Let’s be honest, no individual likes waiting in a queue. Whether it is in a bank or at the ticket counter or for that matter even getting a table in a restaurant, we all want fast and speedy services so that we can move on to our other tasks during the day. This is exactly what customers expect from call centers.
In this day and age, there are multiple communication channels using which customers can connect with businesses. Some of them include phone calls, live chat, chatbots, email, SMS, social media, WhatsApp, and online forums. In spite of the availability of so many channels, a majority of the customers still prefer and feel comfortable with customer service through phone calls by speaking to a live customer care agent.
According to a survey conducted by Longitude, a Financial Times Co., 54 percent of customers prefer live telephonic conversations when it comes to customer service. It also revealed that 21 percent of the customers would switch over to a new brand if they were unable to speak to a live agent. This is the reason why customer satisfaction and customer retention are of prime importance to call centers.
According to research by Forrester, acquiring a new customer would cost nearly 5 times more than retaining an existing customer. Also, a repeat customer would give more business than a newly acquired one. This is the reason why call centers must provide the services that the customers demand in order to retain them.
An effective means of customer retention is the autodial feature in the smart call center software. As the name suggests, the auto dialer is an efficient dialer available in the call center solution that is programmed to dial phone numbers automatically. Once the customer is connected to the call, the auto dialer routes the call to a live agent or plays a pre-recorded message to the customer.
Let us learn how call centers can optimize their services and enhance customer retention by acquiring robust call center solution features like auto dialer.
Callback option for customers in the call queue
The autodial feature in the smart call center software makes virtual queuing of customers possible. This option allows customers to still remain in the queue even when they disconnect the call because all the executives are busy with other calls. The IVR system in the smart call center software notes the incoming number of the customer. The auto dialer in the system ensures that the customer would receive a call back when their contact reaches an available agent or at a convenient time selected by them. This way the customer is happy as he/she still remains in the call queue and at the same time can carry out other tasks as well without wasting valuable time. It also helps the call centers in allocating the agents better.
Identifying and calling back priority customers
It is quite possible that the customer who has abandoned the call is a priority (VIP) customer. This can be identified from the incoming number which can be retrieved from the smart call center software. Once this is done, the auto dialer can schedule a call back to the priority customer as soon as an agent is available to take a call. The integrated CRM can provide key details of the customer to the agent which would make the conversation a more personalized and improved one.
Following a proactive approach
It may happen that during certain situations like power interruption, net banking and disruption, flight cancellations and blackouts, customers may face a lot of inconvenience and difficulty. This is when nearly all of them reach out to the customer care number which results in huge call volumes at once that are difficult for call centers to handle. These numerous incoming calls can be prevented by following a proactive approach using the autodial feature in the smart call center software. The auto dialer may call all customers one by one and once the call is connected, the customer is connected to an IVR which informs the customer about the situation with an expected wait time for resolution. This way, the number of incoming calls would be significantly reduced, thus saving valuable time as well as cost. Also, the customers would be informed in real-time about the situation without the need for them to speak to a customer care executive.
If you are looking for a feature-rich call center solution, get in touch with us.
