Call Center Scheduling Featured Article
Call Center Scheduling Should Get the Right Agents on the Phone at the Right Time
Can you remember the last time you contacted a company with a complicated request and had to be passed from one agent to another until someone could help you? It can be frustrating when it happens too often, especially if you have to repeat the situation to each agent who comes on the line. Wouldn’t it be great if the contact center could do something with call center scheduling to make sure that was the exception and not the norm?
From the perspective of the contact center manager, the complicated calls can lead to frustration and they aren’t always desired. They can, however, offer learning opportunities and point to areas where technology or special attention to call center scheduling is needed. The key is to understand the metrics that play into mitigating frustration and providing the right agent for the call at the right time.
First, it’s important to understand those elements that keep the call from escalating in the first place. Agents need to be courteous to the caller, demonstrate good business etiquette, use positive language and identify exactly what the customer needs. Next, agents need to be equipped to handle the complex request. Whether it’s making a decision that isn’t in the script or providing a solution outside of the norm, agents must be able to calm the upset customer and get quickly to a resolution.
Call center scheduling is often used to ensure agents are on the clock according to the demands of the center and the availability of the agent. To truly drive the desired results, supervisors should also schedule according to the capabilities of the agent. Can he or she easily calm the upset customer? Are they able to truly get to the heart of the frustration or simply tell the customer what he wants to hear? The goal is to get to a resolution that satisfies the goals of the center and meets the expectations of the customer.
A recent Impact Learning article offered insight on how to handle challenging customer calls. Agents should focus on being humble, even if the customer is in the wrong. The agent should also focus on the solution, getting to the heart of what will satisfy the customer. In doing so, the agent needs to remain poised, regardless of the actions or words of the customer. Finally, the agent needs to avoid being defensive as the ultimate goal is to serve customers.
When all agents are trained to properly handle those frustrating calls, call center scheduling will adequately accommodate the needs of your environment. If not, schedule in such a way that those more experienced agents are ready to turn that frustrated customer into a happy customer.
Edited by Stefania Viscusi