Customer service outsourcing firm – Why reducing “call-wait” time Is necessary?

Most businesses provide toll-free service numbers to make it easier for their customers to seek solutions for their problems and issues. In reality, however, things do not work exactly as planned. Speaking in the context of customer service outsourcing, it would be worth mentioning that customer service numbers are often found inaccessible due to network congestion. With thousands of customers trying to access customer services, all at the same time, it’s not all that difficult to visualize the basic problem that affects customer service outsourcing. Call-wait times get extended as a result, something that starts affecting customer satisfaction levels.

So, what are the options? Well, if the primary objective is to reduce call-wait time, customer service outsourcing firms should start with making assessments about existing call support capabilities. If an increase in call-wait time is found to be a seasonal event, then outsourcing firms can choose to hire temporary staff, but if the same occurs all year round, then the customer service outsourcing firm may have to increase the number of support lines and customer service agents. In both cases, additional investments will be required.

However, due to the generally low cost-structure of customer service outsourcing projects, both businesses and customer service outsourcing firm prefers not to make additional investments. It’s also because other cost-effective alternatives are readily available, which can be used for reducing call-wait times. For example, automated systems such as IVR (Interactive Voice Response) can be used for diverting a significant percentage of the overall traffic, away from manually-operated customer service phone lines. Similar benefits are available through the use of self-service avenues like online knowledgebase, FAQs, forums, etc.

Using these, customer service outsourcing firms can significantly reduce call-wait times and pave the way for increased customer satisfaction. Thus helping to ensure the success of the ongoing customer service outsourcing project.