The last thing a Contact Center wants is a high abandon call count. Nobody likes to be on hold or stuck on the phone for long. If that is the case, callers will become less happy, patient and more likely to hang up. In a more severe case, the caller may become so annoyed they take their business elsewhere.
So how can you improve customer service, reduce call abandonment rates, and ensure the business stays with your company? Call queues!
Call queues are significant because they are essential to keep a contact center run smoothly. Working together with IVR’s, agents, and supervisors, some would say queues are the backbone of any contact center.
What can you do with queues?
Custom Queue Capacity
The system administrator can set the number of maximum callers that can be waiting in a queue. This way, it doesn’t become overwhelming for agents, and callers are not left waiting for long periods. When the queue reaches capacity, new callers will be redirected to another queue. Or to another destination, such as an IVR, Ring Group, Extension, receiving a Call Back, Etc.
Customization and Configuration
The flexibility of any system is crucial for a business. An example of a customizable feature that the administrator can enable is to play music while the callers wait in the queue! Music will play when the caller is redirected to another queue or even when they request a callback. If your organization is not into music, the administrator can play announcement messages instead. Messages like, “your call is important to us” or “visit our website to learn more about our products.” Either way, your callers will no longer wait in silence!
Send to an IVR
Better manage your queues by implementing proper IVR systems. Set your IVR options based on your services and what you want to provide to your customers. Callers can receive help through the IVR and get information such as business hours, location, or account balances without speaking to a person. An IVR can also help navigate callers to the proper queue to ensure the right agent can assist them.
Unlimited Queues (ACD)
An ACD, also known as Automatic Call Distribution, helps keep customers by routing incoming calls to the agent with the most suitable skill-set based on the reason for calling. ACD ensures the caller’s needs are appropriately addressed. Other capabilities of ACD include priority routing and first in-first out (FIFO).
Queue Call Back
Waiting on hold in a busy queue can sometimes take up your whole afternoon! Give your callers the option of waiting or receiving a callback. That way, they can get on with their day, and when an agent is available, they can call at their earliest convenience. The callback option will help decrease the number of abandoned calls and improve the queue’s overall management.
Queue Statistics and Reports
The best way to manage your queues is to have a better understanding of them. Real-time queue statistics will give you an in-depth insight into agent activity and queue traffic. Supervisors have access to the agent’s inbound and outbound calls, missed calls, occupancy, availability, queue inbound answered and unanswered calls, as well as total calls. This data will help you make future decisions on the operations of your contact center.
The queue in a contact center is a significant component of your caller’s overall customer experience. Ensure you are using it properly and do not overlook the data your queue statistics provide.
If you are interested in these incredible possibilities to optimize your business and are looking for the opportunity to do it – we have a solution for you! To learn more about Bicom Systems Contact Center Edition, take a look at our website here. Or send our sales team an email at sales@bicomsystems.com, and we can get a demo started.