Event Venues

With weddings and graduations being sidelined all across the country, it’s not at all surprising that event venues have seen a drop in call volume over the last few months. Not only are people postponing or cancelling events, but without a definitive date when social distancing measures will ease, people aren’t scheduling any new events, either. Event Venue A experienced a 50% downturn from February to March, and another 73% drop from March to April – nearly double Event Venue B, which saw decreases of 27% and 36%, respectively. According to Wedding Wire, the average wedding utilizes about 15 vendors, e.g., the facility, photographer, caterer, stylist, and more. And those vendors employ a group of people to perfect every detail. So, the venues aren’t the only ones losing out.

Balloon & Flower Vendors

One might expect that if events are being cancelled, balloon and flower sales are also taking a dive. In the case of these two clients, one would be wrong. Luckily for flower shop owners, making the switch from storefront sales to online only enabled those originally non-essential businesses to remain open. And with no one actually able to celebrate birthdays and other major events in person, a bouquet of flowers, a bunch of balloons, and a drive-by party will have to do the trick. Balloons floated up by 33% from February to March and continued their streak into April. Flowers saw a 13% growth spurt from February to March, and another 37% upshoot from March to April. Whether for birthdays, graduations, Easter, Passover, or advanced orders for Mother’s Day, things are looking up for these retailers.

Commercial Cleaners

As we’ve come to appreciate, the companies that are dedicated to cleaning and sanitizing medical facilities and essential businesses are indispensable, and never more so than when a novel virus is carving its way through the population. A quick glance at the graph below shows that Commercial Cleaner A, based in New York – aka the hot spot of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States – has been inundated with calls, showing a 290% surge from February to March, with numbers continuing to rise another 32% in April. While Commercial Cleaner B’s usage is not as astronomical, they still had a 73% upswing from February to March in their California setting, before a nearly equal 71% downtrend from March to April, possibly the result of one-time March sanitization of the many establishments on lockdown.

IT Service & Sales

There’s nothing like an epidemic to force a crash course in how to turn your business from brick-and-mortar to work-from-home, virtually overnight. The amazing thing about technology is that we live in a time when radically changing your business model is not only plausible but feasible. A sudden shift in protocol means that the not-so-tech savvy will need help getting everything together. It makes sense, then, that two of our Business and Residential IT Service clients saw a spike in calls from February to March, springing up 78% and 143%, respectively. But a company that specializes in commercial IT Sales fell off by 52% between February and March as businesses began to close their doors, and dove another 53% into April.

School Safety

School’s out for the summer! And the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus have affected more than just educators and administrators. When you think of grade schools and universities, school safety personnel aren’t usually the first people who come to mind. Yet, especially in the days of Sandy Hook and Parkland, they are a vital part of a properly functioning institution. Unfortunately, school shootings aren’t the only incidents that claim lives on campus. According to the National Fire Protection Association, from 2011 to 2015, fire departments in the United States responded to around 4,100 structure fires in campus properties, 92 of which were fatal. As we can see, fire safety consultants for college campuses saw a 68% decline in call volume from February to March, which makes sense, given that hundreds of schools closed their doors. And as students hurriedly left their dorms, one campus’ emergency line had a 98% decline between March and April.

Hair Salons

Though a few states have begun to reopen businesses previously deemed non-essential, the vast majority of areas remain buttoned up. Stylists may be able to create videos showing you how to trim your own hair, but there’s no revenue in a DIY video, unless you’re charging for it. So, salons and spas have definitely lost out on a wealth of business – not only on regular cut and color appointments, but also on updos for prom, which some students held virtually. Salon A, in North Carolina, stayed steady through March, as the state did not institute mandatory closures of personal care and grooming facilities until March 25th. Calls subsequently fell by 59% from March to April. Salon B, in Georgia, had a 69% slump in usage between February and March, when local governments shut businesses down – despite not having an official order from the governor until April.

Mental Health Counseling

Not catching COVID-19 is at the forefront of everyone’s mind, which is why social distancing campaigns are in place across the globe. But what happens to mental and emotional well-being when we’re all staying at home, missing out on personal connections with family, friends, and coworkers? A lot, as it turns out.

Depression, anxiety, substance use, domestic violence and child abuse can and likely will get worse during this crisis, as past disasters have taught us. And, as time rolls on, mental health counselors will have a crisis all their own, trying to help individuals and families recover from the mass chaos brought on by such a tiny virus. For two mental health counselors in New Jersey, we see inverse call volume. But why has one decreased while the other increased? Perhaps Counselor A is not offering telehealth appointments, which could explain the 50% decline between March and April. Or maybe, location plays a role. Counselor A is based in the lower part of New Jersey, closer to the Philadelphia area and less of a COVID-19 battleground than northern parts of the state. Counselor B, who has seen a 231% climb in inbound traffic from March to April, is based in upstate New Jersey, just outside of New York City – which has a higher COVID-19 mortality rate than anywhere else in the country. If that’s not a reason to need a counselor, then what is?

Resorts & Hotels

So, what do you do when you’re bored out of your mind working from home? If you have the means and the mode of transportation, you go on vacation, or you plan one so that you can decompress when this horror story is behind us. That’s what two stateside vacation resorts have seen in the past two months, despite the fact that the travel industry as a whole has taken a big hit. If you’re going to be forced to shelter in place, you may as well do that somewhere with sun and fun, rivers, tubing, beaches, water sports, and most of all, a respite from the cares of the world. Resorts A and B have both seen usage upticks, the most prominent being Resort A – with a 192% burst between March and April. Resort B trailed quite a bit but still did well, showing 71% more inbound traffic. Of note, international Resort C experienced a 66% fall in usage during the same time frame. If no one is flying, they’re not going to be booking international vacations, no matter how great the mojitos are.

While we have some resorts doing well, our smaller stateside hotel clients are receiving less volume. In fact, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association, hotel occupancy rates are projected at 20% or less, which will leave some smaller establishments with no choice but to close their doors.

Veterinary Medicine

They say that every dark cloud has a silver lining. And one of the most heart-warming silver linings of the ominous coronavirus cloud is that pet fostering and pet adoption rates have increased. Why? Because all you need is love! 4-legged, fur babies to bring a smile to your face and ease your pain while you shower them with cuddles. For the first time in years, many shelters are empty, and more dogs and cats in happy homes equals more vet visits. We looked at four veterinary practices, and all four showed increased call volume. Vet A had a 139% swell from March to April. Vet B’s calls increased in March, going up by 76% from their February usage. Vets C and D both increased February through April. There’s nothing like taking a disaster and turning it into a reason to spread joy and unconditional love – such a beautiful thing!

Food & Beverage

The food and beverage industry has endured all sorts of changes in the past two months that no one saw coming. If you’ve tried to get into the grocery store during senior hours, purchased hand sanitizer made by a distillery, or enjoyed curbside service from your favorite dine-in only restaurant, then you’ve seen the adaptability of businesses in your area, necessitated by the “new normal.” What we found particularly curious are two industries that have seen unexpected peaks and valleys, even in these crazy times.

The first, online alcohol sales. Bars are closed. Liquor stores are closed (but some now offering pickup). So, where do you go when you want a glass of chardonnay and your wine rack is bare? Storm your neighbor’s kitchen and trade a roll of toilet paper for a bottle of the good stuff? Nope. You have it shipped right to your door. For our online alcohol retailer, this manifested into a 55% increase from February to March followed by a 77% push from March to April.

Unfortunately, dairy suppliers have had less luck than their spirited colleagues. Regardless of the empty supermarket shelves at the onset of the pandemic, or the continued need for milk, butter and cheese, dairy farmers have been asked to dump milk because of a crippled supply chain. If you can’t guarantee freshness due to delays in delivery, then you can’t sell the product. That explains the 42% loss for our dairy client between February and March followed by a 14% decline from March to April.

Traffic Incidents & Vehicle Services

Of the industries we researched, we found a fascinating correlation between a few companies that are decidedly linked, though it’s not something that we would normally make the super short leap to connect. That’s why research is so cool! Let’s look at 1) the online alcohol retailer, 2) an alcohol level monitoring company, 3) a driving hotline, and 4) collision repair.

As we recall from our last segment, with bars and liquor stores closed, online alcohol sales have gained. And with people no longer having to leave their homes to imbibe, there are fewer drunk drivers on the roadways. The graph below shows an inverse relationship between the amount of online alcohol sales, a 77% rise from March to April, and the amount of calls received by a company that monitors breathalyzers installed in vehicles to prevent driving while intoxicated, a 10% fall during the same time frame. While the number of alcohol monitoring calls has not decreased by much for our client, we are grateful for any reduction in drunk driving. This story is echoed in cities across the country, with reduced DUIs between March and April.

Fewer drunk drivers on the road, in addition to the millions who are staying put with everything on lockdown, means fewer calls to driving and traffic incident hotlines – an 18% dip from February to March, and another drop by 44% from March to April. And, if the highways are less congested and people are paying more attention to the road instead of, well, just about anything else, there are less accidents, and thereby, less of a need for collision services. An 11% downshift for our auto body repair client between February and March, and another 12% fall in April.

Viruses don’t care who you are, where you live, or how successful you’ve become. They don’t wait for your finances to be in perfect shape so that you’ll be able to weather the storm when they strike. And they don’t ask what type of business you run, or how much their existence will interfere with your and your staff’s livelihood. There is no denying the massive impact that the coronavirus has had on our society and the world. But, with a little ingenuity, your small business can and will bounce back from this.

The post How COVID-19 Has Impacted Call Volume for Small Businesses – Multiple Industry Analysis appeared first on Specialty Answering Service.

Despite social distancing mandates, the blight of COVID-19 has actually brought people closer together on a humanitarian level. Maybe you’ve checked in more with family. Maybe it’s made you more aware of the needs of the elderly or disabled in your community, or increasingly grateful for medical professionals and other first responders. With true face-to-face communication at a standstill, we’ve been pushing the limits of technology as we maintain contact with our social networks. And for business owners, enhanced communication has never been more critical than it is now.

In some respects, an organization’s availability translates to reliability. When customers have an abundance of ways to connect with you, and when you promptly and effectively respond to their questions and concerns, you build trust and the likelihood of repeat business. So, if you already have a business contingency plan in place, a strong online presence, and an answering service managing inbound calls 24/7, you’re a step ahead of the game and well-prepared for the unexpected. On the flipside, if this situation has undeniably highlighted holes in your communication strategies, then you have some work to do to keep yourself afloat. Just a few changes will improve connectivity across all channels.

#1 – Coordinate Website & Social Media Updates

First things first, update your website, and be sure that information is changed as the situation evolves. Include details such as:

Open / Close Hours

• Open hours during which patrons may visit
• 24/7 availability, depending on the type of business
• House calls or technicians’ hours

Contact Methods

• Standard contact
• Website and Social Media contact
• Emergency support contact

Products / Services

• Changes to pricing or availability of certain products or services
• Order lead time or delivery delays

COVID-19 Precautions

• If house calls or technicians’ visits are necessary, spell out how you will protect your employees and customers from COVID-19. For example, “All of our technicians are equipped with protective outerwear, shoe covers, gloves and face masks to minimize the risk of spreading or acquiring germs.”

You’ll also need to use social media outlets to let customers know that you’re still operational and here to help. If you’re in a time crunch, there are social media management tools that enable you to update all social media accounts simultaneously. Set time aside each day to update platforms with consumer tips, pictures from the field, new developments, inspirational stories, and anything else that will put an encouraging spin on a challenging situation. Welcome customers’ comments and personal experience, and follow up so that they know you’re listening. Show them how much you value their continued support. Then, when this crisis is behind us, your reputation for being a gracious business owner will precede you.

#2 – Send Text & Email Blasts

If you haven’t already sent out a mass communication to your customers, create a bullet-points list that echoes the information posted on your website, and include an introductory message from the owner or CEO regarding the company’s response and commitment to serve customers, come what may. That personal touch goes a long way, and it is more important now than ever. We all have the same concerns. It’s best to address them directly, from the top.

Don’t forget to include quick links for contact by phone and email, as well as links to your website and all social media pages. Before you click send, check to see that you have the appropriate text and email consent on file. Be mindful that FCC guidelines protect consumers from receiving unsolicited text and email messages.

#3 – Offer Video Chat

A slew of businesses and social networks are jumping on the video chat bandwagon, using services such as Skype, Webex, GoToMeeting, and Doxy.me, among others. Many are end-to-end encrypted (research each service to look for these features), which makes them accessible for a variety of industries. It’s as easy as sending a link via text or email to your customer or patient and signing on at the scheduled time. Though it is not a viable solution for everyone, it affords the ability to stay connected and offers peace of mind to those you serve.

#4 – Whenever Possible, Enable Remote Working

Having a cloud-based CRM and ticketing system such as Zendesk, NetSuite or HubSpot, means that any employee with an Internet connection can access data and respond to customers’ queries, regardless of location. Some systems will even present an alert if colleagues are working on the same ticket simultaneously, which saves time and prevents doubled efforts. Couple that with a cloud-based phone system such as RingCentral or Grasshopper, and your team will be able to maintain the high-level customer support that you’re known for, all from the comfort of their shelter-in-place.

At a time when the job market is so uncertain, one key takeaway here is that establishing a remote-working protocol just may be the one thing that boosts job retention for millions of people. Having a robust work-at-home plan benefits customers and employees alike. Once established, it will always be available as a failsafe. And, from an employee’s perspective, knowing that you still have a steady paycheck is invaluable.

#5 – Consider an Answering Service

Much like the national run on toilet paper, people start scrambling when they realize that the goods and services on which they depend may not be available in the short term. With this, you may see a swell of inbound calls from people wanting to know exactly where things stand. Yes, this information is on your website and social media outlets and was sent via text and email. But there is nothing like the reassurance of speaking with a live agent.

For example, SAS offers a free answering service. through our two-week free trial period. With that comes a number of benefits, including customized upfront greetings, warm and cold transfers to you or your employees, reach on-call for emergencies, appointment scheduling, message delivery by text and email, integrations with a variety of CRM software, and more. Depending on the service, you might pay per-minute or per-call after the trial period has ended, and plans can be adjusted based on pre- and post-COVID call volume. Customers will appreciate being able to reach someone, even if your offices or storefronts are closed. And you’ll appreciate never missing a call or having to wade through a flood of voicemails.

We’re lucky to be living in a time when reaching out to people has never been easier, and nothing drives that point home more than when a single virus shuts down half the world. Whatever your industry, and however large your customer base, communication is the backbone of every powerful business. Strengthen your approach now, and you’ll fortify your bottom line in the midst of, and well after, the COVID-19 crisis.

The post 5 Ways to Help Your Business Communicate Throughout the Coronavirus Crisis appeared first on Specialty Answering Service.

#1. Because voicemail stinks

Remember way back in the day when voicemail was cool? Well, in case you’re living about 40 years in retrograde, newsflash: voicemail is annoying. It just doesn’t give you the same instant gratification as sending a text, and if you have voicemail, you actually have to check it. Umm, no thanks. Then there’s the old out-of-office message. If you’re like most people, yours still says that you’ll be out until January 2nd. 2 Januaries ago. No one ever remembers to change those things! Enter the answering service. Live operators, personalized scripting based on the current date, and messages delivered in real-time.

#2. Because your staff deserves a break

Are you one of those bosses who puts the kibosh on your receptionist being out of the office on the same dates as you? But what if they have a 5-star trip planned to the exotic beaches of Bali when you decide you want to hit the links for a week? Are you going to postpone your lesson with Tiger Woods’ caddy? Or are you going to tell the front desk that Bali is a no-go? Neither. You’re going to sign up for an answering service. And you’ll vacate, and the front desk will vacate, and heck – even the plant lady will vacate. Business will not halt. Sales will not suffer. Your 24-hour virtual receptionists have you covered, no matter where in the world you find yourself.

#3. Because round-the-clock availability makes you a superstar among merchants

Have you ever woken up at 3am, feeling a little funky from the cheese curls and cherry soda you had for dinner? Like any normal insomniac, you turn on the TV and flip through about 5,000 different infomercials to lull you back to sleep. But then, the inevitable happens. You get sucked in. And at 3:05am, you’re buying the sock drawer sachets you never knew you always needed. Are you talking to a computer? Nope. That’s an actual person taking your call. So, whether someone decides to ring your business up at 3:05am or 12:30pm, they’ll be met with a friendly, knowledgeable operator. That cinches your reputation for incredible service, any time of day.

#4. Because it’s cheaper than working with temps

Let’s say that your assistant wins the trip of a lifetime adventure to ride a glacier in Iceland. Without her around to keep up with your appointment calendar, you’re a sinking ship. So, you hire a temp. Did you know that staffing agencies can markup hourly wages by as much as 50%? If you would normally pay $15 per hour for some extra help, you’re actually paying $30. Talk about overhead! Why in the world would you ever spend that kind of cash when you can hire a virtual assistant to answer your calls, set appointments, and shield you from solicitors? You wouldn’t. You’re smarter than that.

#5. Because holidays happen

After summer comes Labor Day. Then Thanksgiving. Then Christmas. And so on, and so forth. Once you’ve been spoiled by the benefits of a vacation answering service, you’re going to want one all year long. It’s way easier than worrying about being glued to your phone or stuck on live chat for the better part of your week. Comprehensive call center services can do everything you can do: field inbound calls, handle outbound promotion calls, monitor your chat and social media channels, answer email, respond to sales inquiries, and more. It’s just like your office, only better. Because someone else is making you look good.

In any season, and for any reason, our professionals are waiting to design a service that will complement your customer care platform at a price you can afford. And most providers offer a 2-week free trial. You get to try before you buy and tweak things along the way to ensure that your business looks and sounds exactly like it would if you were able to answer every call yourself. What’s not to love? So, go ahead. Take some well-deserved time away from your desk, and encourage your office team to do the same. With the right service on your side, it will be smooth sailing, all summer long.

The post Top 5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs An Answering Service This Summer appeared first on Specialty Answering Service.

No family is immune to the ravages of alcohol abuse and drug addiction. And if you run an answering service with addiction medicine or rehab centers on your client roster, then you and your customer service representatives know just how challenging it can be to cater to this ballooning population. While the ideal call center scenario for a drug or alcohol abuse hotline would be one with specially-trained staff and medical personnel manning the phones, the majority of call centers cannot boast this level of expertise. So, how can your answering service be a viable option for drug and alcohol treatment centers? We’ll take you through a 4-point plan with the tools you need to succeed.

#1. When it comes to manning an addiction hotline, empathy is everything.

If you teach your call center staff nothing else, be sure that empathy is at the forefront of their classroom training. Whether you receive calls from concerned family members and friends of people suffering from the disease of addiction, or you are speaking directly with someone who may be ready to check themselves into rehab, your listening skills and compassion have to be second to none. If an addict does not feel that you are truly ready and able to assist them, they won’t stay on the line long enough to wait for you to transfer them to the rehab’s on-call staff. A CSR’s phone etiquette may just be the make-it-or-break-it moment for an addict on the fence. So, help them to refine it and create an atmosphere of support and sensitivity.

#2. A well-planned and well-written call script will account for every type of call and will offer appropriate phrasing to navigate challenging situations.

Answering services that offer scripted, personalized call handling gives you the ability to write empathy and compassion directly into the CSRs’ dialogue. Phrases such as, “We are here to help,” “It’s good that you called in today,” “We will certainly get you the information you need,” and “Let me connect you with one of our experienced counselors,” are all strong transitions that will steer the conversation down the right road.

In addition, it’s important to ensure that the script is clearly laid out and starts off with an opening question that will lead to a specific path. Something along the lines of, “Hello, my name is James. Are you calling for drug and alcohol treatment?” would work. The path to follow might be labeled “Yes – Calling for Treatment.” Continue by asking if the individual is calling for themselves or someone else, and probe further by checking to see if this is a life-threatening emergency, and if the caller is experiencing suicidal ideation. Anything that helps the CSR quickly choose the best path and get the caller transferred to an on-call counselor or an emergency helpline, or easily answer questions, is ideal.

Below we’ve included some sample answering service scripts for drug addiction centers. Feel free to use any of them as inspiration when setting up your own call handling:

• Script Sample 1: This script sample offers pretty straightforward call handling. We are asking the caller if they are having an emergency or not, but gathering the same information and submitting the call to the same person no matter the answer.
• Script Sample 2: This script sample is a bit more involved. After determining if the caller is having an emergency, we ask if they would like for us to contact the on-call employee or just send a routine message. Here we can either go out to the rotating on-call schedule to reach out, or we can just send a standard message. If the caller is not having an emergency we are just gathering information as normal and sending an email through.
• Script Sample 3: This script sample is the most complex of the three as there are multiple calls paths to choose from. The caller could be calling to check in for treatment, they could have questions about the program, or they could be calling to speak with someone specific from the residential facility. Each path has us gathering the same information, but if the caller is calling to check in or if they have questions, we are attempting to transfer the caller. If they want to speak to someone specific we are just sending a message through.

#3. Advanced study of the call script is necessary to maintain call flow and effortless communication.

In most call centers, customer service representatives may never see a script until the first time it pops on their screen with a pending call. While that is fine for straightforward accounts where a simple message is all that is needed, that approach can be detrimental when fielding inbound calls for an account where a certain level of finesse is essential to proper call handling. For medical offices, treatment centers, counseling offices, and the like, taking the time to talk through the script and role play difficult scenarios, such as a caller who is crying or mentions self-harm, will go a long way to ensuring that CSRs are prepared for any situation, know exactly which call path to take, and complete the interaction with the utmost professionalism and care.

#4. Include several key pieces of information in the account’s FAQs, and organize them into categories for faster response time.

When your ability to quickly answer callers’ questions is as strong as your ability to empathize with their concerns, it will improve call quality and lend itself to the impression that operators work directly for the treatment center. That is why a strong Frequently Asked Questions section should be a point of focus during initial account programming. Nearly every FAQs section includes typical details, such as the type of account, the business address, website, etc. This will need to be amplified with questions about the facility and programs offered. For example, consider adding information regarding accepted insurance plans, the counselor-to-patient ratio, types of therapies offered, inpatient accommodations and lengths of stay, outpatient treatment programs, and crisis hotline numbers.

Answering calls for any addiction treatment center will present its own set of challenges, and this is one type of account that may prove to be emotionally draining for call center staff. But there is nothing that thorough scripting and comprehensive training cannot overcome. In a perfect world, no one would need drug and alcohol rehab. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world; however, as call center professionals, we can do our part to take what is likely an incredibly uncomfortable experience for the caller and turn it into a positive first step down the road to recovery.

The post 4 Tips to Setting up An Answering Service for a Drug Addiction or Recovery Hotline appeared first on Specialty Answering Service.

13 Tips on How to Answer Your Business Phone Professionally

#1. Smile before you dial, and perk up when you pick up

Yes, you really can hear a smile through the phone. And callers will appreciate a receptionist with a buoyant personality. So, get to grinning!

#2. Breathe

Rushing to pick up a line will make it sound like you’re, well, rushing to pick up a line. So, pause for a quick second, and take a breath before you answer. And if you tend to take shallow breaths, it’s probably because you need to…

#3. Sit up straight

When you sit up straight, it properly aligns your abdominal muscles, diaphragm, rib cage and airway so that your body is ready to help you push out your words.

#4. Be prepared to take a message

That means 1) have your notepad handy, or open the computer’s notepad, and 2) if you’re writing, put a pen or pencil right by the phone so that you’ll have what you need right at your fingertips.

#5. Speak clearly

There’s nothing worse than a mumbler. Be sure that you enunciate when you speak so that people will understand you the first time.

#6. Speak at a reasonable volume

Don’t whisper and don’t blast someone’s ears out. This also applies to receptionists who are wearing headsets. Keep the microphone at an appropriate distance from your mouth, or the caller could wind up hearing a lot more than they bargained for.

#7. Know where the mute button is

We are only human, and there may be times when you can’t hold back a cough or a sneeze while you’re on the phone. In those cases, or if someone is making a bunch of racket in the background, it is imperative that you know where the mute button is. The last thing that you want is to “ah-choo” in the middle of a sentence or have the UPS driver drown out your conversation.

#8. Always put someone on hold if you need to confer with a colleague

In a similar fashion to the mute button, know where the hold button is. Every now and again, you’ll turn to your coworker to ask a question, and you don’t want the caller to hear your discourse. Use a simple phrase such as, “Let me see if I can find that out for you. Would you mind holding a moment?” And, always ask before you place someone on hold.

#9. Don’t chew gum

It’s simply bad form to chew gum while you’re on the phone. Not only will it get in the way of clear speech, but no one wants to be on the receiving end of chewing noises.

#10. Try not to yawn

If you’ve come in to work after pulling an all-nighter, chances are that you’ll be exhausted. Unless you’ve pumped yourself up with 3 triple-shot espressos and a case of Mountain Dew, yawning is bound to happen. So, if you can’t stop yourself from yawning, refer to #7.

#11. Don’t make background noise, such as tapping on the desk

If you’re the one making annoying background noise, putting yourself on mute isn’t going to cross your mind. Therefore, keep the fidgeting to a minimum, and give the caller the most professional experience possible.

#12. Know the answer phrase

This seems like a no-brainer. However, if you’re new to a workplace, especially one with a name that even Webster would struggle with, write out the answer phrase, include a little phonetics cheat sheet, and practice saying it out loud until it’s as easy as saying eggs and toast.

#13. Have a staff directory at your disposal

Just think of how awkward it would be for someone to ask for Mr. Kopfgeschlagen, and you’re sitting there thinking to yourself, I don’t even know how to say that name let alone figure out if he works here. That’s why you need a staff list in front of you. Be sure to highlight executives’ names, as people will likely ask for them more frequently.

The post 13 Tips to Answer the Phone At Your Business: A Receptionist’s Guide appeared first on Specialty Answering Service.

A considerable amount of accountability for how things go when a new CSR hits the floor falls on trainers and supervisory staff. If you’re managing a call center, it’s your responsibility to keep things moving like a well-oiled machine. That means you’ll need to check in on team leads, and ensure that floor supervisors are closely monitoring progress by listening in on calls, providing coaching when necessary, tracking Key Performance Indicators, and making themselves available for any questions that may come up during the course of the day. Do new hires know exactly where to find trainers and supervisors when they encounter a problem? Do they fully understand the escalation process if they find themselves in too deep? And is every level of management approachable and ready to listen when issues arise? If the answer is yes to all three of those questions, then CSRs have nowhere to go but up.

Anyone who has ever worked at a hectic answering service knows that handling hundreds of calls for businesses that you know nothing about will take some getting used to. And it is certainly up to the employee to make the most of what they’ve learned. That being said, we’ve put together one more training element that all new hires should be given the minute they sit at their stations. The job aids below condense a lot of training into a handful of posters that can be pinned up and referenced often, presenting helpful hints when the CSR doesn’t have the answers, when the caller is becoming angry, when empathy is warranted, and more. Having these job aids around for quick reference will enable operators to coach themselves past little hurdles and learn to be as self-sufficient as possible. The more confidence they gain with each call will make magic happen. Maybe not the first day on the job, or even the first week. But with a little patience and the right tools, every operator has the potential for excellence.

Download Materials For Call Center Training Modules

Once you and your staff have gone through the training outlined in the previous installments of this post, the next step to ensure data retention and implication is to provide your staff with a visual guide that they can refer to  while at their desks. While it wouldn’t be effective to print out the whole guide, we’ve highlighted certain modules that we feel would be most beneficial to keep handy for quick reference.

#1. BLAST OFF

Program Materials: Download and print the Blast Off Poster to place on the virtual receptionists’ stations.

• Be friendly and empathetic
• Listen carefully to capture every detail
• Acknowledge the caller’s concerns
• Speak slowly and clearly
• Take ownership of your actions
• Offer to take a message
• Follow the best path
• Focus on the issue at hand

#2. De-Escalation by Situation

Knowing how to de-escalate situations and calm down angry callers is an important trait for all customer service reps to learn.

Program Materials: Download and print the De-Escalation by Situation Poster for your agents to use as a quick reference guide on how to best handle hostile situations. Some examples on the poster include:

• Reason: Called multiple times
• Response: I’m sorry, I know this is frustrating. I’m not quite sure why you haven’t received a response yet, but sending another message may do the trick. So, let’s get your information to the office and I’ll mark it as urgent to see if we can speed up that call back.
• Reason: Refund has not been processed
• Response: I’m sorry, I know this is frustrating. I’m not quite sure why you haven’t received your refund yet, but sending another message may do the trick. So, let’s get your information to the office and I’ll mark it as urgent to see if we can speed up that call back.

#3. De-Escalation Conversation

The examples below provide a flow of conversation that you can use when the caller is becoming angry, frustrated, or upset.

Program Materials: Download and print the De-Escalation through Conversation Poster which serves as a quick reference guide on appropriate phrases to say to upset callers.

• Apologize: I’m sorry to hear that
• Empathize: It sounds like this has been really difficult for you
• Act: But I’ll do my best to help
• Thank: Thank you for letting us know about this issue
• Resolve: And I’ll make sure this gets to the right person

#4. Transitional Phrases

Dead air can be awkward. Transitional phrases are words that help carry a conversation from one thought to another, one subject to another, or one sentence to another.

Program Materials: Download and print the Transitional Phrases Poster which serves as a quick reference guide on appropriate phrases to say to a caller while you’re navigating through the customers script in the background.

• No problem. Let me get a message started for you.
• It will just take a moment for me to type this up. How is your day going so far?
• If you don’t mind, I just want to read this back to you to make sure I have all of the details.
• I definitely understand where you’re coming from. Let’s see what we can do about this.

#5. What Makes a Great Operator?

We all want great operators answering our phones. The secret is just sticking to the FACTS!

Program Materials: Download and print the FACTS Poster to use as a handout during your call center training program and for agent workstations.

• F: Be Friendly and courteous
• A: Use Active Listening skills
• C: Stay Calm (even when the caller is not)
• T: Use a pleasant Tone of Voice
• S: Use a Smooth Transition to avoid dead air

#6. When you Don’t Have the Answer

Below are some phrases to use when the script or FAQs do not fit the reason for the call.

Program Materials: Download and print the When You Don’t Have The Answer poster to use as a handout during your call center training program and for agent workstations.

• You know, I’m not sure about that. Let me take down your information, and I’ll look into it for you.
• I don’t have that information in front of me, but I’d be happy to have someone follow up with more details.
• That’s a great question. Let me send a message along for you so that we can get you the right information.

#7. When Your Emotions are Escalating

Empathy is a key to being a great call center agent. You just need to stay CALM!

Program Materials: Download and print the CALM Poster to use as a handout during your call center training program and/or a poster for agent workstations.

• C: Change your perspective (put yourself in their shoes)call center
• A: Adjust your attitude (use a softer approach)
• L: Listen to their concerns (focus on the issue at hand)
• M: Move towards resolution (steer the call in a positive direction)

The post Call Center Training Program Part 3: Materials and Modules appeared first on Specialty Answering Service.

#1. Create a training binder, and record companion video tutorials.

If you have nothing else in your training program, you should, at the very least, have your call center training material in one spot. We recommend each agent have a procedures binder with step-by-step instructions on how to do pretty much everything that call center staff will do on a daily basis. The more detailed the tutorials, the less likely that the employee will find themselves at a loss and inclined to ask questions. Sure, they may have questions on the “why,” but ideally, the right training material shouldn’t leave them with questions on the “how.” In fact, with self-study of written tutorials and a few minutes spent reviewing basic video walk-throughs of common procedures, new hires may almost be able to train themselves.

Works well for: This technique works well for individuals who learn better by reading on their own. 

#2. Spend a good amount of time in the classroom, where group discussion can help elaborate on critical points.

When call centers are hiring, they’re usually bringing on several people at the same time. Classroom training courses can be valuable not only because it’s the fastest way to give staff the same instruction in the same way, but also because it is a great forum for questions that everyone else may be thinking and only one person isn’t afraid to ask. Instructor-led training is essentially a live version of what’s in your training binder, and elaborating on the “why” of key responsibilities may be the extra step that helps new hires commit pertinent details to memory.

Of course, every teacher has their own style; however, certain elements must be uniform, across the board. Speak clearly, and ensure that your volume is loud enough to reach the back of the training room. Pause at the end of every topic or throughout discussion on complex processes, and ask if anyone has any questions on the material. (If you wait until the end, people may forget what they wanted to ask.) And always refer back to the training binder. You might have consolidated a variety of tutorials into one PowerPoint presentation, so it’s important to remind new hires that they have all the answers at their fingertips.

Works well for: This technique works well for individuals who learn better by participating in group discussions where they can feed off of other people’s ideas and questions.

#3. Use scripted role play and improvised “what if” scenarios to offer customer service representatives an opportunity to work through sticky situations without having any adverse effects on your clients.

Remember when you were in middle school and the teacher would ask for volunteers to read aloud or assist with an experiment? Well, those are really helpful techniques for adult learning, too. Role play for call center training is a great way to get new or seasoned agents exposure to unfamiliar situations. Take a few hours of classroom learning, and dedicate it to running through real-life examples of scenarios that call center staff will likely encounter multiple times throughout the course of their employment. One way to do this is to transcribe actual phone calls that quickly went south, and have two employees read the script – one as the caller, and one as the operator.

First, go through the script as-is, and tout this as a prime example of what not to do. Then, ask the employees how they would do things differently. “What if” you find yourself in this position? What would you do or say to produce a more positive outcome? See what they come up with on their own, and be sure to provide specifics on how their supervisors would expect them to manage challenging calls. The more of these “do this, not that” situations that you go through, the more comfortable new hires will feel when they find themselves in similar circumstances.

Works well for: This technique works well for individuals who learn better by using a more hands on and intuitive approach where they can develop their own process.

#4. Set aside time for every trainee to shadow their colleagues and watch what they’ve learned in action.

Every call center should have headsets or phone monitoring capabilities that enable trainees to listen in on calls without being heard. This is a vital piece of the preparation puzzle – driving knowledge home by seeing and hearing what is expected of them in action. After the training binders and tutorials, the classroom education and role play, you’ll want to pair new hires with your best representatives so that they can get a feel for how the call center software works and what approaches ensure a top-notch customer experience.

It’s also a good idea to have them shadow several employees that may have diverse yet equally effective communication styles. That opens the door to outside-of-the-box solutions, thinking on their feet, and recognizing that there may be a bunch of ways to garner the desired outcome depending on how the caller presents themselves. Shadowing is an invaluable tool, taking what they’ve learned from second-hand experience and assimilating it into their own approach once they’re ready to field calls. Whenever possible, encourage trainees to ask questions in between calls if something comes up that is unfamiliar or confusing. Better to take a moment to work out minor issues before they turn into major issues down the line.

Works well for: This technique works well for individuals who learn better by watching someone else.

In the process of trying to teach staff about soft skills, empathy, and navigating difficult situations, it’s imperative that you don’t lose those skills yourself. So, however you choose to educate your customer service representatives, make sure they know that trainers and supervisors are there to provide additional instruction and support, when necessary. Outstanding leaders are available, approachable, and always ready to lend a hand and contribute to every new hire’s transition from timid trainee to call center success story. The stronger the leader, the stronger the team!

Don’t miss part 3 – putting it all together on the call center floor.

The post Call Center Training Program Part 2: Training Techniques appeared first on Specialty Answering Service.

In this 3-part series, we’ll help take the guess work out of answering service industry training, starting with a thorough review of the role that soft skills and empathy play in keeping clients happy. While phone skills, attention to detail, and a professional demeanor are second nature for some, for others, comprehensive soft skills training is an essential element in bringing out the best in your staff. And that’s what we’ve created in Soft Skills & Empathy 101.

The more equipped staff is to handle themselves appropriately in any situation, the more confident they’ll be on every call, and the better you’ll look to current and prospective clients. So, feel free to download and incorporate some or all of SAS’ soft skills handbook into your existing program, and stay tuned for part 2 – training techniques to fit every learning style.

Call Center Training Program: Soft Skills & Empathy

The first part of our call center training course will take you through the fundamentals of basic terminology that all CSRs should be familiar with, to what makes a great operator and some various skills and procedures that all CSRs should come to master. See below for the program outline and follow down the page for downloads emphasizing specific skills like de-escalation pointers and transitional phrases.

Program Materials: Download the Power Point Presentation to use during your training class.

#1. Basic Terminology

• Empathy
• Sympathy vs. Empathy
• Tone
• Active listening
• Transitional phrase
• Soft skills

#2. What Makes a Great Operator?

Just stick to the FACTS!

• F: Be Friendly and courteous
• A: Use Active Listening skills
• C: Stay Calm (even when the caller is not)
• T: Use a pleasant Tone of Voice
• S: Use a Smooth Transition to avoid dead air

#3. Using Your Experience as a Guide

• Think about your own experiences contacting customer service
• How did you feel?
• Put yourself in the caller’s shoes

#4. When Calls go Well, What is the End Result?

• Customers will leave the call without a doubt that they are in good hands
• Customers will feel valued and validated
• Businesses will be able to retain customers and build new relationships
• Businesses will see increased revenue from happy customers
• Operators will receive positive feedback
• Operators will inspire excellence among coworkers

#5. The Importance of Staying On Script

• Scripts are programmed a certain way for a reason and should be followed as best as possible
• It may be acceptable to go off script in some circumstances, like if you’re answering a question or providing reassurance to a caller.
• It’s okay to ad-lib some expressions and phrases such as: “Thank you”, “I’m here to help”, “I’ll make sure this gets to the right person”, etc.
• If you’re going off script, it’s important to keep things moving to reach the end goal, which is to get the message through.

#6. Soft Skills and In-Call Procedures

• Active listening for accurate message taking
• Placing the caller on hold
• Transferring the caller
• Fielding questions using the FAQs
• Accessing external calendars or websites

Ready for more? Continue to part 2 of our series where we explore 4 call center training techniques and best practices.

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Voicemail – Pros

#1. No Extra Fees

The most obvious pro of using voicemail over an answering service is the cost. Regardless of what phone system or mobile carrier you use, voicemail is generally included in your monthly bill. That means that no matter how many voicemail messages you receive, you won’t have to pay extra to listen to them or to store them.

#2. The Right Message, Every Time

With voicemail, what you hear is what you get. In other words, the message will always be correct because it’s coming directly from the source. The only possible way for something to be misconstrued is if you can’t understand the caller, the message breaks up due to a cell signal issue, you incorrectly document the details, or you accidentally delete the message.

#3. It’s Ready When You Are

If you have your cell phone with you, or if you can dial in to your office phone system remotely to retrieve messages, then you’ll have every opportunity to capture prospective leads and manage your existing customer base, as long as you take the time to listen.

Voicemail – Cons

#1. It’s Impersonal

You could have the peppiest voicemail greeting on the planet, and voicemail would still be an impersonal way to do business. Sure, some people would rather leave a message than speak with you directly. Voicemail is certainly faster than carrying on a conversation. But in most cases, people are calling because they are hoping to get you on the phone. They are looking for that personal touch that neither voicemail nor all the technology in the world can provide.

#2. Response Time Delays

Let’s say that you’re out on a job, and three messages have come in during the course of the service call, one of which is an emergency. Assume that the current job takes at least an hour, and you won’t be listening to your voicemail until you have completed your assignment. Once you finally get to your voicemail and hear the emergency message, you call them back only to find that they’ve gone with another company because they couldn’t wait for you. Or, if it’s an existing customer, they may lose faith in your ability to dole out the personalized service that they want. In either case, response time delays are no way to instill confidence in your business.

#3. Voicemail Fills Up

What happens when your voicemail is full? If you’re constantly on the go and don’t regularly check your messages, then you may not have any idea that your voicemail is brimming with customers’ queries. And that spells disaster for customers who will hear that nice, automated system saying something like, “The voicemail box of the person you are trying to reach is full and cannot accept any new messages at this time.” If they have no alternate method of contact, their choices are clear: keep calling until someone answers, or reach out to the next business who can meet their needs.

#4. Lost Revenue

If we look at the previous scenario, for callers who reach or are barred from your voicemail and are either impatient or need immediate assistance, you’ve just lost revenue. Do that a few times a week, and it will add up to a sizeable chunk. Imagine that you miss five emergency calls for which services would be billed at $100 per hour. In one week, you’ve lost $500. And in one month, you’ve lost $2,000. That’s far below the cost of outsourcing, even for some of the higher-tiered call plans.

Live Operator Receptionist Service – Pros

#1. It’s Personal

What’s more personal than a live operator answering your calls? Not only will your customers hear a friendly, helpful voice on the other end of the line, but in-call scripts can be customized to present the specific image that you would present if you were answering the calls yourself. You can provide the answer phrase, various call types, a list of Frequently Asked Questions, and every statement or question in between. Then, when you receive an inbound call, your customized script pops up for the operators to use so that they’ll know exactly how to respond to any customer request.

#2. There are Advanced Features

One of the benefits of outsourcing your call answering to a receptionist service is the advanced features that you’ll have at your disposal. For example, they may offer helpdesk support, appointment setting, e-commerce services, email and text notification of new messages, online or mobile app access to your account, bilingual representatives, and more. Your account can be built to mirror your operation from soup to nuts, and you’ll have call details at your fingertips, no pen and paper needed.

#3. 24-Hour Availability

When was the last time that you answered your phone 24 hours a day? Unless you were recently on a coffee and Mountain Dew bender, we’re guessing the answer is never. Everyone needs rest. How could you run a successful business if you were sleepwalking through your days? That’s the beauty of working with call center services. You won’t generally see fees assessed for round-the-clock availability. This is not only ideal for capturing every inbound call, but it’s also a critical element for any business where emergencies have the potential to crop up at any hour.

#4. Immediate Response Time

In the event of an emergency, your callers expect the assurance that comes with a receptionist service. Sometimes, speaking to an operator is all that a customer needs to rest easy about an issue that they’re having. But if the situation warrants, you may need to be contacted immediately, and that is where warm and cold transfers and reach on-call services come in handy. You can choose which calls are sent to you in which manner, and dial-out schedules can be submitted in advance so that the operators will always be calling the right person, at the right time, on the right day.

#5. Gained Revenue

When people are looking for a new service or vendor, they may be surfing through businesses listed on Google or Yelp, and dialing around until they find the best deal. If they hit voicemail, they’ll be inclined to move on to the next listing; but reaching a live operator is instant lead capture that will help bring in revenue. Not only that, but when callers receive personal attention and top-notch service, they are likely to recommend you to friends and family, and word of mouth referrals can be a significant source of future income.

Live Operator Receptionist Service – Cons

#1. Room for Error

Anytime that you’re dealing with a human being, the potential for error exists. Even if your script is laid out perfectly, operators may still take the wrong call path resulting in confusion for you and your callers. Or, they may take the right call path but incorrectly document details, such as name misspellings, transposing a call back number, missing a letter in an email address, etc. While there are verification measures built into script instructions to reduce or eliminate these issues, they can still happen.

#2. There May Be Extra Fees

Of course, any receptionist service is going to require monthly out-of-pocket costs, though there are typically a number of plans that will ensure you aren’t paying any more than you need to. When you factor advanced features into the mix, such as appointment setting, online order taking, and warm transfers, you could be looking at additional fees. Depending on your customers’ average invoice totals, this may or may not be worth the expense.

#3. Hold Times

Is there any guarantee that outsourcing your reception needs means no caller will ever be placed on hold? Unfortunately not. No service can guarantee zero hold times any more than you could guarantee that you would never have to place a caller on hold if you were manning your own phones. There are business owners who feel that if they’re going to use a live operator service, their customers should not have to wait for assistance. In a perfect world, that’s what everyone wants. But in the call center industry, it is an unrealistic expectation.

Deciding whether to ditch voicemail in favor of a live operator answering service may be one of the easiest decisions that business owners consider. It really comes down to your needs and your call volume. Do you have enough revenue to justify the monthly cost of outsourcing on top of your existing phone bill, or are you just starting out and super budget-conscious? The great thing about call center services is that they typically offer plans to fit any budget. So, don’t nix that option right out of the gate. Do your research, ask other business owners what works for them, and talk to a few services. You’ll quickly find out which option tips the scales.

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There are a number of reasons why call centers leave callers hanging. While they are not ideal, some can be prevented, and others are just par for the course when it comes to outsourced answering services. To help you have a full understanding of what’s going on behind the scenes, we’ve outlined 11 issues that contribute to longer-than-normal wait times.

#1. The service is understaffed.

If the service has recently lost staff, or if they haven’t been able to hire new agents because of rate of pay (which is notoriously low in the call center industry), then you’re looking at a staffing issue with no immediate resolution. It’s kind of hard to answer the phones promptly when there simply aren’t enough agents to manage call volume. However, it’s important to note that unless calls are coming in on a one-to-one ratio of calls to agents, there will more than likely be some hold time, even if it’s only a few seconds.

When you’re looking at things that are out of the call center’s control, such as illness or weather-related absences, those present their own challenges. If the issue is absence due to illness, shift supervisors may be able to call in staff to cover a few hours here and there. And if the issue is weather, this would be an ideal time to utilize any work-at-home staff that the center has on their payroll to improve the calls-to-agents ratio.

#2. There are unexpected spikes in call volume.

One of the greatest challenges that call centers face is unexpected spikes in call volume, which, by their very nature, cannot be predicted or prepared for. There are times of day where call volume is heaviest –usually from 7am to 10am or 2pm to 5pm – and staff is scheduled accordingly to accommodate that increased traffic. But when there is a sudden influx of calls, such as from a promotion that was not brought to the call center’s attention or a product recall, wait times will be longer than the norm. Because there’s no way to predict the duration of the call volume spike, it would not be advisable to call in staff members who are off. This will impact the center’s bottom line and may prove to be unnecessary by the time the staff arrives.

#3. There are expected spikes in call volume.

Even expected spikes in call volume can be a logistical nightmare. Here’s a for instance. Let’s say that a local retailer is running a radio promotion at 1am on a Sunday, and there is an average of 25,000 listeners during that hour. If the call center knows the date, time, and duration of the ad, they can staff suitably to minimize holds. But what if the number of listeners just happens to be double on that particular date? Not only is this unpredictable, but it is unmanageable. Unless management is psychic, there is no way to forecast or adjust for this type of overflow.

#4. The service inaccurately assessed trends forecasted from the previous year.

Speaking of forecasting, this is something that call centers do, year over year, to gauge the anticipated call volume on any given day. Trends are examined from the previous year, and staff is scheduled based on those numbers. But what if the center’s client roster has increased by 500 over the past year? If the increased call volume is not accounted for in the new forecast, the center may be grossly understaffed, and up goes the queue time. When such a situation is not immediately realized or addressed, it will certainly engender ire in callers and clients alike.

#5. It’s the middle of the night.

Call centers are constantly working to ensure that they have appropriate coverage for peak hours and throughout the day. Where this becomes difficult is in the overnight hours. Agents are generally required to be available for all shifts, depending on scheduling needs. However, as one might imagine, most aren’t chomping at the bit to come in for a 12am to 8am shift. This can result in call-outs that are hard to cover when you’re trying to get ahold of unscheduled staff at 12am. That isn’t the only issue, though.

While call trends are examined in advance for scheduling purposes, there is no good way to gauge how many people will be calling in at 3am. What it all adds up to, unfortunately, is extended wait times, for which there is no rapidly available solution. If it gets really bad, supervisors may have to pitch in and start taking calls.

#6. Some agents are slower than others, especially when they are in training.

As with any new employee starting any new position, training is a requisite part of the gig. Many people might be inclined to believe that answering phones is easy stuff. And in certain cases, that may be true. But when it comes to answering phones at a call center, agents are responsible for way more than simply picking up the phone. First off, there’s an entirely unfamiliar software system that they’ll need to learn. They’ll also receive training on:

• Navigating the different scripts that pop up with each inbound call
• Accessing FAQs
• Visiting external sites
• Handling irritated callers

As you might imagine, these things take time. That being said, there are bound to be minor hiccups when an agent is just starting out, and those hiccups will cause minor delays. The more delays you have in a row, the longer the hold times.

#7. Lines are tied up when both an agent and a supervisor are stuck on an escalation call.

As part of the training process, agents are walked through a number of scenarios, including those where calls must be escalated to a supervisor. More often than not, a skilled agent is able to talk a caller down from a heightened state and complete the call professionally while addressing the caller’s concerns. But there are times when even the best agents struggle and need a lifeline. That is where escalation calls come in. Without arguing, an agent will let the caller know that they will connect them with a supervisor to field their request.

Once the supervisor is on the line, they take over. Yet, that does not mean that the agent is free to take another call. It is the agent’s responsibility to remain on the line silently and listen as the call is brought to a resolution. Then, after the call closes, they have a quick recap with the supervisor about what happened and how to address such issues in the future. Depending on just how upset the caller is, you could wind up with both an agent and supervisor tied up for upwards of 15 to 20 minutes on one call. Naturally, the call queue suffers.

#8. Super lengthy or complex scripts are causing a backlog.

Some scripts are so long and complex that they extend calls based on everything that the agent has to accomplish from start to finish. Call center programmers do work with clients to build clear, concise scripts. However, depending on the industry or call type, that is not always possible. Agents typically receive specialized training on expediting calls when it comes to the most challenging scripts, but that won’t necessarily reduce call duration. If there aren’t many agents working a particular shift, and several calls come in on a tedious account, there is nothing for callers in queue to do but just wait it out.

#9 There is improper call distribution management at the floor level.

Managers on the call center floor are tasked with watching the minute-over-minute and hour-over-hour trends in call volume, and ensuring that there are enough agents available at any given time to handle the traffic. What this might look like is rearranging agents’ breaks slightly to accommodate an influx, changing lunch hours, calling staff to come in a little early for their shifts, or asking staff to stay a little later than scheduled.

If call volume is not being monitored appropriately and adjusted for in real time, this can present a problem. In the best-case scenario, managers are on top of things, and agents are shuffled as needed. In the worst-case scenario, even with expert monitoring and organization, call spikes can’t be completely ameliorated with scheduling modifications. The result? Long holds.

#10. Calls are stalled in the ACD system.

ACD systems, aka automatic call distributors, are used by call centers to distribute inbound calls evenly based on the number of agents that are currently available, or based on other factors, such as skills-based routing. Calls are held in a queue and dropped to the appropriate agent immediately following their previous call. Ninety-nine percent of the time, ACDs work like a charm. However, like practically any other piece of software on the planet, they may be inclined to produce random “glitches.”

In such cases, it may be that a call hangs out in queue and never actually reaches an agent. Eventually, the caller will realize that they’re going nowhere fast, and they’ll hang up. This will quickly resolve the problem. But there’s no way to account for this type of spontaneous occurrence. And thus, there’s no way to correct the hold time it will create for that one in a thousand unlucky caller.

#11. The service is suspended or interrupted due to inclement weather.

Although a rare occurrence, inclement weather can cause a complete breakdown in a center’s ability to assist their clients. Even with power backup and network redundancies to account for natural disasters and other untimely visits from Mother Nature, there isn’t always a failsafe. For example, during a recent hurricane, a call center in a directly-impacted area was damaged to the point of being out of service for several days. While their local clients might have anticipated such an issue, their national clients were left high and dry. Certainly, clients are always informed of minor or major service interruptions as soon as humanly possible. But given delays in sending out service announcements, coupled with delays in clients receiving and acting on those announcements by unforwarding their phones, there are bound to be a string of callers who receive the dreaded “this line is not in service” message.

For those who aren’t currently working with a call center, the list above will serve as a heads up of the snags that your customers may encounter when trying to reach you. And for those who can’t go a day without your call center, now you’ll know what could be happening when hold times hit. The good news is that none of these are the norm. If they were, call centers would not be in business.

A call center’s success is dependent upon limiting or eliminating hold times and providing the most professional experience possible for your customers. When a long call queue is brought to your attention, feel free to reach out to your customer service team to pinpoint the source of the problem. They’ll not only get to the bottom of it for you, but they will do everything in their power to secure a prompt resolution, whenever possible.

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