Archive for June, 2018

From Call-Based to Multichannel – a History of Contact Centers

Posted on: June 26th, 2018 by Dóra Rapcsák No Comments

The term ’call center’ is still how people often refer to customer care and contact centers. Sometimes one even hears the amusing and contradictory expression “to write an email to the call center”. However, it is worth remembering that our industry did all really start with call centers.

Evolution is a process that can be observed in the world of business and technology as much as anywhere else, with businesses adapting and changing over time in response to growing expectations and requirements. And, as telephones have evolved and turned into the pocket-size multichannel communication gadgets they are today, the industry built around the use of these devices has also changed beyond recognition. But, just for a moment, let’s go back to the beginning.

Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you

The question of who invented the telephone is a topic which has generated much controversy, as there were many parties working on the invention of a voice-transmitting telegraph device at roughly the same time, with varying degrees of success. However, what is known for sure is that even though many inventors were working on voice- and speech-transmitting devices using different technology, the first to patent the telephone was Alexander Graham Bell in 1876.

The first message transmitted over the telephone was Bell’s call to his assistant, Thomas Augustus Watson: “Mr. Watson, come here! I want to see you!”. November 1877 saw the birth of the first commercial telephone company, and 11 years later the Hungarian inventor Tivadar Puskás introduced the multiplex switchboard, which revolutionized the telephone industry and telephone exchanges, and helped spread and popularize telephones. More and more of these devices found their way into people’s homes, and as the telephone network grew rapidly during the 20th century, contacting people from the comfort of one’s own home became second nature.

The rise of call centers

The history of call centers goes all the way back to the 1950s and 1960s. The Birmingham Press and Mail (based in Birmingham, UK) was the earliest example of a functioning call center, with rows of agents handling customer queries thanks to the PABX and ACD systems used at the time to filter and assign calls to the most suitable agent. In the 1970s and 1980s, call centers became established to help carry out tasks such as receiving orders for products, confirming airline reservations, and supporting sales (which in turn helped lead to the beginning of telemarketing as a concept).

Seeing the success of call centers and their impact on business, larger companies soon started to also establish their own call centers, with agents providing both support and information to customers, as well as performing tele sales activities. In 1985 the Direct Line insurance company was the first organization to start selling insurance policies entirely over the phone, and many other companies (such as retail companies, who took orders over the phone) soon followed this business model, helping them to save time and costs as they no longer needed large numbers of local representatives and offices to engage with their customers. And with the continuing development of technology through the introduction of the Internet, emails, and cable TV, new communication channels and call center possibilities continued to open up for businesses and retailers.

From ‘call’ to ‘contact’

The 1990s and 2000s brought both new communications channels and new changes in terms as well. Instead of “call centers” companies started referring to their customer care points as “contact centers”, as customers could now make contact with organizations via email or forms on a company’s website, as well as via the telephone. The growth of contact centers meant not only the use of more channels to communicate with end users but also the growth of company expectation in this field, in particular, the need to measure agents’ work efficiency.

With the subsequent introduction of key performance indicators and service level agreements, the rows of agents accepting incoming calls or selling apparel and insurance over the phone became a more complicated technical challenge, and while in the 1960s and 1970s agents had merely hung up their telephones at the end of the day, the contact centers of the 1990s and 2000s were built up using expert on-premises and hosted solutions.

And as the 2000s continued, and the new concept of cloud computing technology became increasingly popular, it became only a matter of time before this latest technology also made its mark on the contact center industry in the form of flexible possibilities for contact centers in the form of Infrastructure-as-a-Service, Platform-as-a-Service, and Software-as-a-Service solutions.

Why use one channel, when you can use them all?

As people began to find being told how they could reach their service providers and retailers increasingly unacceptable, consumer preferences for contacting such organizations soon started shifting to the new instant messaging, chat, social media, and web channels. As such, contact centers were forced to change and adapt to these new communication demands, and thus the 2010s has become the era of multichannel communications.

The flexibility and security of cloud technology have made it possible to integrate several communication channels into one platform, allowing contact centers to be able to communicate with customers using the same solution, regardless of how the center is contacted. End users, on the other hand, are now able to place an order online, pay for a service during a phone call, follow up their order status in an SMS, and provide feedback on social media.

As social habits and patterns change, so does the need for businesses to evolve and adapt to the new requirements the general public has. This is especially true for the contact center industry, where answering people’s questions and needs are at the core of all activities. Contact centers deal with the extremely hard task of supporting organizations’ and companies’ businesses and helping them to achieve their goals, but at the same time, they need to respond to the communication trends and expectations of end users and customers.

While in the 1960s placing a telephone call was a sufficient means of communication for people, the boom in social media’s popularity today means that, for contact centers, it is no longer enough to just pick up the phone. Contact centers today are expected to provide the flexibility in communication their customers expect, and as we all know, a happy customer means happy business.

Data Analytics: Why It’s Crucial For Your Call Center

Posted on: June 21st, 2018 by Dóra Rapcsák No Comments

We live in a world where over half of the population is connected to the internet, and 9 out of 10 users access their chosen platforms via mobile devices. The amount of data shared every day – up to 2.5 million terabytes – is astonishing. Data analytics is essential.

Building exceptional customer experience is the backbone of every call center, and meaningful data analytics can definitely make things easier. In fact, customer service works best when it’s driven by data.

At a call center, data is everywhere: agent average talk time, average handling time, proportion of closed deals or first call resolution are all examples of important call center metrics that are readily available. However, one thing is to gather data, another thing is to actually make good use of it.

In this article, we’ll highlight how data analytics can help your business provide exceptional customer experience as well as increase your sales performance.

Personalized customer service

As huge amounts of data are being generated by customers using different channels, forward-thinking companies have already started to utilize this information to deliver more personalized customer experience.

Proper analysis of customer data is the first step in understanding your customers. In fact, data analytics will allow you to better understand your customers’ behaviors and needs, and thus add personalization to your customer service.

For instance, by identifying which questions your customers are commonly asking, you can set up a knowledge base on your website, and let your customers look up the information they needed, without having to contact your customer service reps. As a result, the number of your incoming calls will reduce, and your agents will be able to focus on more complex issues.

It’s a common practice at call centers to record customer calls for training purposes. So, make sure to analyze these recorded calls (make sure to comply with GDPR!) to identify recurring issues your customers are experiencing. Once you identified the most common recurring issues, try and fix them before they become bigger problems.

Furthermore, check out online reviews and social media platforms to find out what customers are saying about the quality of your customer service and use these insights to create a more tailored experience for them.

Increase customer loyalty

According to a research conducted by Bain & Co, acquiring new customers is 5 times as costly as retaining existing ones. In the customer service industry, therefore, customer loyalty is above all.

As we all know, nothing cultivates customer loyalty as much as efficient customer experience. When your customers need support, your agents need to address their issues as quickly and as painless as possible.

In today’s competitive business environment, it’s more than difficult to earn customers’ trust. When your customers, however, need help and it is offered in an efficient way, chances are that the positive experience will increase their trust in your business.

Furthermore, as already mentioned, forward-thinking call centers have already realized that their recorded calls – containing valuable data – can be used for a lot more than training purposes.

These days, technologies, such as speech analytics, is able to analyze the caller’s tone, vocabulary, and sentiment, while identifying which agents are not treating your customers properly.

The level of success or difficulty that specific agents experience with various types of calls can also help you better understand which of your agents are best suited to handle certain calls.

Increase cross-sell and upsell

Applying meaningful data analytics can play a key role in improving customer service as well as increasing sales performance.

During telesales campaigns, when your agents are offering products, or additional services to your customers, it’s essential for them to understand which offers are relevant for them.

In short, the secret here is to offer products to your customers that match their preferences. But how do you know what are their preferences?

By using data analytics, you’ll be able to examine the patterns in the customer’s past behavior, correlate this information with similar customers, and then identify potential products and services that may be relevant for your customers.

With relatively uncomplicated data analytics, such as purchase history, you’ll be able to identify your customers’ preferences and needs. Such information will definitely help your agents cross or upsell products that are the most relevant to your customers.

By applying meaningful data analytics, call centers can create more personalized customer experience, increase customer loyalty and improve sales performance. So, don’t just sit on your data goldmine, start utilizing it by following our pro tips!

How GDPR Affects Call Recording – Everything You Need to Know

Posted on: June 20th, 2018 by Dóra Rapcsák 8 Comments

On May 25 this year, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force. But this is only the beginning, as organizations will need to make sure that everything they implement from now on complies with the new regulation.

Even though GDPR is now in effect, many organizations are still trying to determine what their obligations are under the new rules (if you’re still unclear whether your call center is GDPR compliant or not, then hurry up and make sure you check out our GDPR checklist for call centers!).

Perhaps one of the most confusing areas of the new rules – which is causing headache for many businesses – remains the handling, processing, and maintaining of recorded calls. As we all know, call recording is a common call center practice, with many benefits to a call center. But when it comes to recording agent calls, are you sure that your call center is playing by the rules?

In this article, we’ll discuss how the new legislation affects call recording, and how you can ensure that your call center is processing call recording in accordance with these new rules.

Call recording under GDPR

The main aim of GDPR is to strengthen data protection across the EU, while giving people more control over how organizations can use their personal data. In fact, although you might not think so, voice files are considered personal data as they can include personal information, such as the caller’s name, address or financial information. As a result, call recording is classified as a form of ‘data processing’, and falls under the new rules covered by GDPR.

Although call recording was already classified as a form of “data processing” under the Data Protection Act of 1998 (DPA), GDPR brought some significant changes to the table, and call centers will definitely need to take them into consideration if they plan to continue recording their calls.
Under DPA, tacit consent was assumed as long as customers were informed about the purpose of the recording, and were given the option to opt out. Under GDPR, however, the consent of the individual to be recorded can now not simply be assumed. As a result, the often-used “calls are recorded for training purposes” messages will no longer be enough to gain consent to record agent calls.

With GDPR in force, call centers need to ensure that customers give specific and unambiguous consent to be recorded. Furthermore, organizations will need to justify that their purpose for recording calls fulfills one of the conditions below:

  1. Individual(s) involved in the call have given their consent to be recorded (oral acceptance during the call, consent after receiving a message, or consent as part of a customer agreement)
  2. Recording is required to fulfill a contract to which the individual is a party
  3. Recording is required to fulfill a legal obligation to which the recorder is subject
  4. Recording is required to protect the interests of one or more participants
  5. Recording is in the public interest
  6. Recording is in the recorder’s interest unless those interests are less important than the interests of the individuals in the call

Be prepared

As GDPR is now in force, we trust that your company already ensured that your customer calls recording are running as outlined above. But unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that your work ends there. Besides gaining specific consent from customers, call centers – and organizations as a whole – need to be able to recall any audio files on request, and provide customers with requested personal information within one month of the request.

Furthermore, under GDPR, companies are now required to delete customers’ personal data upon request – known as the ‘right to be forgotten’. As a result, all data – including recorded calls – must be easily available, and if a call center is unable to deliver or delete data within the requested time frame, it could lead to heavy penalties for the organization.

In contrast, many call recording solutions, typically encrypt all information in a call, thus making deleting calls from them costly in terms of time and effort. As such, in order to be able to make recorded calls easily accessible, the implementation of technology tools able to handle these demands is an absolute must.

In addition, once you have a top-notch technology solution in place, don’t forget to educate your staff about GDPR. Addressing GDPR on these two fronts will make all the difference.

Sum up

GDPR clearly represents a significant challenge for any call center. However, if you play by the rules, you can be sure that your call center will still be able to benefit from data collected via call recording while remaining compliant with the new legislation.

Read our practical GDPR GUIDE and make sure your contact center is compliant! 

Gen Z in Call Centers: How to Motivate the New Generation

Posted on: June 19th, 2018 by Dóra Rapcsák No Comments

As the saying goes, “time flies in the blink of an eye”: with millennials already in their 30s, a new generation of employees are now entering the workforce. And many of the most forward-thinking businesses have already started to pave the way for this new generation, known as Generation Z.

Generation Z, born in 1995 or later, are likely to completely transform workplace norms in the future, so organizations in general need to understand what makes their future employees tick in order to keep them motivated and help companies grow.

Call centers, in particular, will need to be aware of this. Attracted by relatively high salaries and flexible working hours, many fresh Gen Z graduates will start their careers in a call center. So, like it or not, as a call center leader, you too have to understand what motivates the newest members in the labor market.

To help you out, in this article we’re going to talk about five notable Gen Z characteristics, and show you how you can keep Gen Z’ers motivated in your call center. So, here we go with the A-Z on Gen Z!

A career-focused generation

Although many millennial consider call centers a temporary workplace until they find something they perceive as being more substantial, it seems that Generation Z are in general a lot more career-conscious. Having grown up in a connected world, and with access to infinite amounts of information from a very early age, they better understand what careers are available, and which might be best for them.

Their commitment to the career concept will result in them being excellent customer service representatives, as they will be aware of the value of going the extra mile to excel at their job, rather than settling for less.

On the other hand, as Z’ers are more career-focused, they will require a greater level of attention from their employers. With high career aspirations and a continuous desire for improvement, they will definitely refuse to be just another cog in a call center.

Therefore, as a call center manager, you will need to ensure that your Gen Z agents have clearly-laid out promotions paths for a potential career in a call center. Always bear in mind that this generation doesn’t necessarily plan for the long term: if you don’t support them in their career growth, they’ll simply use your company as a stepping stone and utilize the knowledge they gather at another organization.

Up-to-date technology

Generation Z is the first generation to grow up as digital natives. In fact, for the emerging new generation, technology is at the heart of life. These kids were practically born with a tablet in their hands (rather than a silver spoon in their mouths), so it’s no surprise that they cannot imagine a world without smart gadgets.

Is this a bad thing? Well, in our opinion, the answer is NO. These kids know exactly how to utilize technology to make their lives easier. And they are ready to bring this tech-savvy approach to their workplace.

Unsurprisingly then, poor levels of technology at a workplace is one of the most frustrating factors for Generation Z’ers, and you can be sure that outdated technology tools will make them want to move on. So, to keep your Gen Z agents motivated, make sure to empower them with up-to-date technology.

And, in an ever-changing technological work environment, you need to keep up with technology advancements anyway, don’t you? As Gen Z feels the same way, it’s a win-win situation.

Thinkers, not executors

In contrast to Millennials, who typically look for job stability, members of Generation Z are renowned for taking risks and are a lot more entrepreneurial at heart. This generation, it is believed, is comprised of thinkers, rather than just doers. They will want to share their ideas with you, not just follow your instructions.

Furthermore, ever-evolving technology, connectivity, and social networks have provided infinite real-time information to Gen Z kids. They have used internet from a very early age, and they’re used to receiving dozens of impulses from different social media channels. As a result, their thinking is more diverse than previous generations, and they are always up for some brainstorming.

So, if you want to keep the Gen Z’ers in your team motivated, always make sure to find some time to listen to their ideas. As they may well have an entrepreneurial mindset, they have the potential to help you shape the future of your business by sharing their insights with you.

Energetic work environment

Over the last few decades, we’ve seen how office cubicles were slowly replaced by open-plan offices to accommodate millennials’ needs. However, office environments created to attract millennials may not be so appealing to the members of Generation Z.

The newest generation is more focused on individuality, and like their work environment to reflect this. Although open plan offices are still popular among employers due to their cost-effectiveness, they can have a negative impact on productiveness, and Gen Z’ers will be looking for more in their workspace.

But, don’t worry, this doesn’t mean you have to invest a fortune in a newly-designed office. An office plan, however, with private and collaborative workspaces is definitely something you should consider. Gen Z’ers are constantly on the move and don’t like to spend all their time at their desks.

So, although an open plan office will make it easier for agents to talk to each other, there should also be individual working areas in your office as well. By providing such workspaces, both Millennials and Gen Z’ers at your call center will be able to collaborate with their peers and use private areas when they need to deal with a complex issue.

Flexible work

Gen Z’ers prefer flexibility at work and find the idea of working from home or even from a coffee shop or similar appealing. As workers who increasingly reject traditional working hierarchies, they will expect to be offered flexible working options once or twice a week, as well as a possibility of remote work. In comparison, an inflexible working environment will definitely scare them away.

Therefore, try and create a more open work environment for Gen Z members in your agent team. This generation is already used to completing tasks virtually from anywhere, so you can be sure that if they have to leave the workspace early for whatever reason, they’ll likely finish their tasks from home.

In addition, unlike Millennials, Generation Z is happier with flexible working hours, so if your call center provides 24/7 customer service, then you can even count on them to take on those ‘dreaded’ night shifts.

Summary

As you can see, Generation Z is more self-conscious and is looking for a strong work-life balance. It’s clear that if Gen Z’ers feel motivated and fulfilled in their role, they will be loyal to your call center in the long term. All you have to do is to find that golden mean to keep them productive as well as motivated.

5 types of call center agents – and how to motivate them

Posted on: June 14th, 2018 by Dóra Rapcsák No Comments

Call centers seem to attract particular types of personalities. And although every call center – just like every office – is comprised of individuals, there are some types of call center agent characters you’ll meet at almost every call center.

As we all know, a happy team is a productive team. So, as a call center supervisor, one of your most essential ongoing tasks will be to keep your agent team happy and motivated. However, as your team consists of individuals, you will not be able to simply deal with them in the same way.

In this article, we’ll highlight the five most common types of call center agent characters, and show you how to motivate them successfully.

1. The overachiever

“Overachievers” are the highest performing employees in your team, both in terms of success and work rate: they are the first to arrive at work and the last to leave. Chances are that you’ll even see them scrolling through their emails during their lunch break.

“Overachievers” are determined to climb the call center career ladder (for pro tips on how to do that, click here), and most likely no one will be able to stand in their way.

When it comes to their daily work, “overachievers” are committed to getting things done. Their persistent attitude makes them excellent problem solvers, which is a great asset to any customer service team.

How to motivate them:

As they always strive to be the best, you can best motivate them by assigning them tasks with a higher level of responsibility. By being entrusted with such responsibility, they’ll feel that they stand out from their team of agents due to their excellent performance.

“Overachievers” want to feel valued by management as well as their teammates, so you can best empower them by giving them positive feedback. And don’t forget to promote them when they are ready to take their skills to the next level: that will be their ultimate motivation!

2. The entertainer

Every office has a clown: the agent who loves to socialize and keep people around them laughing, with a joke for every situation.

“Entertainer” agents have a positive mindset, a really great skill to have when your job is to help customers over the phone. They tend to provide a high level of customer service, and should definitely be considered an asset to your team.

One thing is for sure: an “entertainer” call center agent character will never mistreat your customers, even if they are having a bad day.  Furthermore, due to their positive mindset, they tend to get along with both their colleagues and customers. Sounds good, doesn’t it?

How to motivate them:

A positive and fun office culture will greatly motivate this type of call center agent. An “entertainer” center is usually an energetic person who can be very productive in their preferred environment. However, always bear in mind that they won’t function very well if they feel they’re too restricted.

Pro tip: When it comes to team building activities, ask them to help you organize the event. You can be sure they’ll totally go for it.

3. The transient agent

Like it or not, there will always be “transient” agents in your call center agent team, here today and gone tomorrow (or maybe the day after). Many employees see call center work as a temporary workplace until they find a better job. “Transient” agents in your team will most likely lack a sense of responsibility and will have no intention of settling in.

How to motivate them:

First of all, don’t give up on them so easily! Although many people think that call centers and careers don’t mix, the truth is that call center employees have the opportunity to explore a wide variety of career opportunities. So, why not highlight the career possibilities in your call center to such employees? If you manage to change their attitude, they may even end up becoming valuable members of your team.  

4. The loyal agent

In contrast to the “transient” agent, “loyal” agents in your team have been with you for years, and the good news is that they have no intention of leaving. This type of call center agent plans for the long term and their long-term plan is to have a stable career in the call center. Yes, really.

As they are committed to help your company succeed, they tend to provide exceptional customer service, representing your business in the way you want them to.

How to motivate them:

While the “loyal” agent probably won’t be striving to climb the career ladder much, there is one thing that’ll be essential to them: organized internal processes. Make sure to give them clear instructions, and always provide them with the tools they need to carry out their tasks. Furthermore, give them a free hand in complex situations so that they can make their own decisions. Finally, don’t forget to involve them in training sessions. As they have extensive knowledge and experience, they may well be able to help the rest of your team improve.

5. The leader material

The “leader material” agent is a highly valuable asset to your organization. This type of employee is a real thinker: they see the whole picture and come up with ideas that could help you improve productivity. Maybe once you’re ready to leave the company, you’ll be happy to turn over the reins to them. As they are high achievers, gaining specialist knowledge is what’s important to them.

How to motivate them:

Once you have them in your team, you better do your best to try to keep them motivated.  As they crave challenging tasks, they will soon become bored with routine tasks. Therefore, make sure to assign complex duties to them, and look for alternative roles for them when they’ve outgrown their current job. If you empower this type of call center agent, then you can consider them potential future leaders at the call center.

Explore more topics covering HR in a call center

Call centers can be rather tough work places with some of the highest employee turnover among any other industry. It’s up to the management to help ease this trend by ensuring the work environment is as rewarding as it can be. Be sure to read the following guides to get some more inspiration in how to make your agents happier.

Here’s how to survive a call center night shift

Call center career: what are the possibilities?

A Day in the Life of a Call Center Manager

Google Duplex technology: Will AI affect call centers?

Posted on: June 13th, 2018 by Dóra Rapcsák No Comments

There’s been a lot of buzz around newly emerging, ever-more sophisticated AI technologies that will transform our business and everyday lives.

There’s no doubt that technology is continuing to evolve at lightning speed, and it’s difficult to forecast how far it will advance in the coming years.

The most recent advancement came with Google’s announcement of its “Google Duplex” system at its 2018 developer conference. With Google Duplex, the tech giant took AI technology to a whole new level, creating artificial intelligence that can be used even without you knowing it.

But how will technologies such as Google Duplex affect our lives in the long-term? And more importantly, will they reshape the call center industry?

What is Google Duplex?

During Google’s annual developer conference, the company CEO Sundar Pichai introduced Google Duplex, the company’s latest AI technology. Google Duplex is the technology behind a new Google Assistant feature that allows it to place phone calls on a user’s behalf for appointments that need to be made over the phone.

The system makes conversations sound as natural as possible, with a human-sounding voice being used instead of a robotic one.

According to Google, this new technology is able to understand “complex sentences, fast speech, and long remarks”. Furthermore, Google Duplex is able to converse with employees and even respond to unexpected questions in real time.

The aim of developing Google Duplex was to create artificial intelligence that could make calls when it wasn’t convenient for the user. Google Assistant is already able to find local businesses and dial numbers, but Google Duplex takes things one step further: it can speak with someone at the relevant business, and make an appointment on the user’s behalf.

How does it work?

Google Duplex relies on a machine learning model drawn from real-world phone conversations. It’s no doubt that this new technology is a breakthrough in speech recognition and text-to-speech synthesis, especially in terms of conversation purpose.

As you can see in its demo video, Google Duplex sounds so natural that it can conduct conversations without anyone ever knowing they were speaking to an AI. To make the technology sound even more natural, Google mimicked people’s speech imperfections, resulting in, for example, the AI waiting a few seconds before it responses, or even saying “hmm” as it processes information.

Furthermore, Duplex also manages to master human attentiveness. In the demo, Duplex was required to reserve a table while communicating with a non-native English speaker at the other end of the phone. Despite the linguistic difficulties, the technology managed to react to unexpected questions and completed the task successfully. Amazing, right?

Will such AI technologies affect the call center industry?

It’s true that the technology behind Google Duplex sounds miraculous and very futuristic, but it does raise a number of questions, one being: how will it affect the call center industry, which typically deals with customer interactions via the phone?

As we all know, these days call centers support their customers using a variety of communication channels. And while each communication channel is extremely essential for the proper functioning of any customer service department, inbound and outbound calls remain the foremost communication channel for call centers.  

So, as Google Duplex now seems capable of making phone calls and communicating as if it were a real person, it is likely to raise concerns in the call center industry. If AI is already able to make calls, how long will it take for it to learn how to receive calls? And as a result, will similar AI products take away center agents’ jobs?

At the moment it seems such a situation is far in the future. We all know that call centers handle a wide range of activities, including customer service, technical support, telesales, debt collection, surveying etc. As a result, call center agents have to be able to handle complex and varied-topic conversations with customers.

This is in complete contrast to the current capabilities of Duplex Google’s engineers themselves stated in a post that “Duplex can only carry out natural conversations after being deeply trained in such domains. It cannot carry out general conversations”.

AI technology in call centers: friend or foe?

So, what is the future for AI in the call center industry?

Over the last few decades, we have seen artificial intelligence technology advance rapidly, with ever-more sophisticated chatbots coming onto the market (if you’re into robots as as much as we are, then make sure to check out our infographic on how chatbots learned to speak!).

As we already talked about in a previous article, the concept of chatbot usage is not uncommon in the call center industry, with customer service chatbots already starting to work alongside call center agents. However, rather than stealing each other’s jobs, together they form the perfect team: chatbots carry out routine work, while call center agents focus on more complex issues.

And this, we believe, is also the future of AI technology in the call center industry. Rather than replace human call center agents, the ultimate use of AI technology in call centers will be simply to help improve overall customer experience. As chatbots have already shown they can efficiently and effectively handle repetitive and monotonous tasks, we trust that in the future, voice-powered AI technology – like Google Duplex – will also be a force working with call center agents, rather than against them.

Top 5 customer service mistakes you need to avoid

Posted on: June 12th, 2018 by Dóra Rapcsák No Comments

Customer service is the backbone of every successful business, and for good reason: these days, providing excellent customer experience makes all the difference between your company having customer satisfaction or poor brand reputation.

This is especially true for call centers, whose core activities center around customer service. Customer service agents receive many phone calls during an average day, and the customers on the other end of the line expect prompt, efficient and effective telephone service.

It’s definitely not easy mastering the way to provide excellent customer service, and of course, there will always be ups and downs on your journey.

So, to help you out, here are five common customer service mistakes, together with our tips on how you can prevent them. Check them out now, and make sure your call center is not committing these major mistakes!

1. Over-promising

Keeping promises is the basis of building trust with customers. There are few things more annoying than a company that doesn’t keep the promises it makes to its customers

Unfortunately, our experience tells us that this is not unusual. In fact, it’s a common customer service mistake that businesses make promises they cannot keep.

An example: recently, our team tested customer service quality at 10 African banks. They contacted them via various channels, including phone, email, forms, and chat. Out of the 10 banks, only one promised to send an email with the information they needed. Believe it or not, many weeks later, that email still hasn’t arrived.

Nowadays, when customers have an issue, all they need to do is to simply fill out a form or send a message via Facebook. In return, they expect a quick answer from the company’s customer services and expect these customer services to always be available 24/7.

As a result, many companies, desperately trying to meet customers’ expectations, over-promise in order make it appear that they really are available 24/7. However, the problems start when they find they simply cannot fulfill their promises.  

Our tip: Don’t bite off more than you can chew. If your agents promise a call-back to your customers within two hours, then try and ensure that they stick to it. Remember, your customers may organize their daily activities around your phone call, so don’t waste their time!

Furthermore, you don’t have to have a presence on every channel just because your competitors do. It’s better to have less customer service channels that actually function well, than delivering poor customer service because you cannot handle the number of channels you utilize. See section 5 below for more on this.  

2. Negative IVR experiences

All of us have ended up dealing with an IVR system with long wait times when trying to get information, resolve an issue or request a service. Although the main aim of an IVR, in theory, is to decrease customer wait time and improve customer experience, in practice this type of technology has become fairly unpopular among customers. It’s true that a well-designed IVR can boost productivity and improve customer experience, but, unfortunately, it’s easy to get it wrong.

When it comes to IVR technology, one major customer service mistake often made is that an IVR system’s menu is simply not easy to navigate, and instructions are not clear. When using an IVR, customers will expect to have to navigate through the system in order to reach a customer service representative. However, going through a badly planned menu with unclear instructions will quickly make them more than frustrated.

A bad IVR experience will definitely encourage people to spread negative comments about your company. And as we already talked about in a previous article, you should never underestimate the power of online reviews.

Our tip: Triple check your IVR system well in advance before customers use it to allow enough time for correcting mistakes and ensuring your logic is spot-on. If anything is not clear, then it is likely that your customers will also have the same problems, and will struggle with your IVR system – which will only lead to negative feedback.

3. Information not being available

According to a research by Gartner, 85% of customers will manage their brand interactions without speaking to a single human by 2020.

In fact, today’s “connected” generation already prefers to communicate via text rather than voice. They increasingly search a company’s website for information and only contact customer services if they are unable to find the information they need.

It’s no surprise then that businesses have started to utilize self-service options on their websites for customers to try before they get in contact with customer service. Self-service options have become ever more popular over the last few years, as it means companies can set up a knowledge base or an FAQ on their website, which is far simpler to manage than other methods.

However, self-service is only efficient if you make sure you include all the necessary information required by your customers. A common customer service mistake is that companies encourage their customers to visit their website to get the information they need, but the information is either unavailable or difficult to find.

Our tip: Give self-service a try and you’ll soon see how much it can help your customers. However, when creating a self-service option, always make sure to provide useful FAQs for your customers that are easy to access. Navigating through messy web pages will quickly make visitors lose patience.

Moreover, only direct your customers to your website to get information if you have high-quality resources that help them resolve their issues. Again, a badly written knowledge base that lacks necessary information will drive your customers crazy.

4. Transferring customers between channels

The time when you could contact customer services on a single channel is long gone. These days, multichannel customer service allows customers to select from a number of channels – including phone, online forms, email, SMS, chat – while promising the same level of service. But do customers really get the same level of service when using multiple customer service channels? Unfortunately, often the answer is no.

A major customer service mistake is that they want to be present on several channels, but are unable to perform equally well on all of them.  Instead, to make up for their shortcomings, they keep transferring customers to other channels, hoping that the customer service reps responsible for those channels can resolve their issues. However, customers easily get frustrated when they are transferred through several customer service channels while having to repeat information over and over again.

Our tip: Instead of using every possible channel, try and focus on channels your customers actually want to use. Always make sure that agents provide the same quality of customer service on each of your channels. Furthermore, if you have to transfer your customers from one channel to another, ensure that there’s an exchange of information between your channels. You’ll see, it will make all the difference.

5. Untrained call center agents

Going back to our story about the African banks, 9 out of 10 banks did not manage to find a way to provide us with the information we needed, and the only bank who offered to send an email never did. Quite frightening, right?

What this example makes clear is that the success of your customer service depends hugely on the performance of your team. If your agents are not properly trained and motivated, then you can be pretty sure that the quality of your service will suffer greatly.

However, yet another common customer service mistake is that businesses often see training as an expense, rather than an investment. Untrained agents, however, will lack the knowledge that enables them to help your customers, which will, inevitably, lead to poor customer experience.

Our tip: Allocate enough time and money to train your agents properly. Instead of forcing them into situations they are unable to handle, give them plenty of time to learn their duties and get comfortable in their role. Furthermore, give your experienced agents free hand to make their own decisions when necessary. By doing this, you’ll empower them to resolve issues more efficiently on their own, and as such be able to provide exceptional customer experience. Finally, don’t forget to offer them feedback. As we already wrote about in a previous article, valuable feedback can have a great impact on your employees’ performance.

Here’s how you can survive a call center night shift

Posted on: June 7th, 2018 by Dóra Rapcsák No Comments

Over the last decade, globalization has turned traditional working hours upside down, and 24/7 customer service has become an essential part of many modern businesses. Due to this culture change, call centers agents are now typically expected to work during somewhat unusual hours and even sometimes taking night shifts at the call center. This is definitely tough but an inevitable part of this job which has its pros and cons.

If you’re lucky, you may be a “night owl” meaning that you are generally more productive during the night. If you are an “owl”, then night shifts may not be a big problem for you. But if you are a “morning person”, then the idea of night shifts can be a huge challenge.

But whether you’re a night owl or a morning person, one thing is for sure: if you work in the call center industry, chances are that you’ll be asked to work that dreaded call center night shift.

As we all know (and as a huge amount of research backs up), working during the night is a lot more demanding, and agents working call center night shifts need to make an extra effort to take care of their health and work-life balance, while at the same time staying productive at work.

But is there a way to make such a lifestyle more comfortable? Yes, there is. We compiled some handy tricks that will help you survive (and even thrive in) your call center night shift. Check them out and start to use them for your night shifts too

Adjust your schedule to the call center night shift schedule

Ideally, humans sleep during the night and are active during the day. Our brain is biologically wired to tell us to sleep at night, so when you’re working a call center night shift, you’re basically fighting against your body’s natural rhythm.

If you’re regularly required to take night shifts, the best advice we can give you is to try and adjust your sleeping cycle to a night shift schedule by creating a reversed sleep schedule.

For example, if you’re taking the night shift from 10 pm to 6 am, then try and sleep between 8 am and 4 pm. By doing this, you will establish a regular sleep schedule and consolidate your sleep periods.

Unfortunately, it’s not guaranteed that you’ll be able to sleep during the day. The rest of society is up and about, busy with their daily activities. But, if you do have to sleep during the day, try and set a sleep schedule to take advantage of society’s more conventional work hours (9 am – 5 pm), and try and avoid late afternoon/early evenings. As people usually finish work around 5 pm and start to do (often noisy) activities at home, these times are the most difficult to get some rest.

Although it’s not easy to establish a reversed sleep cycle, there are certain tips that will definitely help: use earplugs and try to make your room as dark as possible by closing window curtains and turning off the lights. And here’s our secret tip: try and get to sleep as soon as you can after you finish your night shift – once you step out of the call center, avoid natural light if you can, and wear sunglasses until you get home. Try it, you will be surprised how it helps!

Stick to your new call center night shift schedule

It’s definitely not easy setting up a reversed sleep schedule. So, once you managed to adjust your sleep cycle to match your night shifts, the next hard thing is to try and stick to it. Although it may be tempting to meet friends or get your hair done during the day, make sure you organize these activities for the late afternoon, after having had enough sleep.  

Don’t forget, when you work a night shift and schedule an appointment for the middle of the next day, it’s as if the appointment, in reality, is actually in the middle of the night. So, never commit to daylight activities even if people expect you to – remember, you’re living a reversed lifestyle now.

The more you stick to your reversed schedule, the easier it will be for your body to adjust to your night shift lifestyle. On the other hand, if you do not keep up with these patterns, you’ll easily find yourself suffering from fatigue or even insomnia.

Develop daily rituals

Developing daily rituals can help your body get used to a reversed lifestyle. Try and create bedtime rituals, for example watching TV or reading a book, to signal to your brain that it’s time to go to bed. Once you get home from your call center night shift, make sure to only have a light meal before going to bed.

Similarly, develop morning rituals, such as having breakfast and sipping a cup of coffee immediately you wake up. It is always recommended to eat within an hour of waking up, and that is also true even if your wake-up time happens to be 4 pm in the afternoon due to your night shift.

Try and turn these patterns into a regular basis, so your body can get more easily used to your reversed lifestyle. You’ll see it will make all the difference.

Use life hacks to stay awake and productive

As we all know, call centers are about targets, targets, targets. So, let’s face it: regardless of whether you’re working the night shift or traditional daytime hours, you’ll be required to stay effective at all times during work.

So, if you’re working the call center night shift and want to excel at your job (and we trust that you do), then you’ll definitely need some life hacks to help you stay productive. Add these to some of the call center life hacks we talked about in our previous article, and you’re good to go.  

If your employer allows it, try and talk to someone at least a few times during your night shift. Take advantage of the open office, and go and have a short chat with one of your colleagues as it will help both of you stay more awake for the rest of the night.

Although coffee may be tempting, a recent study found that drinking water can increase your productivity by 14%. So, instead of drinking that third coffee, focus on consuming more water. If you’re hydrated, then you’ll be able to better focus on staying productive, especially during the night hours.

Finally, when you’re feeling extra sleepy during your call center night shift, give your body a break. Some light exercise or a short walk around the office or outside will definitely keep you awake, and also help to refresh your mind.

Eat (and drink) healthy

It may sound a cliché but concentrating on a healthy diet is a must for agents working the call center night shift.

In particular, don’t forget that it’s not easy to access food during the night. As a result, you may end up dropping by a fast food restaurant to grab some junk food, or even worse, just try to survive the night without eating. Both are definitely bad ideas! Instead, always make sure to prepare your own food for your call center night shift even if it requires some planning ahead.

As for caffeine, as we already mentioned, don’t drink yet another cup of coffee or extra strong black tea a few hours before your shift is over. Always bear in mind that consuming caffeine during the second half of your shift reduces your chance of getting a relaxing sleep once you get home.  

Although most agents struggle with working night shifts, as you can see, there are some tricks that can help you survive those dark nights. Make sure to follow our pro tips, and you too will be able to start improving your performance during your call center night shift.

Software can help

One of the cool things about call center software is that it can actually help your productivity and thus make surviving a night shift (or basically any shift) a lot less frustrating.

What we can mention here is a whole set of functionalities related to automation, including automatic call distribution and a clever use of IVR (Interactive Voice Response) for both outbound and inbound purposes. If the night shift includes outbound calling to another time zone, then features such as predictive dialing and voicemail detection will definitely become some of your best friends.

Is VoIP the correct telephony system in your business?

Posted on: June 5th, 2018 by Dóra Rapcsák No Comments

Installing fixed telephony lines for your business used to be (and perhaps still is) a default decision for both small, and large players out there. But of course replacing everything with VoIP is now also a 100% valid option from both technical and human standpoint. Here’s what you should know about different telephony systems you have access to today to make sure you get the most out of voice communication in your business.

The past

PSTN, or Public Switched Telephone Network, consists of cables, telephone lines, optic cables, cellular and microwave transmitters, and other similar types of devices and technology that helps connect telephone devices with each other. Although a big part of this network today is now entirely digital, and includes mobile phones as well as fixed telephones, it was not long ago that the construction of such a network required the complex planning and laying of physical cables and switches to connect any two devices. The network operated by setting a dedicated circuit between two points, this circuit remaining busy for the duration of the subsequent call.

But as technology evolved, the Integrated Services Digital Network, or ISDN, appeared, its Primary Rate Interface technology allowing companies and contact centres to handle up to 30 circuits (in other words 30 simultaneous calls) with one ISDN at the same time, with the ability to link two or more ISDN modules together to handle 60, 90, or even more calls at the same time. And while this technology allowed companies and contact centres to enjoy a reliable and resilient telephone network for a number of years, the sudden appearance out of nowhere of VoIP changed the game again.

On the other hand, Voice over Internet Protocol (also known as internet telephony) is a technology used to deliver voice and multimedia communications over the internet. Even though internet technology is very advanced today, with many areas of the world leveraging the benefits of constant, stable internet connection, when VoIP technology first started to spread the biggest and most common issue was poor voice quality due to internet issues. VoIP became a better known technology after programs and applications using it, such as Skype, started gaining popularity, but these programs also required a stable internet connection at both ends and often did not provide high-quality voice service. Even today, many companies believe that VoIP goes hand in hand with poor voice quality, and is dependent on internet speed and network load. Despite this, though, more and more companies are transferring their network operations from PSTN to VoIP. Why?

The present

Even though VoIP has been around for a while, it has only recently started to be able to offer the level of reliability and stability that customers expect of it. In comparison to PSTN networks, VoIP uses packet-switching rather than circuit switching, meaning that one’s voice is divided into different packets that are transmitted to the receiving party on the other end of the telephone line using different paths over the internet. All of this happens in a very short time, and even though these packets travel separately, the voice is assembled again at the receivers end in a right and intelligible order. To make sure that the voice packets arrive in the exact order, and with only around 100-200 ms of lateness, a service with a high level of quality is crucial. To achieve this, VoIP communications within a network need to either be prioritised in comparison to other applications of processes using the same network, or a minimal internet traffic setting dedicated especially to the VoIP service needs to be specified, allowing the necessary background and environment for a seamless VoIP service.

Today, IT and service providers are more than able to provide a seamless VoIP service without the need for serious investment or infrastructure. As a VoIP service is packet-based and can travel via the network of any number of service providers in a number of different packets, it is always easy to route. If one of the service providers is down, the packets can simply be transferred to another, and will still arrive at their destination (you can read more about what to do in the event of an emergency or server breakdown here). This is something PSTN, which connects two points in a circuit, will never be able to do. In addition to this major difference between the technologies in question, what other differences are there between the two networks?

Feature PSTN VoIP

Extra services (caller ID, waiting, etc.)

At extra cost. Usually included for free.
Pricing No free calls. Prices depend on duration and location (international, local, etc) Free VoIP-to-VoIP calls. Mobile and landlines can be called at a minimal price.
Upgrades and updates Physical, including new hardware and lines. Software and bandwidth.
Resiliency and disaster recovery Stable and continue to work during any loss of power as phone jacks do not require electricity (unless the devices are wireless). System is down once an internet connection is lost, which can be caused by unexpected power outages. A VoIP disaster recovery plan is needed.
Emergency calls and traceability Enabled, calls can be traced to exact location. Not provided or very limited with no traceability.

The future

We live in a world where both clients and customers expect more from their service providers – faster operations, higher quality and wider choice, all at a better price. As we already talked about in a previous article, these days delivering the best customer experience is your best chance of staying ahead of the competition.

With the introduction of a new technology innovation, this constant motivation for service providers to achieve and provide more is about to bear new fruit. VoLTE (Voice over Long-Term Evolution) is a new standard for high-speed wireless communication, providing HD voice quality, reduced background noise, and many other important features and benefits of interest to those who believe in the importance of voice and data transfer quality.

The development and use of this technology started in Asia in 2014 and is fast spreading across the world. Even though specialists in the field believe that it will need at least 1-2 more years before it becomes an industry standard, VoLTE has been received extremely well so far and is already proving its benefits in comparison to 2G and 3G networks. For example, VoLTE offers:

– bigger capacities for data and voice, being able to process up to 3 times more voice and data amounts compared to 3G

video and content sharing. VoLTE allows for easy and immediate streaming of video and sharing of files immediately during any call. No need for third-party file sharing software or service, or video call programs and equipment – just drag and drop files within the call window.

more stable data. In today’s business world, people multitask, and in order to multitask efficiently they need a stable connection – not only phone but online as well. VoLTE allows users to connect their laptops or tablets to the VoLTE network and enjoy a fast internet connection while being on call at the same time.

Another important technology gaining wide acknowledgment and spreading fast is WebRTC. WebRTC is an open source project that enables real-time peer-to-peer communication over audio and video, as well as file and screen sharing over web. It uses Real-time Transport Protocol, and allows users using this technology to instantly start audio and video conferencing, transfer files, and share their screens without the need of any third-party programs or applications. It is anticipated that this technology will considerably influence telecommunications in the business world, and is a direction into which many companies are planning on venturing or are already developing the needed technological background.

Times change and with them so does technology. While years ago PSTN was (and in some cases still is) the stable backbone of every business, and VoIP was a synonym for low voice quality, today the preferred network standard is quickly shifting. Even though there are still regions in the world where the internet does not yet provide the needed speed and stability for a seamless VoIP service, in most locations a fast and stable connection is already a basic element of business. Regions lacking solid SIP services and a reliable connection can provide seamless services with the help of a solid PSTN solution. ‘But companies in areas where VoIP can be implemented should also seriously consider the benefits of today’s and tomorrow’s alternative telecommunications technology options.

How to give feedback to your call center agent

Posted on: June 1st, 2018 by Dóra Rapcsák No Comments

Working in a call center is a pretty difficult job. Agents spend most of their working hours on the phone with (often angry) customers and have to deal with a lot of stressful situations. In such a fast-paced environment, there’s always room for performance improvement, and most agents will undoubtedly benefit from appropriate guidance and feedback in order to be able to excel at their job. It’s up to you to learn how to give feedback to your call center agent.

So, like it or not, as a call center supervisor, you’ll be expected to provide your agent team with valuable and useful feedback on a regular basis.

Furthermore, as valuable feedback can have a great impact on your employees’ performance, it’s also in your own best interests to ensure you provide an appropriate evaluation to your call center agent team.

Of course, offering feedback – good or bad – can be a challenging job. So, to help you out, we collected some useful ideas regarding feedback that will allow you to help your agent team develop their performance. Check them out, and think of them as our feedback on how to give feedback!

The best place to give feedback? One-to-one sessions

The biggest challenge for agents working in a large team in a call center environment is to stand out from the crowd, and for their work to be acknowledged by management. As a result, call center agents can often feel that they are nothing more than just another cog in the call center wheel.

So, if you manage a team of call center agents, our tip is to always allocate time for regular one-to-one feedback sessions with each of them. By doing this, your agents will feel supported and valued by management. Furthermore, as you probably manage agents with different level of performance, a one-to-one feedback session is the perfect opportunity to discuss further career opportunities with them within the call center.

One-to-one sessions are by far the best way to discuss things, and much better than offering negative feedback publicly, which we would never recommend. Of course, it’s part of your job to share your insights – including negative feedback – with your agent team but always bear in mind that some people are more sensitive than others, and may not handle criticism well.  A one-to-one session is a perfect opportunity to share your concerns with your employees without making them feel uncomfortable or humiliated before the rest of their team.

Be specific when offering feedback to your call center agents

Try and make these sessions as personal as possible (without crossing the line of professionality). A little small talk is a good start, as it helps break the ice and creates an atmosphere where both of you can communicate more effectively with each other.

Once you ensured that your agent feels comfortable during a feedback session, it’s time get to the point. When offering your feedback, always make sure to be specific and crystal-clear. Making general comments during an evaluation – whether good or bad – isn’t helpful, as they may be ambiguous, leaving your agent confused about what they did well or badly.

Furthermore, use specific examples as an essential part of your agent feedback. Call centers often record their calls for training purposes, so don’t miss out on this great opportunity to use recorded calls during a feedback session. By reviewing calls together with your agent, they can receive a crystal-clear example of what is and what is not acceptable during a customer call.

Start with the positive

Rule number one: always start with positive feedback. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to motivate your agent by a constant flow of negative feedback, so it’s better to start your feedback session by praising them for what they did well.

Furthermore, always bear in mind that positive feedback is equally important as constructive criticism. When it comes to offering feedback, management often tends to focus on constructive criticism, while their positive comments are rather general. Don’t just tell your agent that you’re really impressed with their work, because they won’t be able to know what they did well or badly. The more specific you are, the easier it will be for your agent to improve their skills based on your feedback.

So, if your agent has done an excellent job in dealing with an angry customer on the phone, then start the feedback session by praising them for it. Providing praise first creates a positive atmosphere, and it helps agents handle constructive criticism better.  

Find the golden mean

There’s no doubt that the call center industry is an extremely fast-paced business environment, in which employees have to cope with a great deal of escalations and customer complaints. Unexpected situations always occur, and agents will often have to improvise. And, as they’re human beings, chances are that sometimes they won’t be able to deal with a problem in the most effective way.

However, after having begun with a positive start as mentioned above, we would recommend trying to keep positivity a characteristic of any one-to-one. Of course, you want your call center agents to be the best they can be, but don’t become the kind of supervisor who only talks about what should be improved. Although knowing when and how to present negative feedback is an essential skill of any call center supervisor, positive feedback is equally important.

Therefore, try to find the golden mean between providing positive and negative feedback to your call center agents throughout your feedback session, not just at the beginning. You can also learn how to give well-balanced feedback through different coaching methods

Watch out for the way you communicate your feedback

The main goal of offering feedback to your call center agent team is to help them improve their skills, so they can carry out their tasks more effectively. But are you sure you are making your motivations clear to them?

If you’re not careful, the way you communicate your feedback to your call center agents can be very misleading. So, always watch out for the way you communicate feedback, and make sure you don’t make your call center agents feel uncomfortable.

For example, during a feedback session with one of your agents, always pay special attention to the tone of your voice. If you sound too strict or intimidating, then the employee may interpret your words as purely negative feedback, without any constructive criticism.

Give feedback, take feedback

Giving feedback is a tough job and it may take some time to learn how to do it properly. But don’t forget, a conversation always has two participants. So, allow your agents to react to the feedback you provide them with. By doing this, you’ll have an opportunity to know whether you should still work on your feedback technique.

Furthermore, as we already mentioned in a previous article, customer calls clearly provide some of the most valuable information for your call center, but don’t just learn from your customers’ feedback. As your call center agents spend most of their working hours on the phone with your customers, ask them to share their insights with you. By doing this, you’ll be able to easily increase call center efficiency.

Once you receive feedback from your agents, then make sure you take action on it. This contributes to a healthy and open workplace and will make you a more respected call center supervisor.

Sum up

Giving feedback to your call center agents is a challenging job. However, by following our advice, you should easily be able to turn any feedback session into a win-win situation. On one hand, you will be able to motivate your call center agents, thus providing them with a better work experience; on the other hand, you will learn a lot from such sessions and improve your feedback techniques for the future.