Tips to Increase First Contact Resolution in Call Center

For every company, solving customer queries is the first and foremost goal. The businesses must resolve customer problems else users will drift away from their services. First contact resolution, FCR, requires more than just employing friendly agents.

To assist the users properly, the businesses require a culmination of agent training, efficient contact center protocol, and a robust omnichannel solution. Here are five ways to achieve FCR in your business or call center:

Discuss goals with your staff

To serve the customers in a better way, agents need to know what the company is aiming for. They must be informed about the goals of the organization and what they intend to offer.

When an agent is on a live call, he must be answered to the queries quickly to maintain the flow and to let the customer know that he is present, whereas an agent on a live chat may indicate his presence using features like "typing a response" available in some call center solution. Attaining customer service goals in every channel should be included in the agent training.

It is also crucial to decide whether the FCR should be prioritized over other metrics such as average handling time. Agents should be aware that they are allowed to spend more time on a customer query if they can reach a permanent solution.

Give every interaction a human touch

Finding the best call center solution is directly linked with how well the agents connect emotionally with the customers. Agents can easily do this by maintaining a friendly tone, listening attentively, and even by showing empathy.

Mannerisms like these can calm the frustrated customers and also bring value to the brand image. Regular mentoring and training based on the metrics available in the call center software can let agents master interpersonal skills and achieve first contact resolution every time.

Identify recurring issues

Analyzing ongoing customer issues is a crucial way to achieve first contact resolution. Different features of call center software can be referred for determining the reasons for contact such as monitoring calls, customer survey data, live chat transcripts, and use text-and-speech analytics to gain insight on customer issues. This way, the brand can tackle the possible issues before they even arrive.

Use an omnichannel approach

Customers do like to interact on a single channel, but sometimes it is best to make use of multiple channels. For example, if a customer raises a concern on social media that requires personal data sharing, an agent should move him to a more secure channel. This will not only help to address the problem appropriately, but will also build trust.

Verify the customer’s satisfaction

According to the agent, the problem may have been solved, but it is always a better approach to ask the customer if the issue is resolved for him. The company needs to determine if the customer is fully satisfied with the support or not. If there is an issue still hanging around, it is better to take more time and provide a concrete solution.

FCR saves customers time and helps to establish your brand image as someone who takes things seriously. All you need to do is, train and mentor your agents consistently and correctly.

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