Leading Caribbean Utility Provider Reduces Call Times by 14 Percent
As one of the Caribbean's largest power providers for both commercial and residential, this utility company handles a high volume of customer calls, which their internal customer service was struggling to support. When itel began handling 100% of their voice and email customer support, both call times and wait times were improved.
We introduced a new Handle Time Bootcamp for agents and a sophisticated interactive voice response (IVR) solution. Prior to this, the company’s in-house IVR solution was failing to meet their needs and those of their customers. It was inefficient at routing calls and resulted in long wait times. itel’s customized IVR system funnels calls to the appropriate departments with a helpful “callback” feature to ease call volumes during peak times.
“Rather than people waiting on hold, we wanted to give customers the opportunity to get a call back when an agent becomes available,” explains Janique Harris, the Account Manager at itel. “The IVR can be updated with different customized messages in case of large power outages or downed lines.”
To reduce overall wait times, we focused on reducing average call handle times (HT) by introducing a “Handle Time Bootcamp” where low-performing agents are assigned a dedicated support member for several weeks. Agents are individually coached on ways to reduce their overall HT, and weekly targets provide a measurable benchmark for improvement. Weekly quality calibration calls between the client and our operational managers ensure that client targets and metrics are being met.
The Goals:
- Reduce call handle time and customer wait times
- Improve the perception of poor customer service because of longer call resolution times
- Replace existing IVR solution that was problematic and did not direct calls efficiently
The Approach:
- Implement new internal IVR solution with more efficient call routing and “callback” feature that allows customers to request an agent callback during longer than average wait times
- Create and implement a Handle Time Bootcamp to coach agents with higher-than-average handle times
- Implement weekly business reviews and quality calibration calls with client
- Introduce a new omnichannel IVR solution that allows for customized workflows, advanced analytics, automation, and more accurate call routing
The Results:
- More cost-effective customer support services than previous internal support
- Improved call handle times by 14%, reaching client goal of less than 7 minutes per call
- Reduced average queue wait times during peak periods with IVR callback option
Today, this leading Caribbean utility company has a more efficient and effective IVR solution. Thanks to our Handle Time Bootcamp, agents’ average HT has decreased. As a next step, we are implementing an upgraded IVR and call management platform that uses AI and deep machine learning to provide a true omnichannel experience.
The new IVR can analyze voice keywords and customer speech patterns to reduce wait times even further by immediately routing calls to the appropriate teams. While HT will decrease by centralizing key customer information into a single application. Agents will be able to see the entire customer journey in one window, whether interactions were via text, email, voice, or social media.
Automation will be introduced to direct customers to self-help options, and workflows can be adjusted as needed with a simple drag and drop. The new platform will benefit from advanced analytics, sentiment analysis, the ability to detect sales cues, and identify new call types and trends.
With this added functionality, this utility company will gain new insights into customer patterns and behaviors, helping them make better business decisions faster when it comes to workflow management and the overall customer experience.
Looking for CX support with a customized solution that fits your needs? itel can employ the latest technology to help with your CX management. Contact us today.
