Reducing wait times
Modern contact routing technology already plays a huge part in managing queues and aligning issue types with the best-qualified agent. However, it can’t reduce the number of customers flowing into live contact channels. Reducing contact volumes is the optimum way of reducing customer wait times.
To understand how much work needs to be done to reduce wait times to a level acceptable to both the customer and organization, examine the average time in queue metric and compare it with the current abandonment rate; i.e., the number of customers who abandon the contact before they’re able to reach an agent.
There are several ways to keep contact volumes under control without damaging CX or negatively impacting costs by hiring more agents.
Strategies for efficient contact volume management
Deflect contacts
As the volume of inbound and outbound contacts increases, and as the channels available for customer interaction multiply, costs will also increase. Fortunately, there are numerous ways of keeping contact volumes under control without damaging customer experience or negatively impacting the balance sheet through hiring more agents. Identify the most common contact drivers to see if these issues can be resolved through FAQs or self-service content on a website, or by steering customers to a lower-cost channel such as email.
Avoid automated escalations
For contact centers that are already using self-service, it’s crucial to track the escalation to live agent metric to understand what percentage of interactions that start within an automated or self-serve channel finish with interacting directly with an agent. If there are well-developed chatbots and digital agents performing as part of a wider engagement platform, escalations should be the exception rather than the rule under normal operating conditions. Verify that all information pertinent to common contact drivers is up to date. If the percentage of escalations is still too high, chatbots might require further training and calibration or more data.
Make more of IVR
A contact center’s IVR system should reduce pressure on agents and shorten wait times for customers. So, ensure it’s tied to the CRM system so that it can identify and correctly route customers to the right agents and make certain that it provides queueing customers with a route to in-channel self-service and that the system can prequalify first-time callers to expedite the resolution process once connected with a live agent. When possible, the IVR should also be the touchpoint for authentication and validation to ensure consistency of process and to make certain that more of the time an agent spends with a customer is spent focusing on the reason for the contact rather than on customer identification. Use the IVR for customer coaching, prompting callers to check if they have all the necessary information ready that will be needed once connected to an agent.
Look beyond the obvious metrics
CSAT and FCR scores are relative and only reflect the views of customers who have successfully navigated every touchpoint between initial call and resolution. Instead, look at metrics such as occupancy rate and average after-call work time to assess agent productivity and process efficiency. Occupancy rate will indicate how much time during a shift an agent isn’t engaged in direct conversation with a customer or completing associated tasks. If the rate is too low, agents might require extra training or coaching in time management. However, after-call work time is of equal importance. If the average time spent undertaking tasks related to a call or chat session is too long, such as updating customer histories, then these processes should be reevaluated to identify opportunities for greater efficiency, without negatively affecting accuracy or level of detail.
Assess staffing levels
Clearly, hiring more agents is a guaranteed way of reducing queue lengths, but it’s not always the most cost-effective or sustainable approach. Before embarking on a recruitment drive, examine historical data regarding contact volumes to identify patterns relating to peaks and troughs and then look at current agent schedules to see if adjustments can be made with the existing workforce. If contact routing software can be calibrated to distribute customers based on issue type, then also consider creating agent pools focused on the fast resolution of specific problems. This approach also accelerates new hires’ speed to competence as they can start having a limited number of live interactions as their training continues within a supportive working environment. Furthermore, if voice queues are consistently longer than chat queues, consider cross-training agents so that they can work across more than one channel when extra resources are needed.
Look at metrics such as occupancy rate and average after-call work time to assess agent productivity and process efficiency.
