November 22, 2018
November 22, 2018
Contributor: Jordan Bryan
Service leaders must prepare customer service centers for call spikes, both the expected and the unexpected.
Many service leaders are gearing up for call volume spikes in the coming holiday season, but that's not the only reason for spikes, and service leaders need to plan for them all — even when events can't be anticipated.
“Service leaders must now plan for the known outcomes, such as a seasonal surge or product launches, as well as the unknown outcomes — those events completely out of leader control,” says Jeffrey Schott, Director, Team Manager at Gartner. “By planning for these unexpected times, call centers can maintain the desired standard of service.”
Contact centers face expected, intense spikes of up to 10 times normal call volumes during periods such as holidays, promotional events and vacation seasons. Spikes of this magnitude present clear challenges, such as accurately predicting call volume, increasing and decreasing staff capacity in a short time, training large groups of new agents and managing increased customer dissatisfaction.
No one plans a recall or a natural disaster, but service leaders can still prepare for these occurrences. Potential strategies include:
Service centers today must develop strategies and processes to handle call volume for both expected and unexpected call spikes. These strategies could mean the difference between maintaining a high standard of service or not.
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Recommended resources for Gartner clients*:
Expected Call Spike Forecasting
Handling Unexpected Call Spikes
*Note that some documents may not be available to all Gartner clients.