Britannia, a building society, has rolled out Netcall’s hosted QueueBuster service to its Bristol contact center. This launch is in an attempt to provide customers with an alternative to waiting in telephone queues during business periods.


QueueBuster provides customers with the option of requesting a callback from the next available agent, instead of waiting on hold. Such an option is often provided by contact centers in an effort to improve the experience for the customer, especially during peak calling periods.

This latest roll out by Britannia follows the successful introduction of QueueBuster to its call center in Leek, Staffordshire in 2006. The solution was put in place to take the pressure off of the contact center and reduce waiting time for callers.

As a result, QueueBuster contributed to the improved operational performance and customer satisfaction during a period of unprecedented growth for the UK’s second largest mutual building society.

Britannia acquired 700,000 new customers in 2006 as a result of its £150m purchase of the former Bristol & West savings business and branch network and the increased sales of mortgages, person loans, investment and insurance in an intensely competitive market.

Britannia expanded the use of the QueueBuster service to the Brtisol contact center as it handles direct sales and savings and investment inquiries. As a result of this implementation, Britannia can gear up for further growth by offering all callers an alternative to waiting in line on the phone to talk with a representative.

Gerard Hearson, Contact Centre Analyst at Britannia commented in a Wednesday statement: “While QueueBuster has helped us to reduce abandoned calls and to maintain our service levels during busy periods, the real value of the service has been the improved customer satisfaction that it has helped to deliver.”

“Our customers have given QueueBuster glowing reviews. By extending the service to our Bristol contact centre, we can maintain our commitment to providing an excellent experience for every caller,” Hearson concluded.

A customer calling into the contact center may or may not have a frustrating problem needing resolution, but he or she may be well frustrated by the time a live agent gets on the phone if the waiting period exceeded the time within the customer’s tolerance level.

While every customer may have a difference tolerance for waiting on hold, the reality in this “always-on” society is that consumers have consistently less patience when it comes to dealing with companies. As a result, these contact centers must find alternatives to waiting on hold.

The QueueBuster is a great alternative to allow the customer to continue to go about his or her day until the call can be returned. The customer is likely to be less frustrated on the phone, enabling the contact center agent to deliver better service and the overall experience can be improved.

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Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMC (News - Alert) and has also written for eastbiz.com. To see more of her articles, please visit Susan J. Campbell’s columnist page.

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