GUESS how many calls a call center agent handles in an eight-hour workday.
A hundred? Two? Three? Read on…
If you’ve ever made a complaint via phone call or chat, you know how annoying it could get to be put on hold. Why does it take so long?
When customers call in to process requests, returns, or complaints, they often think they’re dialing in to a bank branch, an internet provider, or some customer care person sitting on the lone cubicle by the espresso machine.
As we all know, the person on the receiving end works for a Business Process Outsourcer (BPO). BPOs are goal-oriented. Numbers-oriented even. Throughput (the numerical equivalent of a product or service a company can deliver to a customer within a period of time), is a top priority.
Simply put, this means that N percent number of calls must be answered within M seconds.
So if they’re so gung-ho about answering as many calls as possible, why do clients find themselves listening to Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance for a good 10 minutes?
The low-down is this:
- The center is understaffed – If the call center company recently lost staff or if there is a delay in hiring and training new agents, then you’re looking at a staffing issue. This could include issues that are simply out of the BPO’s control such as inclement weather or illness.
- There seem to be unexpected spikes in call volume – Companies and their partner BPOs can reasonably predict heavy call volume. Agents are scheduled accordingly to meet that demand based on the client’s time zone. There are instances when promos aren’t brought to the call center’s attention – promotions, product recall, an error in a product manual, among others), wait times will be longer than usual.
Even expected spikes in calls can be a nightmare. Promos on the client’s part can be unpredictable. If a thousand decide to go through the CTA (click to action) button, and people decide to call, then the volume can be a challenge.
- Some agents are slower than others especially when still in training – As with any new employee starting a new job, onboarding, training, and nesting take time. Clients usually have their software. So there’s an entirely unfamiliar system they’ll need to get accustomed to from navigating different scripts to accessing FAQs, handling irate callers, recording the incident, to visiting external sites.
- Some scripts are just lengthy – Some scripts are just so complex. Scripts are there to give clients clear and concise information. But what concise and clear mean depends on the industry, the call type, and the caller. Agents typically get training to expedite calls. There are scripts to meet challenging scenarios. But this won’t necessarily reduce call duration.
- Lines can get tied up when an agent and supervisor are stuck on an escalation call –“I want to talk to your manager now!” You know that proverbial scene in most movies? Where the agitated client demands to speak with the manager? It happens more often than we think. While a skilled agent can de-escalate the call, there are times when the incident can be a struggle. Connecting a client with a supervisor doesn’t mean the agent is free to take another call. The agent usually remains on the line and silently listens. After which, both supervisor and agent do a quick recap. This can take anywhere between 15 to 20 minutes – taking a toll on the call queue.
This article hopes to clarify, if only for a tad, why some callers wait too “long” for a call. A good BPO knows this and seeks to deliver a win-win solution within a reasonable time frame.
To answer the question posed… how many calls a call center agent handles in an eight-hour workday?
Answer: Our NEARSOL agents successfully handle 500 calls in an 8-hour workday./PN
