5 Ways to Reduce Your Contact Center’s Average Time in Queue

Posted by 3CLogic on Aug 3, 2021 12:19:39 PM

When it comes to waiting on hold, studies have shown that callers don’t have a ton of time to spare.

A recent survey from Arise Virtual Solutions reveals that over 65% of customers are only willing to wait on hold for a maximum of two minutes before hanging up. What’s more, over 13% of respondents said that hold time, no matter how long, is unacceptable altogether.

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Topics: customer service, contact center software, CRM, contact center solution, call center software, customer support, high call volume, contact center solutions, time in queue, customer service team, wait on hold, on hold, waiting on hold, customer service rep

5 Ways to Boost Customer Satisfaction in Your Help Center

Posted by Rachel Brink on Mar 9, 2016 8:56:01 AM

Customer experience is quickly becoming a business’ next competitive battleground, expected to overtake price and product as a brand’s key differentiator by the year 2020. And as consumers become more informed and empowered, and alternative touch points continue to emerge, customer expectations are only anticipated to grow even larger. But as it stands, the global “Switching Economy”—or the potential revenue up for grabs in the U.S. market due to changes in consumer spending patterns and switching rates—has swelled to $1.6 trillion (a 29% increase since 2010), indicating that a large percentage of businesses are not adequately keeping up with their customers’ growing demands, causing them to take their business elsewhere. But with the help of technology and a few best practices, businesses can help boost their customer satisfaction scores and retention rates: 

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Topics: customer service, call center, contact center, customer support, help center

Contact Centers and First Call Resolution

Posted by Rachel Brink on Jul 25, 2014 10:22:00 AM

According to a recent study, customer satisfaction ratings are 35-45% lower when a second call or interaction is required to address the same issue (Customer Relationship Metrics).  And with 82% of clients rating speed-of-service as one of the primary drivers behind their satisfaction ratings, with 45% abandoning transactions when expectations aren’t met (Forrester Research), the challenge facing contact centers seems fairly obvious.  Provide quality service fast.   So why is that contact centers still fail to address 32% of all incoming customer inquiries and concerns on the first go-around (SQM Group) despite the clear need to do so? 

One has only to consider his or her own experience with a sales or support representative to quickly list how the service could perhaps be improved.  Granted, not all customers are reasonable, nor can every inquiry be easily addressed in a single call or interaction.  However, if someone wants to upgrade their service, follow-up on a support ticket, discuss their bill, or review a possible purchase it shouldn’t be painful or difficult.  But for those of you who need a little more to justify the value of first call resolutions (FCR) then consider the following:

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Topics: customer service, contact center software, crm integration, customer support, best business practices, SaaS, IVR technology, employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, first call resolution

Is Your Contact Center Truly Redundant?

Posted by Guillaume Seynhaeve on Mar 24, 2014 1:30:00 AM

Over the weekend, the weather finally changed, with temperatures in the high 60’s on Saturday.  It’s not something I generally get excited about, but after this year’s brutal winter I took advantage of the break from the cold to go on a long run with friends.  It was on this run that someone asked me, “How is it that my home phone never goes down but that a number for one of Ashburn’s biggest data centers can, and recently did, with only a busy tone for those trying to get through?” 

Knowing what I do for a living, he went on to explain that one of the employees at the data center had been fired and chosen to turn off the switches before walking out, which brought the whole center to a standstill.  In fact, not only was he able to bring down all of the managed hosted services, but the VOIP-based PBX system was also shutoff, which prevented the entire support staff from making or receiving calls.   To make matters worse, every client who tried to call customer support heard nothing but a busy tone.  Doesn’t help when one of those clients is the state government.

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Topics: fully redundant software, contact center software, call center, call center scalability, 360 view, call center software features, call center software, cloud based call center, technical support, cloud customer service, redundant systems, customer support, scalability, fault tolerance, service delivery, IVR technology, VOIP

CEO Thoughts: Hate maintenance windows? So do we.

Posted by Guillaume Seynhaeve on Mar 3, 2014 10:45:00 AM

I am working with a mortgage broker to refinance my home. The mortgage broker uses a number of tools to communicate with his clients and seems to be pretty tech savvy. I found out that he uses Salesforce.com because he invited me to communicate with him using Chatter.

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Topics: cloud based contact center, outbound, crm integration, cloud based solution, 360 view, call center software features, blended contact center software, contact center, contact center solution, call center software, cloud customer support, cloud customer service, small business solution, cloud call center, customer support, best business practices, scalability, SaaS, VOIP

Amar's Alley: The Battle Between Contact Centers and Answering Machines

Posted by Guillaume Seynhaeve on Feb 24, 2014 9:40:00 AM

“Hi! you have reached blah blah blah, please leave your name and number and I will get back to you." Familiar? It should be….these words likely echo in your ears at some point everyday! Correction…this probably happens to you on almost every call! 

Allow me to provide you with an outside perspective from a member of the “old guard” (let’s just leave my age at that), who always jumps to answer a call, regardless of what’s going on and even if the number is unknown.  In my younger days, we would run across the office floor, or down the flight of stairs at home to pick-up the phone, because we were taught that if a device rings, it's for a reason.  Today, I am intrigued by how often I come across that same old message, “Hi! You have reached (blah blah blah blah), please leave your name…"

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Topics: cloud based contact center, call center, crm integration, custom crm integration, 360 view, call center software features, contact center solution, call center software, cloud call center, customer support, best business practices, call blast, employee retention, scalability

SaaS Contact Center Software, the quick and dirty!

Posted by David Rastatter on Dec 9, 2013 12:00:00 PM

So what is software-as-a-service (SaaS)?

After being immersed in the contact center arena for quite some time, I have found that people are still having trouble grasping what software-as-a-service really is. Software-as-a-service, also known as SaaS, is an on demand software. The software is hosted in the cloud and a web browser acts as the medium for the customer to access it.

Think of it like renting an apartment, as opposed to owning one. Your landlord or property management company handles all of the maintenance headaches such as plumbing issues, broken air conditioning units, and changing light bulbs, while you enjoy the benefits of living in the apartment. SaaS can be seen as the same thing. It allows the customer to enjoy the product without worrying about the behind the scenes maintenance including updates and fixes. The customer uses the software, but its ‘skeleton’ remains unseen.

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Topics: cloud based solution, call center software features, call center software, customer support, software, SaaS

Can your contact center software keep up with customer demand?

Posted by Rachel Brink on Dec 2, 2013 1:17:00 AM

The holiday season is a busy time for both consumers and companies alike. People become concerned with shopping for the perfect gifts and making sure their holiday dinners are delicious and pulled together. They want to be able to get what they need, when they need it, without any difficulty. Because of this, companies have to make sure that their customer service and support is highly responsive. They also have to be sure that their system is scalable and can handle the increased activity during the busy holiday months.

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Topics: crm integration, cloud based call center, customer support

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