A hole-in-one. A bull’s-eye. A ringer. A home run. Regardless of the name, there are plenty of activities out there that put a special premium on accomplishing something in just one action, and now, the contact center is discovering that value as well. Co-browsing technology provider LiveLook recently took a look at the new push sweeping contact centers: an improved focus on first-call resolution.
On the surface, first-call resolution offers a customer service plan of attack that's simply rational. Customers want fast responses, and fast resolutions, to problems; busy schedules simply won't allow for repeated contact with a business, and the business that can offer problem solving the fastest and most effectively is likely to get the business next time. Since businesses depend on customers to yield cash flow, it becomes particularly important to maintain that flow of customers. A new report from Multichannel Merchant showed just how important the idea of first-call resolution was becoming to many businesses; over 35 percent of respondents are now tracking first-call resolution as part of the standard suite of metrics, a number that's up almost double from the 18 percent who tracked it back in just 2013.
Yet at the same time, it may be that some are too focused on first-call resolution; reports suggest that some agents are overlooking particular issues in a bid to finish the call more rapidly. StellaService's Chris Vodola underscored that point, noting that, when there's a particular focus on speed, customer service reps will necessarily work to resolve a call quickly, addressing symptoms rather than causes and, in the long run, actually hurting the business by being required to focus on the wrong metric. Reps can't do the necessary research, or suggest several possible solutions, because the rep is required to focus on finishing a call quickly. Speed is not always the point in a first-call resolution situation, but rather, the overall success of the call determines that.
While slowing down can be a big help in terms of establishing first-call resolution, there are other points to consider as well. One, consider cross-training reps so that each has experience in multiple divisions and possible solution sets; this allows the same rep a better chance of handling different issues, which means less transferring of calls, less frustration for the caller, and a better overall chance at getting the call resolved on the first try. Two, keep a set of call logs; turning to customer relationship management (CRM) tools or the like can be a big help here, as with more information available about the customer, it allows customer service to spot certain issues when it comes to callers that seem to have patterns of calling into customer service. Three, actually ask the customer if the issue has been resolved. Getting that confirmation direct from the customer improves the chance that the outcome is satisfactory, and that first-call resolution has been achieved.
It's not always easy to get that first-call resolution, but it's also desirable. Every time a customer has to try again in the customer service arena, that increases frustration, and boosts the likelihood of a customer simply going somewhere else. Protecting against that issue, and accommodating the customers' increasingly tight schedule, means that first-call resolution is likely to be a top priority for an increasing number of contact centers. Getting it right the first time has never been so important to everyday operations.
Edited by Alisen Downey