The average American exchanges a whopping 914 texts a month. That comes to around 30 texts a day, and the figure is doubled for those between the ages of 18-24. While some of these texts are definitely lovers exchanging xoxos and friends trading stories and jokes, many are working out scheduling conflicts or troubleshooting arrangements like, “I’m cooking dinner; will you do dishes?” Though they are exchanges that take place in relationships more intimate than that between you and your cell phone company, they also include a certain transactional tone. Another way of putting it is that texting is highly functional, even if sometimes we see it as a symptom of an ironically disconnected society.
If there is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come, is there a way for contact centers and other businesses to ride the wave of texting to meet their customers where they are and leverage already existing cultural innovations?
In a recent study carried out by Harris Poll and sponsored by OneReach, it was found that 64% of customers preferred texting to calling for support. The “Harris Report” also discovered that there were specific needs which customers felt best about addressing through text. These included checking their order status (is it here, yet?), scheduling and changing appointments (gotta get that hair done!), making or confirming reservations (table for two, please), and asking a question, like, “what time do you close on Sundays?”
Customers also felt at home texting for directions, checking balances or deadlines, refilling orders (think pharmacy prescriptions), and resetting passwords. Notice any common threads? Many of the above tasks are a little tedious, a little mechanical, and don’t require highly personalized care by any means. And though there is a delight in making small talk as you check things off your to-do list, in an increasingly busy and demanding world, some consumers make the decision that their time is better spent on their loved ones and creative pursuits.
But, the contact center need not feel rejected, for if the basic spectrum of requests can be automated to be handled through text, it saves the company money and pleases the customer. What could be more ideal?
If your call center does choose to incorporate more SMS channels, it’s prudent to choose a messaging provider that can seamlessly merge with your API, or Application Programming Interface. This sync will help connect a particular client’s records with their phone number, so that questions that are more personal like “How much do I owe?” can still be processed without an agent needing to pull a file.
Once you’ve got your system in place, get the word out to your customers through a variety of channels – social media, email, flyer – that you’re now open to texting. You can also allow them to switch to text if they’re being helped via phone and it’s taking a little long. The invitation can even be a part of your IVR.
In conclusion, the time is ripe to capitalize on the phenomenon of “texting” to help ease customer-business relations, save money, and automatize routine requests.
As anyone who has ever driven to meet a friend that lives on a farm knows, there are often special directions needed, vast distances to cover, and some stretches with no Starbucks, reception, or population. One gets a similar picture when imagining the challenges of responding effectively to 911 emergencies in rural areas. Rural (and many tribal) areas are often also a little behind on technological developments and the infrastructure that might accommodate changes in telecommunications trends.
Despite a history of being underfunded and under-resourced, it is critical that these areas be given the attention they need, not only to meet the goals of the next generation 911 movement, but to carry out a promise to help those in crisis indiscriminately, whether they live in the city or the country. Supporting them is also an important piece in the struggle to prepare in advance for natural disasters and large scale public threats, which do operate indiscriminately. Finally, as rural households tend to be a little more isolated, it may be that much more urgent to have rescue available when there is a flood or a crime spree as it may be more difficult, despite the strong communal bonds that exist, to find a crowd of good Samaritans at hand.
For the call takers at public safety answering points (PSAPs), there are a different set of logistics in handling rural areas. The first responders may have a greater distance to travel and the call-taker might have to stay on the phone longer and or provide more extensive advice. Because hospitals are farther apart as well, ambulances may have to alter how they prepare, what equipment they take, and how to divide their time between different calls. These unique challenges can set up a dangerous situation, one in which a contact center can be too easily overwhelmed if there are simultaneous sources of trouble or a major public health hazard.
Specifically in the case of EMS, or emergency medical services, crews may have to wear multiple hats while managing with a small staff. Medical personnel may have to remain in contact with the crew of an air ambulance, a dispatch center, and the patient’s primary care providers. With longer wait times and a larger area to encompass, the crew will have to be more skilled in terms of life support services and pre-hospital care. With time being of the essence, there must be an effortless and interoperating exchange of information between the different hubs and teams. Local authorities can make such a network a reality through raising funds and investing together in systems that they then can share. This is as much a matter of acquiring the necessary technology as it is embracing collaboration and sharing a vision with related agencies.
Responding to these concerns, in September 2011, the White House announced changes in federal regulations specifically designed to make emergency care and communication more accessible to rural communities. The United States Department of Agriculture published eligibility requirements for a loan program that would cover the cost of creating well integrated public safety communication networks; the loan program would allow the USDA to draw on public and private resources to quicken the development of wireless networks, border security, and more sophisticated tracking tools for 911 call centers. Anticipated benefits include a better geographic information system (GIS) and the ability to contact 911 via text and to send in pertinent images and videos.
It’s easy to either overly romanticize rural America, or to ignore it; however, if we are to address its needs and include its vast landscape into the innovations that are at the forefront of urban life, we must be prepared to work, with sharp observation and smart planning, with a different set of variables.
In our country, we tend to have a double standard, or somewhat bipolar attitude, when it comes to veterans. On one hand, we acknowledge them as heroes and honor their courage, hard work, and sacrifice. On the other hand, we neglect to meet their needs – whether they be those of counseling and support groups to address mental health issues or that of financial security once they are no longer fighting our wars. It seems that we either valorize or ignore them.
In this strange discourse, their real needs of housing, employment, and community often get overlooked. As awareness of the harrowing challenges they face, on and off the field, during and after their time in duty, grows, there are also more programs to support them in their journey, as they have us – in our collective defenses.
Telecommunications giant AT&T, recently, in the midst of an intense growth spurt, announced a new promise to hire veterans for contact center jobs. A press statement from the company invited veterans to apply for the 75 new openings in a South Florida contact center. The invitation is part of a commitment to hire 5,000 veterans and their families by 2018. AT&T also clarified that the “charitable act” was more than charity. It affirmed the incredible value veterans deliver as employees due to their discipline, leadership skills, teamwork, and tech experience.
Comcast Corp. has hired over 4,200 veterans in the last three years and announced a similar initiative to hire 10,000 veterans, reservists, and their spouses over the course of the next three years. Many of these new hires work at Comcast’s contact centers.
Again, this is more than an expression of patriotism or sympathy; the big corporations insist that it is a sound business decision, and there is a legitimate overlap of skills between military service and customer service.
The same skills that helped military personnel adapt to foreign cultures and languages can assist them in the contact center while meeting different caller perspectives and complaints. The “group mind” that their survival depended on while at war can translate to an understanding of the importance of communication and collaboration in the contact center. Finally, the undeniable grit and toughness of our soldiers can shine as resilience and patience in the face of contact center stressors.
Contact centers usually seek new hires from the same pools of working age students or young single people looking for work, and though these demographics may have some qualities that make them great agents, they also tend to be a little more transient. For companies that are hoping to lower turn over, hiring veterans may be a game changer.
Statistically speaking, veterans have high unemployment rates. This could be a reflection of the turbulence of re-adjusting to civilian life, but it is also often a consequence of their battle scars, injuries, and disabilities. Luckily, contact center work does not require much mobility or physical exertion and with cloud-based contact center technologies, a veteran can be made an employee and accommodated with great flexibility.
As this powerful connection between veterans and contact centers catches on, some companies have even organized official veteran-hire programs, with veteran leaders. Here at KOVA, we make a point of honoring our nation’s heroes whenever and wherever we can. So our challenge to you is this: When will your contact center hire a veteran?
What percentage of calls should we be recording?
While there’s no hard-and-fast rule on how many calls you should be recording at your contact center, KOVA’s Audiolog for Contact Centers, powered by Verint Systems, Inc., makes it easy to record as many as you want. This contact center software allows a simplistic platform to record, evaluate and archive calls. These calls can be selected on-demand, on a pre-scheduled basis, or on a criteria-driven basis. Its search and retrieval functions are unparalleled, allowing you to quickly find and act on opportunities to improve customer service, expedite dispute resolution, and reduce liability as they occur.
When you have a full data set, you can the opportunity to evaluate not just the agents who handle the calls, but the callers themselves: what are their most common questions? What is their mood? Is there anything you can do to reduce frustration before your agent even takes the call?
By evaluating a large pool of calls, you’re also able to better understand your agents’ strengths and weaknesses. You can identify standoffish or unhelpful agents for further training, and recognize the top sellers versus those who are best at managing complaints or questions.
Can the evaluation process be automated?
Absolutely! KOVA’s Voice of the Customer analytics software provides quality monitoring, eLearning training modules and online coaching. A browser-based solution, Verint Media Recorder Customer Feedback, uses short, context-sensitive customer surveys to collect data on products, processes, staff performance, customer loyalty and level of satisfaction. This frees up time for your managers to do what they do best: manage!
How can we reduce shrinkage at my contact center?
Shrinkage, or the time employees are clocked in but not productive, accounts for a surprising amount of time at a call center. KOVA’s Verint Media Recorder contact center software can help you identify what your employees have been up to during the day from periods of high and low productivity. Knowing this information can help you to provide incentives low points, reward the high ones, and schedule meetings for times that won’t infringe on productivity—we all know that break time abuse can be a problem!
How can I improve employee morale at my contact center?
Teach employees where they fit into the company as a whole, so they feel responsible in part for its success. This is where metrics come in: providing your agents with the top three ways to succeed will be a clear call to action that many will find irresistible.
What’s the best way to schedule a large staff?
It’s important to provide an easy way for your employees to schedule their time off in advance, since using sick days inconveniences everyone. Keep track of which agents volunteer last-minute coverage and praise them during meetings. This positive reinforcement will go a long way!
Schedule for longer periods of time and give it out in advance to give your agents a sense of control over their schedules. Be mindful of avoiding overtime as much as possible—it’s expensive and can lead to burnout. When work doesn’t restrict your employees, they’ll actually want to come in and will be more productive.
KOVA’s Verint Media Recorder Workforce Management web-enabled software helps forecast and produce optimal schedules. The software will do the heavy lifting to make sure you schedule meetings without sacrificing quality of service and comply with all government and union regulations. It allows you as much control or as little as you need: you can create long-term workload schedules far in advance or zoom in to create schedules for daily and even intra-daily bases.
There are many myths out there about public safety, and many people take them as fact. However, you’re in the industry of righting wrongs, fighting for justice, and keeping people safe: you’re someone who always wants the correct information. We’ve gathered five of the biggest misunderstandings about public safety software to help increase your organization’s efficiency.
The myth: Technology slows down first responders at best and obstructs them at worst.
It is true that during a public safety event, time is of the essence. Each official experiences a speeding up sensation, a compression of time. His or her training kicks in; the mind runs on adrenaline to achieve incredible accomplishments. During this critical time, these men and women deserve support tools that are seamless enough to feel like part of their bodies—tools that never fail during the times when users need it the most. When the public safety software is a good enough tool, it doesn’t slow down responders; rather, it helps resolve the situation quickly and efficiently.
Similarly, Kova’s public safety software allows you to review cases after the fact. This is useful for internal quality assurance as well as during legal investigations. With our technology, you’ll have timestamps, protection from accusations of tampering and the assurance of fail-safe operation. First responders need tough, constant training, because you know as well as we do that saving a few seconds can save multiple lives in our industry.
Our speech analytics tools scan content of calls to find and automatically report trends like unexpectedly linked cases or customer satisfaction rates.
The myth: Public safety solutions are only available for public safety answering points.
While we do offer contact center software, Kova Corporation has a variety of premium products and services meant to help you with all of your public safety needs. Professionals who spend any time in the field serving the public have found our tools helpful, from social workers and health inspectors to police and detectives.
The myth: Audio is the only important information to gather in the field.
Kova’s SilentPartner is to public safety what the instant replay is to professional sports. It is the only public safety cell phone recording system that records audio and captures text messages, photos and videos, allowing review of vital, ephemeral moments. It then immediately transfers all important data, including caller ID, related GPS locations, and dialed digits to headquarters. This transfer speeds up incident resolution by eliminating hours of evidentiary collection and manual logging. This tool can help create an expanded pool of evidence and more detailed picture of public safety concerns, particularly in noisy environments like protests, sporting events, or parades when traditional audio may not be as useful on its own.
The myth: It’s difficult to personalize this software.
We customize our Command and Control Center solutions for each and every client, because we truly understand your system is just as unique as your organization. No matter whether you want to start from scratch or simply upgrade what you’ve already got in use, we can help optimize your resources and your workers. No two KEANS setup is alike, for example: we can create a system for you that integrates with current system only adds the features that suit your needs best.
The myth: Public safety solutions are expensive.
At Kova Corporation, our products are created with backwards compatibility so you’re never forced to trade in because your technology is obsolete. Our Audiolog recorder, for example, was designed to allow new technology to easily integrate to the existing model. This difference (which is rare in the industry) reduces the upfront cost of using our technology as well as lowers support needs.
For more information on any of the myths listed above, call us at 1-800-204-5200 or contact us online.
Numbers are everything.
Contact centers measure their success with numbers—lots and lots of numbers, from how long each customer is on hold to the length of your breaks to how many calls you take per hour. These statistics help contact center managers understand how to maximize customer satisfaction while keeping efficiency high. It might be overwhelming at first, but by 31 days on the job, many representatives turn each call into a game and compete against themselves, trying to smash their records and “win.”
Your success is only limited by your willingness to work hard.
While in previous years, contact center jobs have been outsourced more frequently than not, this trend is reversing in a big way. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that call center employment rates will swell 38 percent between 2012 and 2022, which is great news for the diligent call representative.
Call centers sometimes have quick turnover, which means it’s easy for a hard-working call center representative to get promoted. From to agent to lead agent to supervisor, the sky is the limit since contact centers tend to prefer hiring from within the company.
You will develop thick skin and become a master communicator.
It’s an unfortunate fact of the call center experience that sometimes, you will have a difficult caller. After a month on the job, though, you will have internalized the principle that each call is a chance to do better and learn more than the last one. You’ll already be well on your way to deciphering any accent, understanding diverse perspectives, and providing a good customer experience every time.
By a month into your experience at a call center, you probably will have developed your own strategies for dealing with different kinds of callers. One time-honored tactic is based on psychology and usually works: when a caller seems frustrated, give their emotion a name, restate the problem, empathize, then follow with a proactive statement that you’ll assist them. For example: “You sound sad that your computer’s files disappeared, and I would be too. I’m going to look for a backup for you.”
You will have vastly improved your skill at public speaking, multitasking, troubleshooting and problem-solving. You will have spoken to people from all over and created connections, no matter how fleeting, while you worked to solve their problems.
Maintaining solid professional relationships will improve your experience.
Contact centers have the reputation of being solitary working environments, but that simply isn’t true. All of the representatives rely on each other and works as a team to maintain customer satisfaction, and many call centers boost staff morale by hosting internal competitions or casual gatherings. Because some contact centers have very large staffs, it’s vital to your professional success to avoid gossip or complaining.
A poll hosted by Lloyds Pharmacy found that call center employees were more likely than any other employees to have an interoffice relationship. By the end of your first month on the job, it’s likely that you’ll have seen the negative effects that dating another representative can bring.
With these four lessons in mind before you begin your career in a contact center, you’re sure to climb the ranks in no time.
