4/29/2018 10 Effective Call Center Operational Performance Strategies

Enter Search Terms search

Go to Invensis.net
IT
F&A
BPO
Customer Service
eCommerce
Data Processing
Business
Infographics
Top Tens

Navigate to ...

Home » Customer Service » 10 Effective Call Center Operational Performance Strategies

By Anupa Rongala Vice President - Business Enabling Function, Invensis Technologies February 10, 2016 Read
More →

10 Effective Call Center Operational Performance

Strategies

10 Effective Call Center Operational Performance Strategies

Irrespective of the customer’s location, call centers play an important role in delivering reliable
customer experience on a daily basis. Different call centers have their own unique goals that have to
be met but at the end of the day it all boils down to providing quality service to the customers. Industry

https://www.invensis.net/blog/customer-service/10-effective-call-center-operational-performance-strategies/ 1/8
4/29/2018 10 Effective Call Center Operational Performance Strategies

surveys have indicated that despite the surge in self-service technologies, customer service
professionals (CSP) are preferred the most when it comes to experiencing quality service.

Customers too are more knowledgeable regarding the products they purchase and hence prefer
interacting with CSPs who possess superior language, communication, and problem solving skills to
resolve their issues. A poll by Harris Interactive has revealed that more than 50% of the time,
customer service agents failed to answer customer queries. It therefore becomes imperative for
companies with call centers to constantly work on improving the quality of service to the level that the
customers expect from them. A reliable customer care call center service expert can provide you with
the necessary support required to set up and run an excellent contact center.

Here are a few strategies that Call Center management can implement in order to improve their
performance:

1. Groom CSPs Young:

It’s always better to hire the right call center representative when they are young. Prospective
candidates must be hired at the very beginning of their professional career and trained to be the
best at what they do. During the hiring process, the emotional quotient of the candidate must be
gauged as it can have a profound effect on job performance, teamwork and most importantly
decision making. They must also be provided with good incentives and benefits considering the
high attrition rate of employees that the call center industry witnesses every year.

2. Bridge the Gap Between Classroom Training and On-the-Job Work:

More often than not, working professionals face scenarios, which they are never trained on how
to handle. This can happen due to various reasons such as outdated training methodologies, no
contact between trainers and front line managers and so on. The trainees must be taught the
craft on the floor with the trainers and front line managers working in tandem. The managers
should also take up the role of mentoring the trainees with the ultimate goal of enhancing their
performance.

3. Teach Multi-Tasking:

Multi-tasking is critical for any customer service professional to provide efficient customer
service. The job requires not only speaking over the phone but also other activities such as data
input and using reference materials for answering any customer query, all of this while
maintaining sound interpersonal and communication skills. But the process of teaching these
aspects must involve an integrated approach. A study conducted by Peppers and Rogers Group
has found out that 65% of companies train their agents using effective tools to gain their
customer’s trust. Soft skills and technical skills must not be taught separately. The training must
be built around the call and how to handle them efficiently to provide the best customer service.

4. Implement Robust Customer Relationship Management (CRM):

Automating business processes or using software is not what CRM is all about. Basically, it is a
culture within the organization which focuses on providing the best customer service by
leveraging the resources and having a holistic view of the customer. Customer service agents
are immensely benefited by a robust CRM as they are able to access the required information
about the history of a customer in real-time to deliver impeccable customer experience during
online support calls. A Forrester Research has noted that close to 66% of enterprise
organizations have implemented various capabilities of CRM.

https://www.invensis.net/blog/customer-service/10-effective-call-center-operational-performance-strategies/ 2/8
4/29/2018 10 Effective Call Center Operational Performance Strategies

5. Reduce Hold Time and Eliminate Abandoned Calls:

Customers with queries, who are already frustrated, hate it when they have to wait for a long
time for a qualified CSP to answer their call or resolve their issue. This directly has an effect on
customer satisfaction. Most of the customers will just hang up the call after holding the call for
less than a minute. For customers who abandon the call when they are requested to wait till the
right CSP can resolve their query, an option of call-back must be provided. A Benchmark Portal
study suggests, “If the call center’s data indicates that caller satisfaction improves 1 percent for
every 2% improvement in first call resolution, the center could expect a 3.5% increase in caller
satisfaction”.

6. Emphasize Intelligent Use of Technology:

Implementing contact center technology has the potential to satisfy customers and help the
organization reduce their expenses of retaining old customers and acquiring new ones and
become more competitive in the business world. Technologies such as advanced routing,
reporting and analytics tool, courtesy call backs, speech recognition, cloud and many more can
be used for improving first call resolution rates, reduce costs per call and improve call per agent
per hour. According to DMG Consulting, in 2015-2016, contact centers utilizing cloud-based
technology will increase by 50%.

7. Promote Transition to Cloud:

Utilizing cloud computing technology in call centers has benefits written all over it. Call centers
invest a huge sum of money on solutions, technology and infrastructure to provide flawless
customer service and stay ahead of their competitors. Cloud allows organizations to utilize an
agile operational expenditure (OPEX) budget to deploy solutions thereby avoiding expenditure
on expensive infrastructure. Another advantage of implementing cloud technology is flexibility
and scalability. Call centers have to keep evolving in accordance with the ever changing market
demand. Cloud makes it easier to add new functionality, as and when it is required, in a cost
effective manner.

Cloud technology has enabled call center representatives to work from any location, even from
home. A study conducted by Wirke has found that, employees who work from home save almost
41% of their time, increase their productivity by 29% and increase their focus on work by 10%.
Moreover, call centers are able to extend and improve their existing capabilities, increase
productivity and integrate with other cloud-based services thereby becoming more cost effective.

8. Provide Real-Life Training for Candidates:

Finding out who is well suited for the job is one of the challenges every call center faces. The
hiring process or the training phase is the ideal time for finding the right person who will fulfill
his/her duties without fail. It happens so often that new recruits expect a stress free work
environment but in reality are confronted with customers who are angry, frustrated or upset.
Many leave their job as they find it too demanding. This leads to a huge loss for the company as
a lot of time and money goes into training a candidate. A case study conducted by Contact
Center World has revealed that annual attrition rates in the US hovers around 50% whereas in
other countries it is even higher. Therefore it becomes necessary to expose candidates to
training which is close to real life scenarios and let go of candidates who are not able to cope up.

9. Streamline Processes:

https://www.invensis.net/blog/customer-service/10-effective-call-center-operational-performance-strategies/ 3/8
4/29/2018 10 Effective Call Center Operational Performance Strategies

Call centers, these days, use multi-channel avenues for interacting with customers. They utilize
various tools for carrying out simple as well as complex tasks. Fulfilling these tasks in the most
efficient manner is what results in a satisfied customer. Simple tasks can be handed out to less
experienced professionals or the customers can be directed to self-help tools for speedy
redressal of their issues. Complex tasks on the other hand can be carried out by qualified
professionals. Improving first call resolution rates must be the sole objective. By following this
strategy of separating tasks based on complexity, companies can minimize operational costs
and make the best use of resources.

10. Prioritize Customer Feedback:

After a customer’s query has been cleared, feedback must be prompted either through an email
to the customer or through other non-intrusive means. Customers usually tend to vent their
anger in social media forums if the customer service representative was unsuccessful in
resolving their issue. This too is considered as a feedback though it brings a bad name to the
company. Implementing change management as an integral part of the organization’s project
and program management can bring about positive growth. Change is necessary for
organizations to demonstrate real value in their projects. Social media as well as direct feedback
can be used to identify and rectify any shortcomings that might have unknowingly crept into the
company’s operations.

Most of the technical aspects of customer service are largely hidden from a customer and it is the
language, decision making and communication skills of a customer service professional that matters
the most when it comes to providing excellent customer service. Moreover, advanced call center
technologies have been instrumental in helping call centers reduce cost per call, segment customers
for personalized services, reduce average queue time and most importantly improve first call
resolution rates. Companies need to adopt these strategies to improve the overall operational
performance of their call center. An experienced call center outsourcing service provider can help you
improve the performance of your call center.

Also Read Related Articles:

Sl.No Article

1 Top 10 Call Center Performance Metrics

How Call Center Companies Use Statistics and Performance Metrics

2
For a Podium Finish

3 11 Key Contact Center Performance Metrics for Businesses

For more information on how Invensis Technologies will effectively manage your Customer
Service requirement through Call Center Support Outsourcing Services, please contact our
team on US +1-302-261-9036; UK +44-203-411-0183; AUS +61-3-8820-5183; IND +91-
80-4115-5233; or write to us at sales {at} invensis {dot} net

Posted in: Customer Service, Top Tens

About the Author: Anupa Rongala Vice President - Business Enabling Function,
Invensis Technologies
https://www.invensis.net/blog/customer-service/10-effective-call-center-operational-performance-strategies/ 4/8
4/29/2018 10 Effective Call Center Operational Performance Strategies

Leveraging her considerable experience in off-shoring / outsourcing and IT services, Anupa manages and
oversees strategic processes and functions for Invensis. Her responsibilities extend to understanding global
customer requirements, client management, project management from set-up through to implementation, B2B
and service sales, management of M&As and market research on the external front, as well as facilitating and
galvanizing core functions within the organization. For more information on how Invensis’ solutions and
services will add value to your business, please contact Anupa at sales {at} Invensis {dot} net today.

Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.

subscribe via email submit

Privacy guaranteed. We never share your info.

2 Comments on "10 Effective Call Center Operational Performance Strategies"

Trackback | Comments RSS Feed

1. Hitesh Parekh says:

November 1, 2016 at 1:45 am

Always give priority to a customer’s feedback, because it matters whether it’s negative or
positive. Customer feedback not only tell’s you what a customer feels, this also gives you an
idea how to improve your product.

2. mark says:
February 22, 2017 at 11:29 am

We are not sure that every customer will give genuine feedback, So we should definitely try to
increase the performance of call center. I think holding time should always be low as much as
possible.

Subscribe
Privacy guaranteed. We never share your info.

Enter Your Email ID GO

Popular Posts

Applications of C / C++ in the Real World

Sources of Short-Term and Long-Term Financing for Working Ca...
What is Management Accounting and its Importance

https://www.invensis.net/blog/customer-service/10-effective-call-center-operational-performance-strategies/ 5/8
4/29/2018 10 Effective Call Center Operational Performance Strategies

The Ten Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ( GAAP)

11 Best Practices for Developing Mobile Applications

Categories
BPO (30)
Business (5)
Customer Service (88)
Data Processing (37)
eCommerce (24)
F&A (80)
Health Care (1)
Infographics (4)
IT (74)
Top Tens (7)

Post Archives

[+] 2013 (28)

[+] 2014 (29)
[+] 2015 (241)
[−] 2016 (39)
January (12)
February (6)
March (9)
April (4)
May (2)
June (3)
July (2)
September (1)
[+] 2017 (3)

Category post

9 US Retail Banking Trends

According to the ‘JD Power 2014 US Retail Banking Satisfaction Study’1 released in May 2014,
customer satisfaction with banks is at a record high, increasing to 785 this year as compared to 763 in
2013. This is attributed to banks making an effort to improve experiences for customers, reduce their
problems and create an understanding […]

By Arvind Rongala, Manager, Business Development and Marketing, Invensis Technologies March 30, 2015 0
Comments Read More →
https://www.invensis.net/blog/customer-service/10-effective-call-center-operational-performance-strategies/ 6/8
4/29/2018 10 Effective Call Center Operational Performance Strategies

Tips & Advice for Buying Right Business Document Scanners

No matter what the size of an organization, a scanner in the office is a useful tool. From small assets
like business cards to critical essentials like tax records, scanners enable the conversion of paper
documents into electronic format and pave the way for going paperless. According to a white paper
titled ‘Scanning Brings Cost […]

By Arvind Rongala, Manager, Business Development and Marketing, Invensis Technologies April 16, 2014 0
Comments Read More →

10 Traits of Most Successful Entrepreneurs

In February 2014, The New York Times reported that a number of start-ups are doing good business
in the US and are worth more than USD 1 billion. Pinterest, SurveyMonkey and Spotify are some of
the better-known companies to enter this big league, which could possibly have more than 40 high-
technology start-ups in its elite […]

By Arvind Rongala, Manager, Business Development and Marketing, Invensis Technologies April 5, 2014 0
Comments Read More →

Archives
[+] 2013 (28)
[+] 2014 (29)
[+] 2015 (241)
[−] 2016 (39)
January (12)
February (6)
March (9)
April (4)
May (2)
June (3)
July (2)
September (1)
[+] 2017 (3)

https://www.invensis.net/blog/customer-service/10-effective-call-center-operational-performance-strategies/ 7/8
4/29/2018 10 Effective Call Center Operational Performance Strategies

Categories

BPO (30)
Business (5)
Customer Service (88)
Data Processing (37)
eCommerce (24)
F&A (80)
Health Care (1)
Infographics (4)
IT (74)
Top Tens (7)

About Invensis

Invensis Technologies is a leading IT-BPO service provider with 16+ years of experience in facilitating
superior business performance for customers across North America, Europe, Australia and other parts
of the world. Our outsourcing/off-shoring offerings include IT Outsourcing Services, Call Center
Outsourcing Services, Finance and Accounting (F&A) Outsourcing Services, Back Office BPO
Services, End-to-End eCommerce Support Services, Healthcare BPO Services, Corporate Training,
Digital Marketing Services and more. Our services and solutions enable businesses to accelerate their
operations, slash costs and drive growth.
Visit us: https://www.invensis.net/
Email: sales@invensis.net

IT
F&A
BPO
Customer Service
eCommerce
Data Processing
Business
Infographics
Top Tens

Copyright © 2000-2018 Invensis Technologies Pvt Ltd. Write For Us | Invensis Blog

Invensis® is a registered trademark of Invensis Technologies Pvt Ltd.

https://www.invensis.net/blog/customer-service/10-effective-call-center-operational-performance-strategies/ 8/8