Why Call Center Management Needs Proactive Feedback

There’s a lot to be said for feedback, no matter how it’s delivered. The angry customer communicating his frustration to call center management is just as valuable as the happy customer interacting with the agent on a regular basis. There is important information gathered in each of these interactions – information that can be used to improve performance.

For a number of professionals in call center management, there is a belief that they already have the necessary tools in place to gather needed feedback. These tools often consist of a live agent ready to answer the phone to listen to a customer, or call recording technology to capture the interaction for future use.

While these tools are necessary, they still miss out on valuable feedback that may be ready for the taking. Think about the last time you called into a call center to speak with an agent. You likely had a need to satisfy or a problem to fix. If you were satisfied with the interaction, you likely hung up the phone and went about your day. If the opposite is true, you may have let management know about it.

This information is helpful, but only for reactive purposes. Customers are more likely to speak up when they aren’t happy with an interaction. If they receive exactly what they need, they likely go on their way. Even if satisfied, however, would they have made an additional purchase if asked? Would they be interested in a complimentary product if they knew it were available? Do they love your service and just never express it?

A recent Monet Software blog highlighted this concept, stressing the importance of seeking out that valuable information at all times. Call center management should consider the implementation of a customer survey, asking questions that dig into every aspect of the contact center experience. This helps to capture a more complete picture of how each segment is functioning, especially as they relate to the center as a whole. It can also help to identify if specific action is needed at any point.

The aforementioned call recording is an important tool to have in place, as long as you do something with the information captured. This is where quality management comes into play – clear guidelines as to what needs to happen to ensure quality expectations are met. Expectations can be set for each element of the call, from greeting to etiquette to closing. It not only helps to assess agent performance, the capture of the customers reaction is business intelligence gold.

At the end of the day, call center management should never settle for no new is good news. Seek out the information you want to measure in each potential channel. In doing so, you’re better suited to gather the valuable data you need so you can proactively meet customer expectations and dominate the competition. 

Edited by Stefania Viscusi