Boosting First Contact Resolution

First contact resolution is an important goal for businesses and there are several reasons for this. It’s a key driver of customer satisfaction, since customers want their queries to be resolved the first time that they contact a business. Customer satisfaction is important because it encourages loyalty to your brand, repeat custom and positive recommendations. Additionally, when you are able to resolve customers’ issues on the first contact your business will benefit from efficiency gains. You will see a reduced call volume and fast resolutions will result in reduced call times, freeing agents up to handle more calls. All of this adds up to reduced costs and increased revenue, which is a clear plus for any business. In this article, we will consider some of the business telephone system features that can help to boost first contact resolution.

To boost first contact resolution rates, you need to have a communications infrastructure in place that drives these results. Fortunately, modern communications technology is really geared towards increasing efficiency within the workplace. When creating a call centre environment that’s conducive to first contact resolution, you should consider the following points.

 

• Use an automated attendant

 

An automated attendant will use an interactive voice response or menu dialling system to direct callers to the appropriate department, before their call comes through to an agent. This means that the first person they have contact with should have the relevant skills to resolve their query. Without such a system in place, callers are often faced with frequently being put on hold and transferred to other agents until their query is resolved. This process can lead to callers becoming frustrated and hanging up, only to call back and repeat the cycle another time. By intelligently routing calls to the appropriate individual or department, and automated attendant can reduce call times as well as the number of calls agents have to handle.

 

• Integrated CRM

 

Integrating your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) with your telephone system will provide agents with easy access to caller information and their call history. Software such as NEC MyCalls Desktop can be integrated seamlessly with your other call management applications. This provides agents with instant pop-ups containing CRM information whenever a call is taken. Having all the necessary information at hand increases call handling efficiency, reduces call times and increases customer satisfaction.

 

• Call management & Call recording

 

Using call management software allows you to monitor all of your customer service calls. This allows you to promptly detect any issues with call handling efficiency so that they can be addressed. When combined with call recording software, you can analyse and correct any issues with call handling performance and target staff training accordingly. This way, you can equip your employees with the best training and knowledge to handle calls in the most effective way, which will result in increased first contact resolution rates.

 

• Unified Communications

 

Many businesses are investing in the latest Unified Communications (UC) solutions. UC offers integrated and flexible communications, by routing all communications platforms to a single application that can be accessed across multiple devices. UC integrates instant messaging and presence information, which allows agents fast contact with colleagues in other departments while they are involved in a call. This means that agents can get the expert knowledge they need to resolve the customer’s query, without putting them on hold, thereby increasing the chances of first contact resolution.  

By integrating all of your communications platforms, UC solutions provide employees and customers with a wide range of digital communications options. This allows your customers to interact with your business via their preferred method, whether that is voice, text message, email, chat, fax or social media. This allows messages to reach the right people who can respond and resolve any queries on the first contact. It also allows employees to respond to customers when they are away from the office, working remotely or on the go, which helps to deliver fast responses and increase efficiency.

 

In conclusion, modern business telephone systems offer a whole range of advanced features that can help to increase efficiency and boost first contact resolution rates. Boosting first contact resolution is a great way to increase customer satisfaction, reduce business costs and increase revenue. At Midland Networks, we offer a wide range of communications solutions that can help to improve your call centre operations and boost first contact resolution. Contact us today for more information.