Multi-channel management
With increasing web and e-mail traffic, organisations need to ensure that the service they provide to a customer is seamless. Unfortunately many existing telephone call centres do not either have the technology capability or the Agent skills to become contact centres. It is not just about having the right technology, it is very much about the people as well.
There are 4 factors that you need to consider when integrating electronic communications to your call centre:
- Customer expectations – when a customer sends an email, they expect a quicker response compared to replying to a letter. The response time should be measured in hours rather than days - if you do not meet these expectations then you get increased contact as the customer will inevitably call you anyway
- Operational hours - many organisations do not set up the operating hours and working contracts to support when their customers contact them. Emails will continue to arrive even when the centre is closed and can create a backlog of work for a Monday morning telephone peak
- People skills – your Agents may have great telephone skills, but what about their writing skills?
- Marketing – publicise your electronic channels so customers know that they can contact you by e-mail instead of calling or writing. Acknowledge the receipt of the e-mail communication and ensure their response expectations are set in the reply, so the customer continues to use the service
In a mystery shopping study of the leading UK companies that RXP in 2004, we found that only one third of responses to customer e-mails were received on the same day. Some organisations were very slick - nearly one quarter of companies (24%) replied within one hour. Over one quarter (27%) responded after 2 weeks or, as was the majority, not at all. It is evident that many contact centres do not use email management tools – witnessed by the simple fact that many operations did not send out a basic auto acknowledgement message stating that the e-mail had been received.
Hungry for information?
RXP have recently updated our white paper on Multi-Channel Management which describes the different types of multi-media contact centre tools that are available today that can help you improve your online Customer Experience. This is based on our many years of experience of working in contact centres and with different types of self service solution. This has included:
- Helping O2 to understand ‘leading practice’ examples of using online help and how to apply techniques and approaches that support customer self-service.
- Reducing the amount of unsolicited email traffic received at Arsenal FC by implementing email management techniques
- Undertaking multi-channel Customer Experience research in the retail and travel sectors with our online usability partner Foviance.
So please download our free White Paper to find out how. If you would like help in developing your multi-media contact centre then please Contact Us.
