Summary
According to most major news sources, the COVID-19 pandemic is the main factor in the economic downturn we’re currently seeing across the world’s markets. Greatly reduced numbers of in-house staff in nearly every industry as well as a drastic flux in the demand for certain products and services has left many companies scrambling to keep up - with some even wondering how they’ll survive the coming weeks and months. As an aspect of the business model that major corporations and SMEs alike depend on so heavily, call centers have certainly felt the strain. Many have experienced an explosive call volume while not having nearly enough agents on hand to manage it, which translates to unknown thousands of customers stuck at home, waiting endlessly on hold and growing increasingly frustrated and desperate.However, given recent restrictions in many countries on personal contact and venturing out of doors as well as widespread business closings, call centers can be a greater asset than ever. The following article highlights how RingOver’s call centre solution can help you not only steer your call center through the storm, but to use today’s unique challenges as an opportunity to make it the very best it can be through:
Worldwide virtual access through the cloud:
- Your agents working from home can log in and start making and receiving calls from anywhere - all they need is a headset and a high-speed internet connection!
- International numbers allow calls from anywhere in the world to anywhere in the world, with the option of local outgoing numbers. Our SMART plan includes free calls to and from over 60 countries, with the ability to purchase credits allowing texting and calls to out-of-plan destinations.
- Easy call transfer ensures that calls reach the right person quickly - even if they're several time zones away from the agent taking the call. Live call sharing allows agents to send a link to an in-progress call, allowing anyone they wish to join in.
- Real-time tracking of your team's phone activity:
- RingOver provides supervisors with tools and a dashboard that allows them to know exactly what each agent is doing on the phone at any moment, and advanced statistics for knowing exactly where their team's overall strengths and weaknesses are.
- Monitoring tools such as call whispering and double-listening let supervisors listen in on the calls of new recruits or feed them tips and advice without the other party on the line hearing. With call recording, supervisors can train agents by having them listen to their own calls again or hear how the best agents upsell or handle challenges.
- Detailed statistics on all calls (average call time by agent and/or team, average queue time for callers, first call resolution (FCR) rate, etc.) provide an overview of service level, with exported call logs showing progress over time. See an example of a supervisor dashboard below:
- Read our article on how to know which customer service KPIs to track
- Maximise IVR capabilities
- Set up relevant greetings: let callers first know who exactly who you are, with a message and music that reflects your company's image. Share important information and updates (ex: how COVID-19 has affected your company) in approximately 20 different languages. Inform callers of your new business hours and provide alternate contact information, if necessary.
- Inform callers early on about potential line disturbances and increased queue times due to atypically high call volumes. Also share responses to FAQs and provide a specific dialpad selection (ex: press 0) to send callers directly to voicemail at any time to help reduce call volume. See more about IVR announcements here.
- Intuitive collaboration tools
- Internal messaging ensures that one agent can instantly provide critical information to another - perhaps while they're on the phone with an agitated caller - which will greatly boost first-call resolution and help to lower call volumes.
- Call notes and tags created via our interface sync directly with your CRM. This helps agents save time while completing necessary tasks after every call.
- Dedicated crisis hotline
- Toll-free numbers: RingOver provides international toll-free numbers that can be especially useful for high-profile clients needing urgent assistance. Using toll-free numbers ensures your clients can call you for free or at very low rates, making you much more reachable.
- Exclusive contact channels: When dealing with ad hoc situations, ensuring you have set up a dedicated phone line that can handle specific client requests quickly and on time can help reduce frustration and long wait times. Companies can set up temporary IVR lines to properly filter calls coming from clients directly affected by disruptions in their service due to the current crisis, dispatching them to specific remote agents to handle, for example.
- Want to learn more about our crisis-proof call center solution?
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