Common Call Center Issues to Avoid

As one of the primary points of contact between consumers and companies, call centers remain vital to the success of many businesses. After all, they perform various essential functions, including but not necessarily limited to resolving customer concerns, conducting market research, and selling products. But due to delayed response times, overbearing sales pitches, and unhelpful agents, many dread interacting with them.

However, that isn’t to say that you’re resigned to the same fate. To that end, here are some of the most common call center issues to avoid.

Not prioritizing compliance

It isn’t uncommon for some call centers to take compliance for granted. However, a single misstep can lead to catastrophic results for the business, whether it’s the harm it may cause the company’s image or the costly penalties and fines resulting from failure to adhere to guidelines and rules. In addition, compliance is rarely, if ever, achievable with one process or tool. More often than not, multifaceted approaches integrating procedures, processes, and technologies are essential.

Fortunately, it isn’t as complicated as it appears. The key is to understand and follow all the rules and guidelines imposed on the industry, such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act compliance or TCPA compliance, data protection regulations, and privacy acts. From there, strategies can be implemented to avoid noncompliance.

Also read: Top 10 Cold Calling Services for Business

High turnover

A common problem many call centers face is worker attrition, and it isn’t hard to see why. Customer service agents and telemarketing representatives face various stressors throughout their days, from the pressure of meeting quotas to rude and angry customers looking for immediate answers to their concerns. Because of this, it isn’t surprising that turnover rates remain as high as they’ve ever been, with more and more employees resigning.

While many factors can contribute to attrition, you can keep turnover at a minimum by developing ideal employee profiles to ensure that the candidates chosen will fit the job description and company culture from the outset. In addition, empowering them with the right training and tools while acknowledging and rewarding their efforts will also make a difference.

Dependence on scripts

Call scripts refer to the written prompts guiding employees through different consumer interactions. Call centers often use them for phone calls, social media messages, chats, and emails. While using scripts does come with advantages like consistency and productivity, the over-reliance on them can make agents sound insincere, robotic, and monotonous. The best way to avoid this is by training your employees not to stick to the script when it isn’t necessary.

Tracking incorrect KPIs

KPIs enable call centers to track the productivity and performance goals of their employees. However, tracking the incorrect metrics can have the opposite of the intended effect. Therefore, you need to focus on the metrics that are most relevant to the goals of your business. For example, if you run outbound operations, sales will likely be one of your key metrics. For inbound customer service operations, it will be customer satisfaction.

Conclusion

Contrary to what some might think, mistakes don’t just happen—they’re also caused. Unfortunately, even the most minor error can have a considerable impact on a call center. So make sure you avoid these mistakes to give yourself more opportunities for success.