How to Reduce Call Handling Time in 4 Easy Steps
When incoming calls get too much, it can feel impossible to find ways to reduce call handling time. In a contact centre setting, average handling time (AHT) is also a metric used to measure the average time a customer spends on the phone.
If you need an effective strategy for managing all of those calls so they don’t take up all of your time, we’re here to help.
We’ve gained years of experience in proactively dealing with calls in a time-efficient way, so if you’re looking to streamline your call handling process and reduce your average handling time, you’ve come to the right place.
Turn to the experts at alldayPA who can guide you on how to better manage your incoming and outbound calls – we can even do all the hard work for you!
So, what can you do to decrease the time spent on call management?
1. Train employees to ensure a high level of customer service is delivered
In order to improve customer satisfaction, providing staff with a variety of resources is essential. They should receive proper training each time they use a newly acquired resource. Before they are allowed to work independently, employees must be familiar with routing calls and using call scripts (should you choose to utilise them).
Managers wishing to reduce average handling time (AHT) should provide training for staff members on how to use tools such as CRM and live chat, as well as on providing customers with rapid answers and high customer satisfaction. In addition, call handlers should have access to a list of people to contact if they have questions or concerns.
Does live chat sound like a good way to reduce your incoming calls? Speak to our friendly team at alldayPA to find out how we can help manage live chat messages on your behalf.
2. Use an interactive voice response (IVR) system to decrease the need for human interaction
Using an interactive voice response (IVR) system, a caller is able to interact with a phone system either by using their voice or by selecting digits on the keypad. With conversational IVRs, clients listen to pre-recorded messages (or voice bots) and select the department they desire based on their issue. By following straightforward menu options or conversing with voicebots, customers can find answers to their questions or reach out to call centre representatives via a well-implemented IVR system.
By using an IVR system, your business will reduce its average handling time as the voice bots will cover the bulk of the preliminary labour needed simply to ensure callers get through to the right department. As a result, more clients are more smoothly connected to the correct representatives and their issues are resolved faster.
Moreover, some users will not need to speak to a staff member at all since the IVR itself can solve their problems. This can also be supported by providing a comprehensive customer-focussed website that answers questions without the need to make contact.
3. Be precise, clear and direct to handle matters quickly
It’s important to remember that the call handler should always take control of a conversation. Maintaining control means that the customer is led through the phone call with the necessary questions needed to come to a conclusion that satisfies both them and your business – without allowing too much ‘fluff’ or digression from the point.
Moreover, remove any inefficiencies from phone calls that you believe may be holding calls up and lengthening the time spent on each call. By taking an approach that is clean and concise, the AHT will be cut down substantially.
There are many small tweaks that can be made to answering an incoming call. This can start with the greeting message. By switching ‘how are you today?’ for ‘how can I help you today?’, the caller is navigated straight to the issue at hand. Remember – cutting this out does not need to affect customer satisfaction. Quality customer service can be delivered through the way in which the issue is addressed.
4. Expand your call handling team by employing a professional telephone answering service
When you’re a small business, it can be difficult to hire and train new employees. You need people who know the ins and outs of your industry and can answer questions with confidence. Luckily, you don’t have to waste time and money on training – just hire a professional call handling service! We’ll take care of everything from greeting callers to scheduling appointments and more.
When you hire a professional telephone answering service, you can expect:
- A friendly and well-trained virtual PA that is prepared for any situation.
- A 24/7 service that will never miss a call (no matter what time it comes in).
- A high level of professionalism from the moment the customer calls until they hang up.
- Access to innovative technology to ensure all enquiries and calls are directed to the correct person.
- A bespoke service designed to correspond with your business needs.
- Agents that can manage enquiries from multiple platforms, ensuring all of your calls, emails, social media messages and live chat messages are answered promptly.
Work with alldayPA to save time spent on call answering and strengthen customer service
Are you looking to upgrade your business communications from a customer service point of view?
Do you need a team of experts at hand to manage calls effectively?
Luckily, we’ve got a solution. alldayPA can help you strengthen your customer service and save you time on call answering through one of our fantastic outsourcing packages. Our experienced team of virtual receptionists and virtual PAs are here to help you take calls so that you don’t have to.
The best part? We offer an all-human service to provide your callers with a personal experience.
We’re dedicated to helping businesses like yours make the best first impression and enhance their customer service. We do this by providing our clients with the tools needed for seamless communication between customers and staff members.
Interested in what we can do for you? Let’s talk about your future towards a stress-free work environment!