I will reduce wait times on the phone
Long wait times are the worst enemy of the customer experience … You will be well-aware that customers often find the queue to speak to an appropriate adviser as too long and this can result in abandoned calls… Therefore in 2019, tackle this challenge and adopt a call centre technology that gives you the means to optimise your response time without the need to excessively increase your workforce. Such a solution will provide you with all the data necessary to optimise the number of agents based on activity forecasts, and simple tools to organise and automate call routing according to the skilled staff available on any given day.
If you do this, you are already drastically reducing the number of customers frustrated by waiting times or being directed to advisors who are not qualified to respond to their query. If you also integrate incoming calls into scenarios that allow you to switch to another channel or an interactive voice server, you can ease the workload of your agents while providing customers with greater independence and complete satisfaction. Ultimately, the current challenge of managing wait times is not so much to get in the half-second 100% of the calls as to offer each customer a positive and constructive outcome to his call. In 2019, you have the power to provide this service.
I will put customer knowledge to use thanks to CRM integration
You store a wealth of data on each of your customers, especially in your CRM. Your customers know it and agree to it as long as it enhances the experience for them – for example, being recognised when they call your contact centre and not being asked repeatedly for information they have already provided each time they call … In 2019, it’s time to put all the customer knowledge you have to good use by integrating your CRM with your contact centre solution. Of course, if you have an outdated call management system, it will be more complicated than an open solution designed to interface with any CRM on the market. Thanks to this integration, not only will your agents benefit from automatic caller identification, but they will also have direct access to all the stored data regarding that customer. This data can then be used to customise each interaction. You will also avoid tedious re-entries and “copy and paste” exercises that waste time – time agents can then devote to listening to customers, understanding their demands and resolving their problems. The result? More value-added exchanges which put customer knowledge to better use, continuously enriched customer knowledge and increased satisfaction- both for the client and the employee. It is worth making the effort for great results!
I will become proactive by rethinking the outgoing call
Capitalising on customer knowledge is also being able to use it to meet the needs of customers. As much as your customers might dislike anything that may resemble the telephone, they will welcome a call if it comes at the right time and offers something relevant and personal to them. If you want to better understand the benefits of this new approach to the outgoing call, check out what Diabolocom’s Patrice has to say.
To get maximum value from the proactive outgoing call, you still need the right tools! Namely, tools which integrate to the systems that hold customer information within the company. Instead of huge, undifferentiated campaigns that your customers don’t like and produce low results, you can provide personalised calls proving that you are attentive to your customers and their needs. Another advantage is diversifying the work of your agents by allowing them to easily reconcile incoming calls, outgoing calls tracking and proactive outgoing calls.
I will give more autonomy to my agents
As a manager, giving agents greater independence is probably the best resolution you can take at the beginning of this year! HR studies show that autonomy is a key factor in satisfaction and, therefore, employee loyalty. Knowing how difficult it is to attract talented advisors, you should do everything possible to give those who join you all the right reasons to stay…
In a contact centre, the autonomy of the employee starts with great work organisation, a supportive atmosphere and great tools. It is important to consider the ergonomics of the workstation, the ease of access to information, the simplification of internal processes, the automation of tasks with low added value … And to ensure that autonomy translates into productivity gains and customer satisfaction, it must be accompanied and supported by attentive and caring managers. Therefore, we would advise more focus on the individual coaching of your advisers. This is a demanding process, but it is unmatched in making your employees feel competent and responsible, especially if you recognise and reward their progress. To do this, do not leave room for uncertainty: rely on concrete elements – such as conversation records and individual statistics – this should be instantly accessible in any customer interaction management solution worthy of the name.
I will contact Diabolocom!
Of all the resolutions, this is probably the easiest to implement, and the most profitable too: our teams will help you discover how our contact centre solutions can quickly realise your new year business resolutions. Diabolocom is committed to supporting and working with you for the transformation of your contact centre. If you want your customers to see the difference in the first months of 2019, a little advice from friends: do not put off until tomorrow, what you can do today!
