Category: Customer Experience

A simple substitute might change a habit.

Instead of a snack, brush your teeth.

Instead of a nap, go for a walk.

Instead of a nasty tweet or cutting remark, write it down in a private notebook.

Instead of the elevator, take the stairs.

Instead of doomscrolling, send someone a nice note.

Instead of an angry email, make a phone call.

Instead of a purchase seeking joy, consider a donation…

Marginal cost is how much extra you’ll need to spend to serve one more customer.

The marginal cost of a hot dog is pretty low–if you don’t have to account for rent and labor and insurance and the rest, one more hot dog might only cost 15 cents to serve.

On the other hand, the marginal cost of a custom pair of shoes is pretty high, because the labor and materials are expensive.

The internet is transformative because so many things have a zero marginal cost. It doesn’t cost anything for WordPress to add one more user. And it doesn’t cost me anything to have one more person read this blog.

But…

When we factor in the magic of the network effect (things that work better when more people are using them) it turns out that the marginal cost isn’t zero. It’s actually negative. That means that it’s expensive for an online service to have fewer users.

Moving from expensive to cheap to free to “it’s a bonus to add one more person” changes our economy and our culture forever.

The fashion and retail industries have been put through somewhat of an awakening in the last few weeks. It began with the release of the latest IPCC report which declared the climate emergency a ‘code red situation for humanity’. This was followed by an appearance from Greta Thunberg in Vogue Scandinavia calling out the fashion industry directly for…
The post Is the fashion industry true to its sustainability promises? appeared first on Customer Experience Magazine.

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If sales and profits are up, business is good, right? Usually, yes. But customer success leaders know that performance isn’t always based solely on profit. Call center managers must be aware of industry trends, customer needs, and the latest call center technology. Market research helps, but it isn’t enough. That’s where benchmarking comes in.
Benchmarking helps call centers compare their operations and processes to other call centers. Call center managers can establish benchmarks by setting goals for their call center metrics, also known as key performance indicators (KPIs). Call center benchmarks are necessary to drive performance and revenue, and can be used to compare a call center’s performance with industry standards.
Here we’ll go through standard KPIs and common reasons why call centers struggle to meet them.
The Executive Guide to Improving 6 Call Center Metrics
4 important benchmark KPIs.
There are many call center benchmarks your call center might use. And, not all call center benchmarks will be as relevant to one call center as they would be to another. Here are a few of the top benchmark KPIs used by call centers:
First Call Resolution (FCR).
First call resolution is the percentage of inbound calls in which customers’ issues are solved with just one phone call. Better call center agent training improves FCR, and FCR drives customer satisfaction. If your FCR is 60% but your competitors’ FCR is 70%, there is room to improve your operations.
Abandonment rate.
Abandonment rate measures the number of callers that hang up before an agent picks up the phone. Long wait time is the most common reason for call abandonment. Call center managers might consider investing in visual IVR and hiring more agents to lower abandonment rates.
Service level (SLAs).
Service level measures the number of inbound calls answered within a certain time frame. For example, your call center might strive to answer all calls within 30 seconds. The closer the number of calls answered within 30 seconds is to 100%, the better your service level benchmark. Service level is affected by another metric called Average Speed of Answer (ASA), which measures the average amount of waiting time for customers. Call center technology like Fonolo’s Voice Call-Backs, as well as better scheduling, could improve service level.
Average Handle Time (AHT).
Average handle time (AHT), also known as average call time, is the average amount of time your agents take to complete or resolve a customer call. AHT is also known as Average Duration Time. Lower handle times improve customer satisfaction.
How to Create a Call Center Performance Report
Global call center benchmarks.
Here are industry standards for call center benchmarks. If your call center meets these benchmarks, you’re in good shape but can still improve. If your call center doesn’t meet these benchmarks, there might be room for improvement in your processes.

Service level: 80%
Abandonment rate: 5-8%
Average speed to answer: 28 seconds
Average handle time: 4 minutes

3 reasons your call center is missing benchmarks.
Is your call center having trouble meeting global benchmarks? Chances are, there are inefficiencies within your call center causing you to fall short. Here are some reasons why your call center is missing benchmarks:
Poor customer experience.
Customer experience affects more KPIs than just your CSat score. If your customers are unhappy, you won’t just hear about it during agents’ breaks. You’ll notice it in your benchmarking.
For example, customers become unhappy due to longer waiting times, which correspond to the ASA and service level benchmarks. Abandonment rate increases with endless phone queues that customers don’t have the time to wait for.
Put yourself in your customer’s shoes to improve your benchmarks. Test out your call center process, find out how long your customers are waiting, and use call monitoring to see how your agents are dealing with customers.

TIP:
To meet your benchmarks, focus on ways you can improve your customer experience.

Insufficient agent training.
Call center agents wear many hats – they must be problem-solvers, greeters, listeners, and analysts all in one phone call. To thrive in these roles, agents need solid training. And, call center agent training isn’t just found in onboarding. Call center executives should be setting aside money in the budget each month to offer proper training to both new and old call center agents.
Insufficient training leads to gaps in knowledge, which cause:

Higher AHT;
Lower FCR rates; and
Poor customer experience.

Offer your agents frequent and relevant training to make them feel more:

Confident;
Knowledgeable; and
Better equipped to meet benchmarks.

Outdated or absent call center technology.
These days, call center technology is essential in keeping up with your competitors. If you want to meet benchmarks like FCR, AHT, abandonment rate, and service level, your agents need support from technology. With the right technology, your agents can better handle call spikes and improve customer experience.
Customers are more likely to escalate calls if your call center technology isn’t up-to-date and up to industry standards. Consider technology like Fonolo’s Visual IVR to improve customer experience and lower wait times. Or, Voice Call-Backs to lower abandonment rates and optimize current agents staffed.
The ROI of Call-Backs for Your Call CenterThe post Blog first appeared on Fonolo.

Culture doesn’t change (much). Elements of human culture have been around for 100,000 years, and it persists. In fact, its persistence is a key attribute of why it works.

People like us do things like this.

In the last ten years, the culture has changed dramatically. We’re buffeted by shifts that are faster and more widespread than anyone can recall.

The combination of media, illness, technology and climate have made each week different from the one that came before.

Even early adopters and news junkies are becoming fatigued in the face of so much, so often.

And this persistent shifting in the foundations of our culture is sharpening the rhetoric and resolve of folks who would rather things stay as they imagined they were.

Our conversations and arguments about how we react to changes in the culture do little to change the forces that are shaping our future, though. Change persists whether we asked for it or not. Wishing and insisting won’t get us back to a world that’s static.

Our response to change is often all we have control over. And the way we respond is how we create the next cycle of culture and possibility.

Over the past two years, the digital customer journey became the backbone of a successful business. Most companies quickly understood the need to embrace digital channels of communication with customers to stay relevant and competitive. At CXM, we have unique access to hundreds of successful and less victorious stories. One thing became clear to us…
The post Digital customer journey: a comprehensive guide appeared first on Customer Experience Magazine.

The model for TV in the 1960s was three major networks supported by mass advertising. And so the shows that were produced were banal, reassuring and fairly inexpensive to produce. The goal was simply to keep someone from watching the other two channels.

The business model in the Netflix age, with multiple streaming channels racing to gain market share among affluent consumers with a surfeit of choice, is fundamentally different. And as a result, so is the content being produced.

It’s not that the TV people wanted to watch suddenly changed–it’s that the economic model for delivering it did.

The business model for news has changed, and so the news has. Not what’s happening in the world, but the way the internet reports it.

The business model for all the lifestyle (health, gossip, etc.) filler we see has changed as well. And so it goes…

And for many people, the biggest change is this: the business model of social networks has replaced the simple act of being in community.

If there is one constant in commerce, it’s that no business would survive long without customers. This is why so much emphasis is placed on improving the Customer Experience, CX, and is especially important to businesses seeking major growth and/or customer retention. Are you looking for ways of improving CX within your organisation? If so,…
The post Tips for Improving CX at Your Place of Business appeared first on Customer Experience Magazine.

Some companies have long contact pages, with hundred phone numbers linking to every department or important person. Imagine scrolling through that list, getting the wrong number, and having to try another one. How frustrating!
A call routing system is the industry standard solution to this. Also known as an automatic call distributor (ACD), this tool receives inbound calls and connects them to the department or representative that can best support them. To customers, this is known as your run-of-the-mill call center phone menu.
With call routing, customers can connect to the person they need all without having to use more than one phone number. It routes callers based on rules and criteria that a call center establishes, like the time of day, agent skill level, caller location, and more. But with so many ways to customize call routing, and potential complications from high call volumes, it can be tricky to figure out the right strategy and approach for your contact center.
The Contact Center Guide to Managing Spikes in Call Volume
Types of call routing.
Call routing is standard practice across the call center industry, but there are a few different types designed to address the different needs of customers:
Location-based and time-based call routing.
Location and time are the most common reasons for routing a call. Callers might be calling from all over the country, or world, and from different time zones. These calls can be routed to departments and call centers in different states or even countries, with specific business hours. Fonolo’s smart routing supports call centers with multiple locations worldwide. Plus, our Visual IVR supports multiple language preferences.

DID YOU KNOW?
61% of customers hate using traditional phone menus. Consider upgrading to a Visual IVR system.

Skills-based call routing.
Specific to sales, skill-based call routing routes a customer to an agent based on the agent’s skill level or knowledge. For example, a caller might dial a number in an IVR that matches a certain department. Their call goes to an agent within that department. Call routing systems can direct customers to different agents based on their skill level.
Fixed order.
Fixed order call routing assigns calls to the next available agent, or adds the call to a queue if that agent is busy.
Percentage routing.
Percentage call routing sections off a percentage of calls to a specific team. For example, 75% of calls might be routed to one team, while the other 25% are routed to another.
What is Call Routing in a Contact Center?
What are the benefits?
Call routing improves your call center’s efficiency and your customer and agent experience. Here are some more specific benefits of call routing:

Decreased call abandonment rate.
Quick issue resolution.
Decreased wait times.
Improved sales.
Maximized agent resources.
Improved customer satisfaction.

Call Center Optimization: 5 Methods to Improve Your Operation
4 best practices for call routing.
When setting up call routing systems, consider using these strategies.
Conduct customer research.
You can’t appeal to people when you don’t know their expectations. Learn what your customer demographics are, and what their most common concerns are when they contact you. You can also apply your learnings to customer profiles for agent training sessions.
Track progress with the right metrics.
If you recently set up an IVR system, whether it’s skill-based or location-based, track your progress. Examine metrics like abandonment rate, customer satisfaction, and average handle time (AHT) to assess your call routing system’s efficiency. Poor metrics might indicate a need to change your distribution method.
How to Create a Call Center Performance Report
Limit your menu options.
Does your phone IVR have options all the way to #9? Chances are, your customer might hang up. Limit menu options to prevent call abandonment, and to keep things simple. This goes for visual IVR as well!
Use Voice Call-Backs.
When your call center’s dealing with high call volume, Voice Call-Backs give customers the option to receive a call-back instead of waiting. Sometimes, this option is more efficient than routing the call right away.

Call routing is essential in getting customers the information they need. Make sure to research your customers, track progress with metrics, limit menu options, and use voice call-backs to make the most out of #intelligentcallrouting.…Click To Tweet
The post Blog first appeared on Fonolo.