Time plays a pivotal role when the talk is going over running customers service operations perfectly because every customer wants a proposed resolution after initiating a support interaction. To satisfy customer desires, most of the businesses avail call centre service from third-party vendors.
Specialized call centre service providers make sure that spectacular solutions get delivered during support interactions. For the same, some vital metrics are tracked very closely such as FCR, CSAT, and so forth. But there is one crucial KPI on which business growth and longevity depend heavily: ‘AHT (Average Handle Time).’
This metric is being tracked by both outbound and inbound call centre service to know about the average handle time of customer interactions happening in a day. Although, both ring and queue time don’t come under AHT, both hold and talk time do.
Keeping AHT at a reduced level to ensure better efficiency during customer service operations. Here’s how established call centre service providers slash the average handle time (AHT):
1. Train call centre agents aptly
Specialized call centre service providers always keep their focus on building a team of nimble customer support agents as they know that’s the best way to render inimitable solutions when the circumstances are in against. To make sure that, call centre agents set high standards in terms of service, first-rate training gets provided.
During call centre agent training period, it is told how to close service interactions quickly without letting the quality of resolutions drop. To make certain that agents take things seriously, the value of low AHT is also explained.
Besides this, trainers teach service agents to how to utilize call scripts, CRM system, knowledge base, and so forth.
2. Let customers talk about issues
Do you know why entrepreneurs drop the plan of running customer service operations on your own?
The two major explanations for this are:
- Services of call centre service providers come at the nominal rate.
- Specialized third-party vendors can easily handle support requests all day and night.
Support agents of call centre service providers endeavor to upgrade CX levels, therefore, assist customers in the most ideal way. By and large, the average handle time soars when customers don’t get a proper chance to describe issues. It doesn’t matter whether agents have understood about the issues or not after listening to preliminary words, customers always want to express themselves during service interactions.
Whenever customers are interrupted in-between, it doesn’t only uplift the AHT but also has a negative influence on brand equity. That’s why support agents are strictly instructed to let customers discuss issues during service interactions.
3. Optimized IVR menu
Normally, controlling the average handle time on the voice channel is tough because this service medium experiences higher footfall of customers as compared to other daises. As we know, customers cannot be forced to choose any other service medium when they want to make a call. To keep the AHT in check, call centre service providers strive to enhance the reliability of the IVR system.
How can optimized IVR system possibly reduce AHT? Well, if you keep the IVR menu streamlined, customers are likely to unraveling issues on their own by choosing the right option. This eventually dwindles the number of support requests, which as a corollary, leads to decreased AHT.
Here’s how presumed call centre service providers come up with perfect IVR menu:
- Survey results are checked so that proper changes can be made into the IVR menu.
- Service agents are, during monthly meetings, asked to share their opinion on the basic issues that customers usually discuss during support interactions. After this, important improvements are made into the IVR menu.
4. Call recordings are checked properly
As we have already mentioned, customers share issues usually by making a call, and because of this, organizations face mammoth call traffic. During the pinnacle hours, the volume of customer calls nearly gets multiplied two times, which puts more pressure to close service interactions promptly.
Here, call centre service providers come into the play as they are acquainted with the technique, which helps to deal with a heap of customer calls impeccably. By and large, customer calls are recorded so as to discover what happens during the hold time.
Through call recordings, it gets easier to find out those service specialists who are taking additional time in closing customer interactions. After that, additional training gets provided to those agents so that they don’t fail next time.
Final few words:
Ensuring low average handle time is instrumental to create amazing customer service experiences and reduce operational expenses. This blog was all about how presumed call centre service providers slash AHT. We hope nothing goes over your head.
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