In the present age of technology, people have found an easy way to connect with their friends, colleagues and family via the Internet. But ironically, despite this ability to connect easily, the emotional disconnect is rising fast. Friends on Facebook are not really friends; Twitter is filled with limelight hoggers and regardless of the warmth of comments on YouTube, there is a real dearth of actual heart-felt care in the virtual world.
The Dangers of Human Disconnect in Call Center Service
Given this trend of human disconnect amongst people, it is only logical to worry about such uncaring behavior seeping into the world of customer services. And, if you are worried that such indifferent behavior will hurt your relationship with your customers, then your worries are not misplaced.
In these times of lack of emotional sympathy, you need to be doubly cautious while providing call center services. Especially if you have outsourced or looking to outsource your business, you should partner with a vendor that can actually close the distance between you and your customers instead of driving a wedge into the relationship.
Some of the immediate dangers of human disconnect can manifest in the form of:
- Long hold times – If your hold times are longer than usual, it might indicate that your agents are dealing with customers properly. They may be putting customers’ calls on hold when there is no need for it. Such indiscretions are done by agents when they are either overwhelmed by a particular customer or issue, or want to indulge in some personal activity e.g. using their smartphones or just dozing off.
- Low first call resolution percentage – If your FCR ratings are waning, it can reflect that your agents are not giving the due importance to customers’ issues on the first call.
- Too many escalation calls – When agents do not want to work, they often pass on the responsibility of resolving an issue to their superiors. If you find too many simple issues getting escalated without logical reasons, it can point to the carefree attitude of your agents.
- Dwindling CSAT scores – Customers provide good ratings only once they are completely satisfied on the call. Often times, customer skip filling up the CSAT form or give bad ratings even when the issue is resolved because they found agents’ attitude unpleasant. So, if your CSAT scores are going down, you should always check its cause and ensure that it is not due to agent apathy.
Finding the Right Vendor That Can Close the Distance with Customers
Whether you are running an in-house call center or utilizing call center outsourcing services, you should always acknowledge the warning signs mentioned above at their onset. The easiest way to fix the problem of agent apathy is by partnering with a caring call center outsourcing services provider. Below are some qualities of a competent call center services provider:
- Completely scalable – When there is too much pressure on a call center department, agents become apathetic towards their customers. Hence, always partner with a vendor that can increase the number of agents to handle your process according to the increasing number of customer contacts.
- Good training capabilities – Training lays down the foundation of good agent behavior. Ensure that your outsourcing partner has good trainers that can educate the agents on empathy and rapport building in the initial stages of their career. Well-trained agents can give a boost to your brand image and help your business grow.
- Strong leaders – The responsibility of guiding agents after training lies solely on managers and TLs. Ensure that the outsourcing partner has good leaders in their ranks before employing its services.