If you have times when you experience spikes in call volume, they can negatively impact your business
Your goals for your inbound call center probably all center around the customer experience in some way. In fact, that is likely one of the reasons that you opted for a live call center rather than relying on voicemail systems. For instance, caller satisfaction is probably high on the list bullet point, but short wait times, call completion, and customer service are all factors that affect that. If you have times when you experience spikes in call volume, as most call center services do, they can negatively impact all of those factors. If your answering services are struggling to deal with spikes in call volume, read on for some helpful tips.
Keep Training Up-to-date
If you’ve never experienced a spike in call volume, you may find that your training doesn’t cover it. This is the right time to assess your current training and see if you could benefit your employees by improving that training to cover what is different during the season or event-specific spikes. If the calls that do come in are quickly and efficiently resolved, most callers can forgive a little extended wait time – but your staff has to have the training to make that happen.
Add Self-Service Channels
If there are common questions that you know you can fully address without having a live person answer the phone, adding in some self-service channels for callers is a great solution. In these cases, callers who have specific issues are redirected into an automated system that can answer common questions or allow them to do automated activities (like pay a bill or schedule an appointment). In most cases, these self-service channels should not be the default, because making people wait through them when they really just need to speak to a live person is aggravating and results in a negative customer experience.
Forecasting
If you know in advance when you expect spikes in call volume, like seasonally leading into the holidays or during a time of year when you have a large sale or event, you can forecast that and increase your staffing to accommodate them. This isn’t always possible, especially if this is the first time that your call center is dealing with spikes in call volume. But figuring out what is driving the spikes now can help you to forecast and plan for the next year and beyond.
Contact TeleRep For Call Center Services Today!
If you are ready to install a call center service for your business, TeleRep is here to help. If you still have more questions, our trained professionals are prepared to answer them. We know how important customer feedback is to you and your business, so let them know that you care with an answering service. To learn how TeleRep can help you today, visit us online or give us a call at 1-800-638-2000. To keep up with our work and to see what we have been up to, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.