Author: Franz Malten Buemann

Operating a successful contact center is an expensive endeavour. From agent hiring and training to in-house IT support, marketing, and HR, call center costs quickly add up. Though some folks believe cutting corners on equipment is a great way to save your call center some cash, we beg to differ. Employing the right technology for your contact center’s specific needs can cut call center costs incrementally, leading to more productive call center agents who stick around longer and improved customer satisfaction (CSat) scores.
When it comes to reducing call center costs, start here.
Before you get to chopping, it’s imperative that you first understand where your money goes—get an idea of your average cost per contact, so you know where you stand.
Start by calculating your total operating expenses. Then, add up the number of contacts minus abandoned contacts. Divide your total operating cost by your number of contacts minus abandons, and you’ve got yourself your cost per contact.
Ideally, depending on your business, your average cost per call or contact will be somewhere between $1 and $5. If it’s above this benchmark, your contact center’s operation could benefit from some better budgeting or the technologies in our Top 5 list below.
How to Calculate Cost Per Contact in the Call Center
Consider outsourcing
One way to start cutting costs is by outsourcing internal services like IT or HR. Often, outsourcing is cheaper than employing your own on-site or even remote staff since personal equipment costs will be reduced. Plus, outsourced employees’ hourly rates are generally lower than the average salary of your in-house team.
5 Technologies to Help You Cut Call Center Costs
Setting up your business with the right technology can help to alleviate costs associated with your daily call center operations. These are our top 5 technology recommendations for cutting costs across the board.
Workforce optimization (WFO) software
The right WFO software can help keep your front and back end working seamlessly, improving agent engagement and efficiency. By collecting and analyzing contact center data, WFO software determines the busiest times and predicts call spikes, so your agents are prepared. That also means agent surpluses rarely happen because slower periods are recognized in advance, potentially saving you thousands.
On top of optimized scheduling, WFO software often gives you access to eLearning tools that can help ensure every agent is trained properly for their role, leading to higher employee engagement and lower turnover rates.

FACT
Only 30% of the American workforce feels engaged in and inspired by their work. Focusing on agent engagement will ultimately lead to happier agents that stick with your company for longer, reducing hiring and training costs.

How you’ll save:

Happy agents mean long-term and loyal employees—you’ll save on hiring and training.
You’ll spend less on the unnecessary cost of having extra agents when call volumes are low.

Voice call-backs
One of the most cost-effective ways to improve both the agent and customer experience is to start using call-back technology. Call-backs take pressure off agents by giving customers the option to hang up and be called once it’s their turn in the queue. This can reduce average handle time and increase customer and agent satisfaction. With Fonolo Voice Call-Backs, our software waits on hold in place of your customer. Once an agent picks up as they would any inbound call, the customer’s number is dialed, and they are connected with a live agent.
How you’ll save:

Agents are less likely to experience burnout, leading to improved retention.
CSat scores will improve, and you’re likely to get more business from happy customers and the people they refer.

Omni-channel solutions
Many inbound call centers have experienced the cost benefits of adding multiple contact channels for customers. From online chats to emails, giving customers communication options frees up time for agents because calls take longer to handle than online messages. There are plenty of social media options that allow agents to chat over Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram. Besides making things easier for your agents, you’re also empowering the customer by offering them a choice of how to get in touch.
When it comes to #accessibility, allowing customers to choose how to get in touch with your #business is empowering and will give your #customersatisfaction scores a boost—all while saving your #contactcenter some cash.Click To Tweet
How you’ll save:

More contact channels mean lower call volumes and fewer agents to answer calls.
Better customer experience builds customer loyalty for long-term returns.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems
Get to know your customers on a deeper level with a CRM system—collecting and analyzing customer data means you can tailor your services to their individual needs, leading to improved CSat scores and, ultimately, a better customer experience. Customizable reports help you overview how your contact center is doing, improving sales and customer retention.
Proper CRM integration helps your agents better understand the customer’s needs and journey, leading to a faster average call resolution time which contributes to keeping your costs in your call center down.
How you’ll save:

Average First Call Resolution rates will decrease, lowering overall operating costs.
Agent workload will be simplified, contributing to retention.

Help Your Agents Improve Their First Call Resolution with These 9 Tips
Cloud-based technology
Opting for cloud technology can also help you save money. Besides the simplicity of having all your data easily accessible to the exact people it needs, cloud technology is also scalable, eliminating the need for expensive upgrades. Plus, it’s one of the safest options available from a security standpoint.
How you’ll save:

Infinite scalability means you won’t spend much expanding your functionality.
No need to purchase hardware upgrades.
Less hardware can lead to fewer on-site IT issues.

DID YOU KNOW:
Fonolo firmly believes in the power of the cloud. All our services use cloud technology to ensure a scalable and seamless experience for your contact center.
The post How to Cut Call Center Costs with Technology first appeared on Fonolo.

Check the ratings, whichever magazine or website you choose: Classical music and documentary films almost always get more stars and higher ratings than pop music and feature films.

The reason is simple: The folks who like stuff like that like stuff like that.

The smallest viable audience for certain genres is very clear. That allows the creators of the work to be specific and to deliver on expectations.

The broader you seek to make your offering, the more likely you are to run into people who don’t care, don’t get the joke or are simply not open to being satisfied.

It’s not easy to record a symphony or edit Restrepo. But your work is more likely to pay off in audience satisfaction.

​ https://preview.redd.it/y9tjr2lngk191.png?width=2560&format=png&auto=webp&s=ea7c4537ae7c88863c2ad160c70c882047ea4d97 We have asked 11 thought leaders from the industry about their take on eCommerce Customer Experience in 2022. This ebook provides deep insights and actionable tips for DTC owners, CXOs, and eCommerce managers to deliver a remarkable customer experience. Check out the eBook here –> https://getmason.io/ultimate-customer-experience-2022 submitted by /u/saif_sadiq [link] [comments]

Yes, I understand that you say that the product itself should motivate people to talk about it. But still, as a rule, when you ask them to write a review about the platform, they write one-word reviews – like/dislike. ​ We’ve come up with both a contest, a google form, and a newsletter. Everyone can write that something doesn’t work, but it’s a rare thing to be able to honestly describe what you really liked.) submitted by /u/inqoob-Constructor [link] [comments]