4 Tips for Streamlining Call Center Performance

Listen in! Pick up some expert advice to a reader's question that we selected from CyberSchmooz.

As your business expands, inevitably, you'll gradually receive more customer phone calls. At some point, you'll no longer be able to keep up with the demand. Your business needs a call center system. But, what type is right for your company?

Read on to learn not just what new tech to implement in your call center but how to go about it.

1. Use IVR

Most Americans are familiar with the concept of a call center, but call center systems might not ring as many bells. A call center system is simply a software platform that helps businesses fix common problems encountered in a call center. For example, interactive voice response (IVR) can direct phone calls based on verbal cues given by the caller. This cuts down on call time and improves workflow.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. More sophisticated systems can deal with many common reasons for call-ins, such as payment processing. This frees up customer service agents to deal with more complex issues. Call center systems can also help coordinate and manage remote workers.

2. Focus on Implementation

An easy and efficient implementation is vital for the best results. The more difficult your implementation, the more your customers will be impacted, as poor implementation will reduce your call center's usability.

The top priority is ensuring that your team understands how to use the new system before it goes live. Your agents are your business's face (or voice), and if they sound confused, your customers will lose faith that you know what you're doing.

Agents should understand how new systems will allow them to redirect and manage calls. They should know what customers have already been asked during the IVR phase – this saves you from asking the same question multiple times. Customers will wonder what the point of your IVR system is if they have to answer all the same questions from a human agent!

3. Integrate New Tech with Current Practices and Systems

Ensure your new systems integrate smoothly with your current tech and that it's easy to integrate the new system with essential work practices. When your company's social media, marketing, desk software, and CRM systems are tightly integrated, your workers can move seamlessly from task to task.

This lets them retrieve important information in real-time and resolve customer complaints more efficiently.

Also, by integrating text-based communication solutions, your agents can follow up on customer phone calls by e-mail or text. Finally, a fully integrated CRM system will help your agents better manage follow-up and transferred calls. Always speak to your software provider to understand how best to integrate it with your current work practices.

4. Review Performance with Analytics

If you're not measuring your business processes, you're flying blind. A good metric tracker will enable you to check where your business could be improved and how best to do so. Spot areas needing improvement and measure your progress through solid analytics.

A call center system is an investment in your business's success. Thoroughly vet any potential software provider before you buy it. Don't just go for the cheapest option. A quality system may put you back initially, but you'll more than make up for it over the long haul.

Final Thoughts

Benefits of using a call center system over more traditional modes of call center management include higher employee productivity, cost savings, and better efficiency. Security is enhanced when you go with a call center system.

A secure call center system is the way to go if your business deals with sensitive customer information – implement new tech and practices now.

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