Fonality Releases Guidelines on Confronting Contact Center Attrition with Business Communication Technology
Dallas, Texas (PRWEB) November 18, 2014 -- Fonality, the innovative provider of business phone systems and integrated communications solutions designed to reduce the friction that slows business momentum, today released guidelines on how technology can be used to address retention challenges faced in contact centers.
“Every contact center – no matter their industry or product – faces the same key challenges in keeping agents engaged,” said David Scult, Fonality’s chief executive officer. “Contact center agents who feel invested in a company’s success are more likely to stay on the job. By implementing the right technology, businesses can address common frustrations and ensure their agents have the tools needed to excel.”
Challenge #1: Maintaining Quality in the Face of Staff Turnover
Contact centers have some of the highest attrition rates in private industry, with some centers reaching rates as high as 300 percent per year; however, a strong standardized training program will take employees through onboarding and product training as quickly and effectively as possible.
Modern phone systems with sophisticated features, such as call routing, aid in training and can gradually introduce employees to more difficult product challenges. With various monitoring modes, including monitor, whisper and barge, supervisors can provide direct feedback throughout training.
Monitor mode allows senior staff to silently listen in to ensure the new agent is catching on and whisper mode gives trainers the opportunity to quietly offer instructions that only the agent can hear. In barge mode, a supervisor can intervene directly in call and ride to an agent’s rescue when a customer is angry or unruly.
Challenge #2: Managing Call Volume
A top-quality business phone system has a dashboard that reveals the system’s activity in real time, making it possible to expand staffing so that individuals in other departments can take calls during peak times.
“Not every contact center has an endless hiring budget; sometimes it’s necessary for everyone to pitch in. With the right technology, supervisors, technicians, sales people, engineers and other staff can help out during peak call times,” said Scult. “Modern systems can also create data reports that can be analyzed and illustrate where staffing is adequate and where it needs help.”
By monitoring call volume and data, businesses can reduce wait time, streamline call center operations and provide support to agents to help minimize stress when call volumes are heaviest.
Challenge #3: Moving Beyond Voice
Today’s contact center agents use more than just the phone – they communicate via email, live chat and even video conferencing. Webcam chats with engineers can help agents develop deeper knowledge about the product, and screen sharing opens up vast opportunities for assisting customers.
In addition to providing more communication options, businesses must also make sure this does not create added friction and interruption throughout the day. Contact center agents can benefit from a unified tool – such as Fonality’s Heads Up Display – to manage all communication from one easy-to-use dashboard.
“Modern communications technology is far from a cure-all, and it can’t fix management and leadership,” said Scult. “However, it does create unprecedented opportunities for contact center agents to collaborate, solve problems and provide a first-class experience to customers.”
To help businesses fully optimize their call centers, Fonality released a free eBook providing a deeper look into the challenges faced by contact centers and how attrition can be reduced with communication technology.
About Fonality
Fonality provides business phone systems and applications for growing companies. More than 25,000 businesses in 99 countries rely on Fonality to help them sell, service, and collaborate. Fonality customers select the deployment, voice connectivity, and payment options that best meet their needs. Every Fonality edition includes unlimited contact center queues for all employees, and is offered with bundles of critical business applications such as HD video collaboration and call recording. For more information, visit http://www.fonality.com or call 877-FONALITY
Liz Cies, Idea Grove, +1 972-850-5855, [email protected]
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