Reducing call center volume should be a priority for Contact Center Operation optimization.
For some though, it might seem counterintuitive considering that contact centers or call centers are meant to answer calls.
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The main reason we have contact centers is to help customers that may have encountered roadblocks to what they want to achieve. Call deflection is a way for you to proactively achieve that. However, there is a right way and a wrong way to do call deflection.
The most important thing is you shouldn’t make it difficult or impossible for customers to reach you. Contrary to what the name might seem to suggest, that’s not what call deflection is about. That will just lead to client disappointment. Done correctly, call deflection can both improve your call center’s efficiency and increase customer satisfaction at the same time.
Here are some Contact Center optimization tactics you can include in your call deflection strategy to help manage inbound volume.
1. Make self-service easy and convenient
Not everyone wants to talk to a customer service agent to resolve their issues. In fact, for customers who are more on the introverted side, they would prefer to solve issues on their own, given the chance. This is an opportunity you can take advantage of to reduce your contact center’s volume of calls or requests for assistance.
You can enrich web self serviceby either putting a comprehensive resource center or library where each process that can be performed by your clients are explained and illustrated in detail, step-by-step, or through your F.A.Q. section. Start by first addressing all the common issues and questions and then you can address the rest later.
2. Include links to self-help on each page and process
Self-help channels should be accessible from everywhere. Instead of letting the customers click your “contact us” page to find the link that goes to your resource center, you can just place links or buttons or even pop-ups on each page or process that displays content refer specifically to that page or process.
If a page contains possible multiple processes that may not be too closely related to each other, popups can be quite helpful as you can put certain support links close to the title of the process which prompts a popup about that specific process if you mouseover or click it.
3. Provide alternatives in your help center
Some websites have their own “help center” or “customer services area” in their website separate from their contact page. It doesn’t matter though whether you have them separately or everything is in the contact us page. The important thing is make sure you show the other options to get customer assistance.
If you have a resource center or F.A.Q., be sure to display it prominently ahead of the live chat or calling options. This way, those who would prefer to look up information on their own can be directed to do so.
4. Optimize as you go
This can be applied as soon as everything is set up. You can optimize pages or customer processes as soon as you start receiving support calls. As soon as you receive complaints or inquiries about a particularly confusing or ineffective process or page, you can take the opportunity to optimize it right after you receive the complaint.
You can assign a person in your backend team that will handle modifications to processes or pages as soon as they come up which allows you to optimize within the same day or week. By doing this, you can avoid similar support requests in the future.
Conclusion
As you have seen in the previous points, call deflection isn’t about avoiding calls or requests for support. Rather, it’s a way to cater to all your customers’ preferences when it comes to giving them channels to get customer support. Summarizing in a few short words, the essence of call deflection is proactively addressing issues and giving your customers alternative channels to solve issues or doubts.
An effective call deflection strategy doesn’t just lead to reduced call center volume of contact requests, which lead to cut costs but it also allows you to give the best user experience through optimization of your website and processes.
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