6 Simple Ways to Save Minutes in the Contact Center

Nowhere is the phrase “time is money” more accurate than in the contact center. Every second counts when agents are answering customers questions. According to the Customer Experience Impact Report by Harris Interactive, the top two reasons for client loss are that customers feel they are being treated poorly and failure to solve a problem in a timely manner. So, how can you be certain your agents are being as productive as possible, ultimately saving you time and money? Check out these 6 simple contact center time savers:

Automate customer identification and verification

If you are looking to shave minutes off Average Handling Times, look no further than an automated identification and verification system. Achieved through the use of automated two-factor authentication and voice biometrics technology, organizations can also use this opportunity to cut down on spam calls and security threats.

Build voice automation

Interactive Voice Response Routing (IVR) is just one example of voice automation technology that can save you time and money. Voice automation allows for speech recognition, text-to-speech services, voice biometrics and other inbound and outbound campaigns. Furthermore, voice automation can be used to supplement workforce automation or work independently. Either way, it’s instant access to data, notifications, and surveys.

Define your call center metrics

If you can chart the effectiveness of programs, tools, and technology in your contact center, you are on your way to saving time. Defining call center metrics is a great way to determine what is relevant and irrelevant to your business. Identifying where your organization excels (and needs improvement) is the first step in creating greater efficiency.

Get precise routing

Saving time is all about getting customers to the right agent that can answer their questions in a timely manner. Knowing this, accurate routing should be on the top of your list if you are looking to save minutes in the contact center. Routing allows you to allocate more experienced agents to complex streams. Even before the agent accepts a call, with precise routing, they can see where it’s coming from and what the issue is.

Invest in Training

Training provides a solid foundation of knowledge for agents to confidently handle complex inquiries without escalation. Look at training as an investment. An informed customer won’t need to call back, they’ll get their issues taken care of right away, freeing up lines for new callers.

Offer a call-back service

Offering a call-back service is a win-win for customers and organizations alike! Less on-hold calls means fewer frustrated customers and frazzled agents. No contact center likes to see clogged queues and skewed metrics. A call-back service will only help free up space.As you can see, there are many contact center time savers that can save you minutes each hour. Small changes often have a big impact on your overall efficiency. Start by making small changes. If you’re looking for more contact center time savers, contact our customer care team... we're here to help!