One of the biggest challenges faced by contact centers is managing waiting times. Long waiting times can lead to customer frustration, decreased satisfaction, and even a loss of business.
Let’s learn about how to reduce waiting time and various approaches that can help you provide better service to your customers.
What is the ideal wait time in a contact center?
There is no single answer to this question because the ideal waiting time can vary depending on many factors such as:
- The type of business,
- The customer’s call purpose,
- Customer persona.
There is a popular rule for contact centers: 80/20. This rule suggests that you should receive at least 80% of calls in 20 seconds.
However, as previously discussed, a single rule is not suitable for every business.
But we can generally assume that no customer wants to wait too long before talking to an agent. Therefore, regardless of the type of business, you should keep waiting times as short as possible.
Why do customers have to wait?
Several reasons make customers wait while calling a contact center:
- A high volume of calls, especially during seasonal peaks.
- There may not be sufficient agents available.
- Unexpected technical issues.
How to reduce waiting time in a contact center
Here are some ways to help reducing waiting time and keep your customers happy:
1. Improve the self-service options
Provide your customers with self-service options such as:
- Online portals,
- FAQ pages,
- Voice responses,
- Chatbots.
These self-service options ensure that customers can quickly and easily resolve their inquiries without the need for human interaction.
Another benefit of self-service options is that they reduce the number of incoming calls. By investing in self-service options, you can both reduce waiting times and increase customer satisfaction.
2. Hire more staff
With more staff available to handle calls, the workload can be distributed more evenly, reducing customer wait times.
In addition, more staff means more flexibility in managing unexpected events, such as spikes in call volumes or technical issues. Thus, you can ensure that customers are not left waiting for extended times.
However, it is important to note that hiring more staff is a costly investment. You need to ensure that the benefits of doing so outweigh the additional costs.
3. Train your staff
Proper training can help agents handle calls more efficiently, reducing the time that customers have to wait. For instance, training agents to quickly identify customer needs, actively listen, and provide prompt solutions can help to reduce the duration of calls.
Also, training your agents to use call center software and tools helps to streamline the call-handling process. It allows them to manage inquiries more efficiently.
Agents who are well-trained can effectively handle complex inquiries, which in turn reduces wait times even further.
4. Use a queuing system
A queuing system is a technology that manages the order in which calls are answered and distributes them to available agents. This system can help prioritize calls and ensure that customers are handled in the optimal order.
Queuing systems can also provide agents with real-time information on
- The number of customers waiting,
- The duration of their wait,
- The nature of their inquiries.
This can assist agents in managing their time more efficiently, and can decrease wait times.
5. Use appointment scheduling
Instead of waiting on hold for an agent, you can allow customers to schedule appointments in advance. This ensures agents are available to handle inquiries on time, reducing customer wait times.
By scheduling appointments, you can also:
- Distribute the workload more evenly,
- Allow agents to handle calls more effectively,
- Reduce waiting times for customers who do need to call in.
This can also help improve the overall customer experience.
6. Monitor your call center metrics
Monitoring call center metrics can help reduce wait times in a contact center by identifying areas of improvement. You can identify trends and areas where agents might need additional training or support by tracking metrics such as:
- Average hold time,
- Average handle time,
- First call resolution rate.
Additionally, monitoring these metrics can help you identify the times that experience the highest call volume, which can assist in scheduling agents appropriately in the future.
It is important to continually monitor and adjust contact center operations to ensure that resources are being used effectively.
7. Utilize AI-powered tools
AI-powered tools like voice bots and virtual assistants can direct customers to the right resources, reducing the number of calls that agents need to handle. They can also improve call handling efficiency.
AI solutions can also help to:
- Optimize call routing,
- Direct inquiries to the appropriate agents based on the nature of the inquiry.
This allows you to reduce the overall volume of calls and wait times for customers who do need to call in.
Reducing wait times in contact centers is crucial to providing an excellent customer experience. By implementing the strategies we have outlined above, you can significantly reduce wait times and improve the effectiveness of your contact centers.
Contact Call Center Studio today to reduce waiting times with increased operational efficiency thanks to its features.
