Call Center Scheduling Featured Article
Call Center Messaging Technologies Vital During Coronavirus Crisis
One of the first rules of call center scheduling is being able to handle fluctuations and sudden increases in call volume, whether due to seasonal traffic or unexpected emergencies and disasters. While not unexpected, the coronavirus certainly falls into the emergency and disaster categories, and many call centers, particularly those in the healthcare and travel industries, are being inundated.
Technology can play a major role in a crisis, and that includes the current coronavirus scare. Managers can only schedule so many agents during a time of ongoing panic and crisis, but tools like automation and streaming audio and hold and recorded messaging can play an important role in alleviating call volume and reassuring panicked callers.
“The coronavirus scare is causing certain segments of our customer base to be overwhelmed with inbound calls from worried customers – health care and travel in particular,” said Julie Brown, CEO of Easy on Hold. “Callers are reaching out to get immediate answers and to talk with a real human, but if the contact center isn’t properly staffed, calls are put on hold without the right information or experience, or sent to voicemail. That’s unsettling in a crisis situation.”
Easy on Hold specializes in providing telephone greetings and on-hold marketing messages for its customers, who include healthcare and medical companies as well as travel and retail services clients. The company stresses that phone technologies can play an important role during a crisis like the coronavirus, offering a lifeline to panicked callers desperate for reassurance. Tools like streaming phone on hold messages can provide important information and updates when customer service agents are being swarmed by increased call volume, helping to clear up phone queues quickly and resolve issues faster.
“Think through all the possible caller expectations and messaging that you may possibly need in a crisis, including contact center staffing, phone tree design, even the recordings you’ll require, and how you’ll achieve them,” said Brown. “Many companies want their customers and stakeholders to know that they do have a robust communications plan in place.”
Crisis communication managers in particular should place close attention to their phone messaging and technology strategies. While call center scheduling and staffing are important, particularly during a time of crisis, phone system tools can play an equally critical role.
Easy on Hold’s solutions include contact center queue technologies that enable managers to create crisis messaging and pre-load it to play either on the fly, or on a specific schedule. Emergency messages may be played more often than other content using streaming technology, allowing managers to tightly control messaging and address callers’ concerns.
“Manage the caller experience well and you will earn trust and loyalty, and maintain control of their brand’s messaging,” added Brown. “Your caller picked up the phone to talk to you because they’re anxious. Reassure them with current information and confidence that you've thought of everything – including their calls.”
Easy on Hold customers include Expedia, Frontier Communications, Mitel (News - Alert), OpenTable and T-Mobile.
Edited by Maurice Nagle