Informal call centres are becoming more and more important in today’s fast-paced voice call landscape. Unlike the vast, structured overseas call centres we typically think of, like our banks, informal contact centres can offer a flexible and personalised approach to customer interaction because they are less structured.
So why do I think informal call centre features can be leveraged to deliver outstanding customer service? Let’s take a look at a few of the highlights:
Call queues: enhancing the waiting experience
Calling a business when they are busy and being greeted by an incessant, continuous ringing tone is not a great experience! And will probably lead to frustration and abandoned calls.
An informal call centre can transform this experience by implementing call queues by giving the caller some relevant information or something nice than a ringing tone to listen to will mean they are more likely to hang around until their call is answered. Giving them their position in the queue means they are even less likely to abandon that call.
Queue call back: prioritising customer time
Gone are the days when queue call-back options, allowing callers to preserve their place in the queue and receive a call back, were exclusive to large enterprises with hefty budgets.
Now customers of any business using an informal contact centre can go about their day, confident in the knowledge they haven’t lost their place in the queue and a call back is coming.
Music-on-Hold (MoH): a better listening experience
Let’s address the elephant in the room: everyone dreads the monotony of hold music; we’ve all been there – listening to endless hold music until our call is answered. But it’s still better than a monotonous ring tone!
Thankfully MoH has evolved; it can now be dynamic, streamed from a server to avoid the endless repeats of 30 seconds of Greensleeves! For businesses managing multiple brands, it’s even possible to tailor the MoH to the dialled number, adding a personal touch to the customer experience.
Interactive Voice Response (IVR): navigating with ease
IVRs are not just about routing calls efficiently; by providing a menu of options - even if the options lead to the same call answerer - a caller can feel reassured and confident that they have navigated to the right subject matter expert.
This feature, while simple, can enhance customer confidence and satisfaction by providing the caller the assurance that their concerns are being addressed with expertise.
Call recording: quality assurance
Call recording is no longer a luxury; it's an essential part of delivering quality customer service and also a legal requirement for some businesses that need to maintain records for dispute resolution and compliance.
The key is flexibility, businesses need granular control so they can decide what is recorded and when, as well as the ability to hit the record button ad-hoc. It’s crucial that this feature is accessible without exorbitant costs, ensuring that even small businesses can maintain high service standards and accountability.
PCI compliance: protecting sensitive information
Whenever credit card payments are involved, security is non-negotiable; safeguarding this information is crucial.
Informal call centres must ensure PCI compliance, particularly when calls are recorded, to protect customer data and maintain trust.
Provision multiple lines or bursting: catering to demand
This is really a feature of the SIP connectivity, but worth examining here. Let’s say there are only two SIP channels to a business? What happens when the third call comes in? The answer typically is engaged tone (for sure, this happens at my Chinese takeaway on a Friday night).
With SIP channel bursting, a business can accommodate more calls during peak times ensuring customers are not left waiting. However, this is not an excuse for not paying for enough SIP channels and should only be used as a safety net.
Providing value for money
As an industry, this is an area we can improve on. With the blurring of lines between unified comms and contact centres businesses still need to ensure they are getting their money's worth without compromising on essential services
Informal centres provide access to advanced features without the hefty price tag traditionally associated with formal call centre features.
Ease of purchase: simplifying choices
Often overlooked, is how a MD (for instance) of a small company is supposed to be completely literate with the array of acronyms and features that those of us in the comms industry live and breathe every day.
That MD should not have to pick 23 out of 145 options in order to get the right service they need. It should be simple to pick and choose services from a menu without having to pay for every level of IVR. Think buffet, not a la carte, where 4 green beans cost £14.
Simplicity is key, you shouldn’t need a degree in communications jargon to be able to choose the right options.
Making the most of call centre features
In conclusion, informal call centres are a game changer for smaller businesses; they can now provide an enhanced customer experience and service that was previously unaffordable. To really make the most of these features they need to be tightly bound, or part of, the UCaaS offering.
Contact Sangoma at europe@sangoma.com to learn how we can help.