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Second Call Treatment - A Strategy to Handle Repeat Callers and Improve First Call Resolution

by Bob Brittan - August 23, 2010

Second Call Treatment – A Strategy to Handle Repeat Callers and Improve First Call Resolution
by Bob Brittan

Measuring FCR (First Call Resolution) is only the beginning to understanding why your customers needed to call your company more than once about the same transaction. Implementing a Second Call Treatment solution (like Primas’ Evolution FCR™ product) offers special attention be given to the repeat caller and can diffuse hostile interactions between the customer and CSR (Customer Service Representative), and even save a valuable customers business. Building a Second Call Treatment process is imperative to avoid a third or subsequent customer contact, remember operating without a first call resolution process was found to account for a minimum of 30% of a call center’s operational costs!

In a recent study by the Ascent Group more than 90% of companies measuring first call resolution reported improvement in their performance. Another study by callcentres.com reported a dramatic fall in call volume — identifying that a minimum of 20% of all calls were repeat calls from customers needing an answer or help they didn’t get on the first call. Even with a first call resolution plan in place you will never eliminate all repeat callers. The reasons are many and varied by industry and you may even encourage repeat callers depending on your business model.

Repeat call tracking is a powerful FCR measurement tool. It allows a business to define a second call treatment range, track FCR rates and automatically collect information (otherwise calls will be missed) that can be used to determine root causes of problems. For repeat call tracking to work, every call needs to be captured and the customer and the call reason must be identified. Repeat call tracking differs from other FCR measurements because:

· Relies on actual repeat calls.

· Provides FCR information on all calls, not just sample sets.

· Provides all associated information, including agent ID, customer name and number, call times and dates, call reason, call flow (transfers, abandons, etc.), and multi-call correlation.

Benefits of a Second Call Treatment Solution

Implementing a Second Call Treatment solution can yield the following benefits:

· Lower operational costs

· Reduction in customer churn

· Improve revenue opportunities (in revenue generating contact centers), introduce up-sell and cross-sell strategies

· Proper alignment of customer to the correct resource (agent)

· Expanded data collection, tracking and reporting

· Increase agent productivity and satisfaction

The greatest benefits to second call treatment come from available technology that can locate resources more easily. By identifying a repeat caller within Evolution FCR, the repeat caller can be transferred to an agent with specific training or a managed queue with the proper expertise. This has the benefit of using the extensive efficiency and optimization technology within the contact center queues to optimize performance. Another way this can be achieved is by having the integrating software perform a series of automated data “dips” to examine the database for the information needed to route the call to the proper agent. One benefit of Evolution FCR is the real-time notification to a CSR desk top that a caller is indeed a repeat caller. The CSR can immediately see a real-time screen pop on their desktop with valuable customer information like:

· How many times the customer has called into the contact center

· Where the customer connected to (IVR, agent, transfer, abandon)

· Dates and times calls were made

· Customer name

· CSR name(s) that the customer had previously contacted

Sample - Primas’ Evolution FCR – Second Call Treatment Agent Real-time Screen Pop

Knowing this information ahead of any CRM scripting or even CRM screen pop can dynamically change the way the CSR handles the repeat caller; special attention can be given to the repeat caller and can diffuse hostile interactions and even save a valuable customers business.

You now have all of the data from the completed repeat call transaction and as far as you know, the customer is satisfied. How can you be sure? Invest in an automated IVR survey like the one that is included in the Primas Evolution FCR product solution.

A Post Call IVR survey captures the customer’s impression of the call immediately after the interaction. FCR measurement is straightforward - the survey asks the customer if their problem was resolved while the call is still clear in their mind. A good post call IVR survey will tie the survey to customer information and call reason, so that you can resolve any issues with a specific customer or call type. Overall, you will be doing a better job if you close the loop to the very end ensuring customer retention, loyalty and most importantly, customer satisfaction with your services.

About the Author

Bob Brittan is the Senior Marketing Director at Primas. He has more than 20 years of experience in best-practices consulting for real-time data, and contact centers with a focus on workforce and enterprise performance management. As a product marketing director, Brittan has brought many powerful combinations of products to market creating and transforming cohesive customer views into real-time performance and productivity metrics. www.primas.net (714-901-2721).

About Primas

Primas is a leading contact center solutions and professional services company designing and implementing multi-platform data integrations and solutions for over 15 years. Our expertise leverages and enhances legacy infrastructure and assists with cost effective, new and migratory planning focusing on FCR, CTI, IVR and speech application development and implementation.

 
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