Read our insights article, as featured in Comms Business: ‘Is inbound ACD dead?’
Kakapo Systems outlines why callback channels, as part of an overall customer service strategy, can improve the comfort level of both agents and customers by eliminating queue times.
The time customers spend in a queue can be considered the length of time your business is giving them to reconsider their choices.
There is now a precedence to provide a solution that not only unshackles customers from physically waiting in a queue, but also provides a comfortable environment for the agents that are no longer dealing with angry customers. One such solution to the dreaded queue is to avoid it altogether using Callbacks
What is a callback?
Callbacks function the same way as any digital channel within Unity Contact Centre. They provide a customisable widget on the website, similar to a web chat, where the visitor can request a callback. They can add the reason for the call and the widget provides an estimate of when they will be called back by an agent based on current conditions in the contact centre. In doing so, customers can avoid stagnating in a queue in the knowledge that an agent will call them back when they are available.
Steve Tutt, Commercial Director at Kakapo Systems says “Waiting in queue is the single biggest customer service pain point so finding intuitive ways to limit or completely remove queue times is vital for the comfort levels of customers and agents”.
Keep customers happy by eliminating queuing
A report by Call Centre Helper in 2020 highlights the ‘doubling of volume in contact centre engagement since 2020’. The challenge for call centres is how to meet this increased demand and smooth out peaks and troughs in incoming contact. There is an enormous difference between waiting in a queue for 10 mins and going about your life knowing that in approximately 10 mins an agent will be calling you, informed in advance about the reason you need help.
Removing the confining aspects of a queue with Callbacks, part of Kakapo Systems’ Unity Contact Centre, eliminates the time investment required and associated frustration for customers. Having the ability to do this is critical where it is so easy for customers to churn to a competitor
Providing multiple different Callbacks on different product pages has the same effect as different numbers for campaigns. Because each Callback channel can be reported on separately, the customer gets the same metrics they would get on inbound ACD.
Additional benefits of a callback solution
Callbacks provide a number of additional benefits:
Zero abandoned calls: There is no longer any concept of “Abandoned Calls”. All Callback requests can be processed and called for 100% completion
Set expectations: Delimiters can be set based on live conditions within your contact centre, as such this allows the Callback widget to display information based on how long they can expect to wait for a Callback.
Metrics and insights: Metrics can be established to show the amount of Callbacks present, along with how long it takes on average to answer them. Using these insights, Contact Centres can take steps to improve the customer experience and enhance their level of service.
Agent comfort: A comfortable environment is not only created for customers, but also the agents responsible for communication. Agents can avoid being overburdened and have greater flexibility over their queues.
Original article ‘An end to abandoned calls’ featured on Comms Business, November 2022
