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Reducing contact volume
Reducing the volume of contacts includes three primary areas as shown in
the figure above. The major branches include:
- eliminate reason for contact
- minimize misdirected calls
- reduce repeat calls
Area 1:
Eliminate reason for contact
The best way to reduce contact volume is to remove or eliminate the
root cause of the contact. This strategy
does not necessarily apply to contact centers oriented toward sales unless
they can identify ways to close the sale without the contact taking place.
Examples of methods to eliminate the root cause of customer contacts
include:
-
Reduce product
defects.
-
Provide
proactive notifications and status.
-
Make bills and statements
easy to read.
-
Create easy-to-use product
documentation.
-
Improve
delivery of products and services including meeting
service commitments.
-
Make products easier to
install and use.
This section - more than any other in the cost control tutorial series -
is dependent on why your customers are
contacting you. Identifying the root causes of the contact is the first step
to removing the reasons customers are calling, and these reasons are very
company specific.
Note: Many of the root causes for customer contact may fall
outside the control of the call center.
That does not mean that the call center management should avoid these areas
for controlling cost by reducing unwanted contacts. The call center should
initiate and support cross-organizational
initiatives to reduce contact volumes in cooperation with other departments
in the company.
Area 2:
Minimize misdirected contacts
Some fraction of your contacts are most likely
misdirected contacts intended for some other part of the
organization. These contacts not only add to the queue but they also
take time away from handling other contacts. Methods to minimize
misdirected contacts include:
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Provide clear
contact information on statements and bills.
-
Provide clear and accurate contact
information on marketing and
product documentation.
-
Make menus
in voice response system easy-to-use.
-
Ensure accurate and easy-to-use
phone directory listings.
-
Reduce inter-company
transfers.
Area 3:
Reduce repeat contacts
Call volume can be reduced by minimizing the number of
repeat contacts (referred to as
call-backs for phone calls).
-
Improving
first contact
resolution rates.
-
Improve
contact
closings.
-
Using
proactive follow-up
processes.
For specific recommendations on how to systematically reduce the
cost of resources in your contact center including detailed information and checklists
look in the
Cost Control Toolkit.
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