Managing call times

The UK’s Health Protection Agency (HPA) has just released the results of an extensive review into the possible side effects of mobile telephone use. The good news is that the review which pulled together scientific studies has found no conclusive links between the use of mobiles and increased risks of cancer, brain function damage or infertility.

In releasing the findings, Prof Anthony Swerdlow who chaired the review did stress that it was important to continue to monitor the situation.  This is because many people didn’t start to use mobiles until the late 1990s, and even then infrequently, and therefore there is no data on possible side effects beyond 15 years. 

 In its response to the review the HPA said that the continuing possibility of long term effects supported their view that they should maintain their precautionary approach, with children in particular being discouraged from making excessive use of mobiles. The HPA said adults should make informed choices on ways to limit exposure including making greater use of hands free kits and limiting call times.

In fact, this ability to limit call times is something which is a perennial challenge in all businesses.  Creating that fine line between curt efficiency and friendly helpfulness is not an easy task.  Many call centres still measure on number of calls taken rather then problems solved and those businesses which encourage rapport between employees and clients often find that time is needlessly taken up in asking after family members or hobbies.

One way in which all businesses can help their callers to limit call times is to make it easy for callers to reach the right person first time.  There is nothing worse for a caller than being passed from department to department in a fruitless search which wastes both caller’s and employees’ time as well as raising tempers. 

Careful use of automated switchboards can be the first step in reducing call times.  Either by using a “press 1” system or by diverting calls based on the phone number of the caller switchboards can help to direct callers swiftly to appropriate departments.  In fact, using “caller select” means that important clients will be instantly diverted to their appropriate contact without the need to navigate via the switchboard press button route.

Building in other options such as voicemail, call back facilities or virtual assistants means that callers won’t be kept on hold for periods of time, again reducing stress levels and helping to manage the waiting times for callers.  If along the way this helps to reduce mobile exposure times and until further long term evidence comes to light it can only be a step in the right direction.

The pain of silent calls

Home insurance and repair company HomeServe has been fined £750,000 by Ofcom.  The fine relates to the excessive number of silent and abandoned calls made by HomeServe and follows an Ofcom investigation in 2011 which concluded that in a one month period between February and March HomeServe abandoned over fourteen thousand calls.

Ofcom rules not only limit the number of abandoned calls a company can make in any one day, the rules also impose restrictions on repeat calls to numbers where the initial call was picked up by answerphone.  Ofcom estimates that HomeServe also breached these rules on over thirty-six thousand occasions during the same period, resulting in the fine.

These rule breaches could end up costing HomeServe far more than the fine as they have agreed to pay £10 in compensation to those affected.  Details of how to claim are available on the Ofcom and HomeServe websites.  Following an investigation the company has identified the problem and has confirmed that their dialler systems have been compliant since 22 March 2011.

Although the Ofcom rules relating to silent and abandoned calls tend to mainly affect the larger bulk telephone players, there remains a silent call menace which can have a serious affect on businesses of any size.   We are talking here about calls to businesses which go unanswered.  Every missed call is a missed opportunity.  Whether made by an existing or potential client, each time the phone is not answered the business looses out.

In these days of internet based telephony systems and virtual assistants, there is no real excuse for those wanting to contact you to receive only silence.  Telephone systems can divert calls anywhere in the world.  Special packages such as “Calling Spain” easily divert UK calls to a landline or mobile without clients being any the wiser.  And with the added option of voicemail even if the sun in Spain is too enticing, at least your clients have the comfort of being able to leave a message.

Virtual assistant services are ideal for every business which finds that it is missing calls on a regular basis.  Calls can be diverted to virtual assistants either permanently or on an “as required” basis.  With messages being taken and even simple enquiries answered the presence of the virtual assistant reassures your callers that they matter and could just stop business being lost forever.

Telephone support

On 11 April a tsunami warning in the Indian Ocean caused at least one major telephone support office to shut down as a safety precaution.  Zoho, a worldwide provider of online business, productivity and collaboration applications, suspended phone support and advised customers to e-mail requests instead.

Luckily for the region the 8.6 magnitude earthquake did not trigger a tsunami and staff were able to move back into their office the following day.  However the event has illustrated the importance of interactive telephone support systems and the increasing role which social media forums such as Twitter are playing, as the first line of defence against system failure causing negative customer reactions.

For some businesses, the loss of telephone contact may make little difference whilst for others being without their phones could spell disaster.  Almost irrespective of whether the business is a one man band or, like Zoho, serves millions of clients worldwide, the instinctive reaction of those failing to get through on the phone is to grumble at poor service or wonder if the business has in fact failed. 

This link between telephone failure and customer dissatisfaction was illustrated recently when HMRC came under fire for poor response times.  Although HMRC have announced that steps have been taken to resolve this problem, including moving 350 staff from other roles into their call centres, their reputation has suffered.

Luckily there are several lines of defence available for those businesses who want to ensure that they maintain a good service reputation with clients and potential customers.  The first line of defence is to make sure that phones can be automatically diverted.  For a multi-office corporation, this might mean switching calls between offices either on a “follow the sun” basis or as and when telephone problems occur.  Internet based switchboards remove the location element of risk as they can be accessed and programmed from any internet PC. 

Smaller businesses may simply require phones to be diverted to a mobile or alternate number.  These alternate numbers might include the use of an “as required” virtual assistant who could answer phones on behalf of the business, take messages and answer simple queries. 

Keeping callers informed when unable to answer calls is a vital tool in maintaining reputation.  Callers waiting to connect with HMRC were frustrated that they had no idea how long they might have to wait.  Simple “you are number 3 in the queue” messages can help to alleviate this frustration as can other elements of multi-call queuing packages such as the option to receive a call back or leave a message.  When it is simply not possible to answer the phone then an announcement on the phone line, backed up with information on the web site and social media sites can help to keep callers informed. 

In the UK we may not have to evacuate our call centres following tsunami warnings but there are plenty of other reasons why we may temporarily be out of telephone contact.  Taking steps to divert and keep callers informed will pay dividends in terms of reputation and client loyalty.