Customer experience is constantly evolving.
In a recent article 5 Great Ways to Deflect Calls to Self-Service Channels, Keenan Samuelson defines call deflection as “the science of re-routing a customer call to an alternative service channel”.
Call deflections are what every contact center strives for, but few know the techniques that will prove success. Below, you can discover three successful strategies to implement call deflection in your contact center.
1. Ensure that customers can move without help
When customers need to resolve their issues, they don’t always want to talk to a customer service agent. In fact, some customers, introverted or just a little stubborn, prefer to solve their problems on their own or at least, be given the opportunity to try! This is something that you should take advantage of, as it might be just what you need to reduce the number of customers requesting assistance or advice from your contact center.
You could do this by compiling a comprehensive resource center or a library that explains and illustrates each process that can be performed by your customers in an easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide. You could also think of including a detailed F.A.Q. section that answers frequently asked customer queries. In your resource center, you should address all of the most common issues, mainly because they are the ones causing the most concern. Then, you could include sections dedicated to more specific topics that often prove problematic.
Once you have created this guide, you must ensure that it is easy for everyone to access it from anywhere. Be sure to place links, buttons or even pop-ups on each page that has content and refer specifically to the correct resource section. Ensuring that your customers have all of the relevant material at their disposal could help to have a call deflection as customers can solve their issues by themselves.
2. Offer your customers alternatives
There are different opinions and studies about the perfect entry point and widget to engage the customer to offer support. Here many industries make practical test and survey to discover the best solution for their situation. Furthermore, there is another very important thing and it is that you make sure to offer customer assistance options beyond the traditional calls to a contact center.
This is where the resource center and F.A.Q page could come into use or perhaps even a ChatBot or a Mobile App. Ensure that you display them prominently, preferably as the first option ahead of any call or live chat options. This way, those who would prefer to look up information on their own can do so, and you can be sure that they will find what they need. Every customer has different preferences when it comes to connecting with a contact center, so try to offer options that support everyone.
3. Let’s get digital
Now, if you want to have a successful call deflection, you should think of evolving your Customer service channels to include feature-rich customer engagement platforms which offer voice, video, text and social media chats. This will not only improve the customer service that you offer, but it will give you the opportunity to record every interaction that you have with your customers and then allow you to understand the most common issues, which are the foundation of every deflection strategy.
ChatBots are one of the most used mediums for dealing with customer related issues and many brands have made the transition to this technology in order to give their customers easy access to information, via messaging apps and virtual assistants. Despite being an emerging technology, it is becoming more and more sophisticated and is adapting to take on more complex tasks and becoming more knowledgeable.
This is the ideal solution, as it offers an almost instantaneous response to customers and also has the ability to educate them. Due to these aspects, it isn’t a surprise that ChatBots are one of the leading ways to have a call deflection. Now, you can incorporate ChatBots everywhere, from your website to your app or even your resource center, but ensure that they are visible and user friendly!
Below two additional articles that present best practices for reducing incoming call volume:
Call Deflection Strategy: How to Reduce Call Center Volume
5 Ways to Drive Calls Out of Your Call Center
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