Agent: Hi, may I speak with John Doe? I am calling on behalf of your car dealer to inform you that we found the vehicle you were looking for!
Customer: Hi! I am super interested in talking to you. Unfortunately, I am in the middle of a meeting. But I have a few minutes free at 4:23pm. Can you call me then, please?
How many times have we been at either end of that receiver? What does normally happen at 4:23pm?
This is a common issue in all call centers. Some try to palliate this issue by having individual agents tracking it, post it notes, calendar events and so on with a varying degree of success but always with a high level of cost due to the human nature involved to comply with it.
And as we will see, this is just a single instance of a much wider issue.
Traditional Forms of Callbacks?
Callbacks are normally interpreted as one of two things:
1
An option given to a customer to avoid spending long waiting times in a queue and to be able to receive a call back to their device of preference when their place in the queue has been reached. This is an excellent option to increase customer satisfaction since they do not have to be locked into waiting for an agent to become available thus freeing them to do as they please in the meantime. Let’s not forget that it is at the same time an important way of saving money by lowering the amount of time spent on the phone while waiting and also savings by been able to use fewer staff for the task.
2
The simple action to try and reach a customer back at a specific time. These actions can be done for one of two reasons normally:
a
Simply because we tried to call before and the customer was not available, and our internal business rule calls for that simple action
b
At the request of a customer themselves since it may be an inconvenient time at the moment of the interaction
Those previous 2 scenarios present several problems that are not conducive to either a good Customer Experience or minimizing the potential cost of it.
a
This is a common situation in an outbound scenario. We try to initially contact a customer and there is no answer or there is an answering machine. Of course, we can always leave a message informing them of the purpose of the call, etc. etc. etc. but what should be the next move? Simply just try to call back whenever possible? What happens if by the time you finally reach a customer the system has to drop the call because of lack of resources, and he’s left with yet another automated message expressing regret for not being able to attend them?
b
This is another common scenario. It directly relates to the quote at the beginning of the article. We all know that interaction with our customers is golden. I have seen many contact centers try to resolve this type to callback by employing different techniques that are plainly unreliable and or expensive to implement, like taking notes/post-it by the agent on their cubicles, reminders on Outlook calendars, etc. What happens if the agent is out or busy with something else? What if just plainly forgot, did not see the reminder, or simply just does not feel like doing it at that particular time?
What is a Scheduled Callback?
A scheduled callback is a call time and space reserved at a predetermined time that guarantees a person will be available to talk to that customer. The system and/or an agent can mark an interaction as to be treated as a scheduled call back for the next time that customer is to be contacted. In case no scenarios come to mind, I will show a couple:
- The last time we tried to contact a customer, we had to drop the call. We want to make sure there is ZERO possibility of that happening the next time around lowering a potential situation with the customer if that happens
- Customer is busy but interested in finalizing the transaction at hand with you (i.e. a sale, collection of a debt, reschedule of an appointment, etc.). In this case, it is imperative to contact that person at the right time
To avoid the issues marked above, NGNCloudComm has exactly that feature! And it becomes extremely easy how to make it behave as the circumstances demand, because no two scenarios are the same! It can be established as an automatic part of enforcing a company’s business rules or by giving the permission to each agent to do so for them.
Enforcing it as part of a Business Rule ensures that every situation is handled exactly how your company wants it to be treated! For example, to avoid further possible conflict, the next call to a customer that has been dropped must be handle by an agent, no excuses.
So, after indicating to set the next interaction as a Schedule Callback, you now have several options on how to behave for that interaction:
Do Not Reserve CSR – Do not reserve an agent before dialing
Reserve Any CSR – Reserve any agent before dialing so it can receive the cal
Reserve Specific CSR – Do not Dial if Not Available – Reserve a specific agent before dialing. If that agent is not logged on or is logged on but on another call, do not dial the customer and skip for another time
Reserve Specific CSR – Get Any Other if Not Available or Busy – Reserve a specific agent before dialing. If that agent is not logged on or is logged on but on another call, reserve any other available agent
Reserve Specific CSR – Wait for CSR to Become Free, If Available But Busy. If not available, Get Any Other – Reserve a specific agent before dialing. If that agent is logged on but on another call, wait for that agent to become free. If that agent is not logged on, reserve any other available agent
Leave Status Unchanged – Retain the customer’s current reserve Agent status unchanged
In the case that you prefer to give the agent the power to decide, their UI will show a way to mark a record for that possibility, with the exact options available as if they were to be enforced by a business rule… from setting at what time of day call is supposed to happen and how it should be handled (see image).
Imagine the possibilities that your company now has in front of them. If you have a sales team, for example, the system can contact specific customers at a specific time guaranteed. Never lose another sale or anger a customer for calling outside the date and time requested by them!
Work with a Partner and not Just a CCaaS Vendor
At Grupo NGN our motto is “Let Your Imagination be Your Only Limitation”. All NGNCloudComm customers had the immediate ability to update their internal Business Rules to handle calls as they see fit. For customers that needed assistance we provided them with fast and affordable support to update their Business Rules and Agent Scripts as needed. We like to become our customer’s “technology partner” that ensures they are 100% efficient. It is this kind of attitude and service that keeps our customers extremely satisfied with our services and software, generating a continuous 99% 4 and 5 star customer support rating for more than 25 years! Some of our G2 reviews include:
my favorite part of working with NGNCloucomm is the level of customer service. Time after time, they have gone above and beyond. This team works harder than anyone I have ever met to ensure that our systems work optimally and that every last one of our needs is met.
NGN’s level of support and customer satisfaction exceeds any other vendor I have previously worked with in the past.
As mentioned, we love the product, but the customer service team and support have been exceptional. Always attentive and available when needed most, we have been able to collaborate with Grupo and implement new processes based on their superb understanding and experience in contact centers, both small and large.
The GrupoNGN team works very closely with us to understand our business processes, providing thoughtful solutions as well as quick support when needed.
