Best Call Center Improvement Ideas

Your call center may run like clockwork, but it still doesn’t mean you should become complacent. In this day and age, customers are more demanding than ever, and there’s no harm in improving your customer service. 

Fortunately, you don’t need to look far to discover methods of important customer service. You can do so by implementing some of our call center improvement ideas.

1. Incorporate AI in your call center

Artificial intelligence is no longer a buzzword. Most successful businesses depend on it for their daily operations. Call centers are no different and most customers prefer to see some form of AI-fueled automation in their interactions with call centers.

This may include integrating conversational AI or conversation intelligence to provide a better service, especially if you’re short-staffed. Call center AI tools can also help figure out more balanced and efficient responses through personalized customer experience, as well as allow for a larger number of customer-agent interactions in a fraction of the time. 

2. Measure the right KPIs

When it comes to call center improvement ideas, you should consider tracking the most important metrics. This may help you discover problem areas and identify any bottlenecks that are getting in the way of a top-notch service. 

Multiple KPIs will help you assess where improvements may be necessary, some of which include:

• Average waiting time
• Hold times
• First contact resolution 
• Average call length
• First response time

These are all areas that have a major effect on your overall customer experience. Using the resulting data, you can identify areas of concern and apply the right solutions to eliminate the problem at its core. 

Plus, these KPIs can also help you identify what’s working well, which is something you can use to enhance even further and reward high-performing agents. 

3. Implement new communication channels

Omnichannel customer service is all the rage right now. While calls still reign supreme, particularly when dealing with complex queries, more and more customers are becoming open to new methods of communicating with your business. 

This includes email, social media, SMS, live chat, and chatbots. These are all channels that customers will use if you simply offer them. This holds true primarily for Millennials or Gen Z who prefer chatting with the call center agents as opposed to calling them.

It’s worth noting that if you do start an omnichannel customer service center, you need to see to it that it stays as efficient. A customer should always be routed to the right agent. Reaching the wrong department is a recipe for disaster as the customer will grow more frustrated, all the while your call center traffic will snowball and slow down your entire operations. 

4. Create specific buyer personas

To ensure a positive customer experience, you should develop an entire customer journey map. Having clear information on how callers interact with your contact center will undoubtedly help you understand them, allowing you to improve their experience and make them more likely to come back. This can boost not only your marketing ROI but also your revenue.

So where do you start? 

An effective customer journey map can only be created if you first identify different buyer personas, including those for brand-new customers. Create a target customer persona and add key details that reveal who they are, what they want, and what their habits are. 

Using this information, agents can provide a better service and address the caller’s specific needs regardless of where they are in their customer journey. 

5. Review your workflows periodically

No matter the experience and training of your agents, bottlenecks can always arise and it’s not uncommon for even the most effective call centers to hit a roadblock. Since any inefficiencies can cause delays and lead to dissatisfaction among the customers, stressed-out agents, and even worse, lost revenue, you should review your workflows periodically to eliminate any potential issues.

Incorporating new practices sure helps, but you can also use specialized call center software that helps refine the day-to-day operations. 

6. Measure your Net Promoter Score (NPS)

As we already said, enhancing your service quality is an ongoing process. This means you need a standardized way to measure customer satisfaction. One such metric is the Net Promoter Score (NPS), used to measure the quality of customer service and allows you to figure out how it impacts your overall customer loyalty and experience. 

NPS can uncover problem areas and also grow your revenue through upselling. By improving this metric, you can increase your bottom line and be head and shoulders above your competition. 

7. Motivate your agents

The last of our call center improvement ideas has everything to do with your hard-working agents. Those who lack motivation are not likely to stay loyal to your company. Many call centers lose money because of the excessive employee turnover, which requires them to waste money recruiting and training new agents. 

Considering the average price of replacing one employee can be as high as $15k, with a turnover rate of 30%, you’ll lose $300k every year. 

To reduce employee churn, you should strive to motivate your agents while they're working. The happier your agents are, the more satisfied they’ll be with your company. Ultimately, this may even boost their overall performance. 

Use your instincts and knowledge of your workforce to find the optimal motivational tool. Here are some things you could try:

• Craft and deploy an engaging training program
• Put into practice modern communication tools
• Start a recognition program
• Offer gifts and incentives to motivate call center agents

Everyone loves being appreciated, and if your agents feel their work is recognized, they are more likely to stick around for the long haul. 

You can do better

With these call center improvement ideas, you can introduce changes that will yield results on all levels - from keeping customers and agents happy to growing your bottom line. 

Changes are always hard, but as human beings, it’s in our nature to thrive outside of our comfort zones. Making an effort to improve different areas of your contact center will be worth it in the long run, despite the initial pushback you may receive.

Remember - you can always do better.