Mastering Call Queue Management: Best Practices for a Seamless Customer Experience

As the provider of the most effective, yet affordable, call center system software for functions like call queue management and quality assurance, we are all about best practices.

If you’ve ever called a business with a customer support issue, chances are that you have experienced the frustration of long hold times.

And let’s face it: by the time that you call in for customer support, you’re already frustrated. Then, you’re left waiting for extended periods of time until an available agent can take your call.  By the time an agent does pick up the phone, you’ve probably heard a frustrating, pre-recorded message, like, “All of our agents are currently busy. Someone will be with you shortly,” about 18 times.

As a business manager, you don’t want that experience for your customers. Long hold times can leave your customers feeling dissatisfied; and dissatisfied customers only make the job of a call center agent that much more difficult.

If you don’t find a way to manage your call queue effectively, you’ll be faced with angry customers, high agent turnover rates, and even the potential loss of business.

In this quick guide for effective call queue management, we’re discuss how you can use the tools that come with your virtual call center solution to decrease average wait times and keep your customers (and agents) happy.

Utilize queue call back

One of the most important call queue management tools available today is queue call back. This feature allows customers to leave the call queue without losing their place in line by requesting that an agent call them back as soon as possible.  Instead of waiting on hold for 30 minutes, your customers can get back to their day, and an available agent will call them back when they can.

Consider other call routing tools

Virtual call center systems come with a variety of advanced call routing tools, which can be very helpful for call queue management. Geographical call routing and time of day routing are two of the most popular options that are used for reducing average hold times for customers.

Geographical call routing routes calls to different agents or branches depending on where a customer is calling from. This will ensure that a customer reaches an agent in their time zone who is ready to assist them.

Time of day routing works a lot like geographical call routing, but actually routes calls depending on what time of day it is.

Establish an effective IVR system

Another way to manage your call queue is to implement an IVR (interactive voice response) system that allows customers to assist themselves. IVR systems can be programmed to communicate business hours, billing information, and even certain types of account information based the prompt that a customer enters.

If a customer is calling for something as simple as paying their bill, they’d be able to avoid long hold times and use the IVR system if it has been configured for self-service.

Managing Your Call Queue Effectively

The tools available with virtual call center software solutions allow businesses to create a more successful experience for their customers. The call queue management tips and tools above can help you use your system to its fullest potential.

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