, you find that those same customers are actually willing to pay a bit more in interest IF they consistently get world-class service when they call.
Posted by: Tom Vander Well | April 14, 2006 7:29 AM | Permalink to Comment