Any advice on how to reduce call volume in your contact center?
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Here are some strategies to consider:
1. **Enhance Self-Service Options**: Implementing robust self-service options like FAQs, knowledge bases, and AI-powered chatbots can help customers find answers to their questions without needing to call. This can be particularly effective for handling common inquiries and routine tasks
2. **Improve IVR Systems**: An efficient Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system can help route calls to the appropriate department or provide automated responses to common queries. Ensuring that the IVR system is user-friendly and regularly updated can reduce the number of calls that require human intervention
3. **Leverage AI and Automation**: Utilizing AI and automation tools can help in resolving issues quickly and efficiently. For example, AI can analyze customer interactions to provide personalized responses and predict customer needs, reducing the need for follow-up calls
4. **Proactive Communication**: Keeping customers informed about their issues or orders through proactive communication (e.g., SMS or email updates) can reduce the need for them to call for updates. This can include notifications about order status, service outages, or appointment reminders
5. **Optimize Agent Training**: Well-trained agents can resolve issues more efficiently, reducing the need for repeat calls. Providing ongoing training and resources to agents can help them handle a wider range of issues on the first call
6. **Analyze Call Data**: Regularly analyzing call data can help identify common issues and trends. This information can be used to improve processes, update self-service options, and train agents on handling frequent issues more effectively
7. **Feedback Mechanisms**: Implementing feedback mechanisms to understand why customers are calling can provide insights into areas that need improvement. This can help in addressing the root causes of high call volumes
There are a lot of startups which focus on call center automations ( Yellow.AI is one example) which can be looked at here
I have friends who work in call center automation companies and i put this as a question to them. There are three steps to solving this problem 1. Get an estimate of monthly/ quarterly volume of issues in call center 2. Segment issues based on time/complexity to resolve 3. Automate decision for resolution for simpler issues . Doing it in retail chains got them ~30% reduction in cost based on volume
Below are some of the tactics we have recently been deploying to lower our helpdesk (call center) volume.
1 - Deployed AI Chat Bot on our customer facing webpage that allows the customer to provide issue and if chat bot can locate and provide job aids/process guides they are provided to the user to avoid a ticket being submitted to the actual helpdesk.
2 - We have spent significant time updating our job aids/process guides/training for the customers to allow them to self-help with very detailed steps to avoid tickets into the actual helpdesk.
3 - We have hosted town hall events/open training events to customers along with a newsletter with information to assist them and further train them to allow them to self-help. Sessions are focused around topics that we see high ticket volume in and we record sessions and post them to the customer facing webpage so they are resources to be used by customer and/or chat bot.