How to Handle Call Overflow in Call Centers?

Call centers usually handle inbound, outbound, and blended campaigns. In the case of inbound calls, the calls are related to customer support, inbound sales leads, etc. In these cases, the call centers have to make sure that the users get attended to and answered as soon as possible. Also, the callers get satisfactory responses.

Sometimes, the call volume increases suddenly. It may increase for the long term or it can be a seasonal spike in the call volume. In any case, it is necessary for a call center to handle the call overflow professionally to avoid customer dissatisfaction.

Here are some of the tips shared by the experts that can help call centers handle call overflow and reduce it.

1. Get an omnichannel contact center solution

Usually, a call center solution supports only a single communication channel, which is voice calling. This can be one of the reasons the call overflow bothers call centers. Customers have to connect via a single communication channel. On the other hand, an omnichannel contact center solution can offer unified communication channels. This can help in distributing call overflow on the different communication channels and this can reduce call volume and help in handling call overflow more professionally and strategically.

2. Take advantage of call automation

The best contact center solutions like DialShree offer the best features and functionalities to its users. This type of call center solution also takes advantage of call center automation to help call centers in multiple ways. Self-serving features are part of call center automation. By using these features, you can reduce the call overflow.

3. Increase agents

The call volume spike can be temporary or permanent. In both cases, it is necessary to have enough strength to handle call volume and customer queries on other communication channels, too. Depending on the scenario, you must hire more agents to handle increased call volume or customer requests. You may also need to increase the capacity of your contact center solution. If you use a cloud call center solution, you can scale up the capacity even within a few hours.

4. Train your agents

One of the reasons your call volume gets increased can be poor agent training. If your agents are not able to resolve customer issues within the first call or at least in two to three calls, then it can be the reason for call overflow. For example, the call centers handle some new calls daily. If these customers or prospects don’t get answers within the first attempt, they are likely to call again to check the status. This way the call volume includes new and past customer queries. To reduce call overflow, proper agent training is a must.

5. Upgrade product or infrastructure

If a majority of customers are facing the same issue, you may need to fix the product issue to reduce call overflow. If your call center software solution has some limitations, you better get an advanced version of the same. Upgrade the product and infrastructure to reduce call overflow.

These are the top 5 tips you must try to reduce call overflow or manage it professionally.

A contact center solution plays a vital role here. We have a call center solution, which also supports omnichannel communication. Contact us to book a free demo. In the demo, our team will explain how this can help you handle call overflow.