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Managing Lost Calls May Mean Fixing Documentation

The metrics used in call centers are often analyzed and then acted or reacted upon. The data in the form of abandoned calls, dropped calls or lost calls pretty much means the caller hung up. Why the caller hung up isn't always because they are impatient, though recent statistics from Dimension Data's 10th edition Contact Center Benchmarking report reveal that Call abandon rates - due to long hold times - increased in the past year by almost 127%, going from 6% of calls to nearly 14% of calls.

The metrics used in call centers are often analyzed and then acted or reacted upon. The data in the form of abandoned calls, dropped calls or lost calls pretty much means the caller hung up. Why the caller hung up isn't always because they are impatient, though recent statistics from Dimension Data's 10th edition Contact Center Benchmarking report reveal that Call abandon rates - due to long hold times - increased in the past year by almost 127%, going from 6% of calls to nearly 14% of calls.This yearly report measures and analyzes performance levels of contact centers worldwide. Dimension Data states, "callers have grown increasingly impatient while waiting, and abandon a call after waiting on average 45 seconds in 2007, compared to 53 seconds in 1997."

Stuck in queue or Get Back in Queue are options that customers just don't like. The managers of call center metrics determine caller tolerances and weights of calls along with costs and even revenue or worth. Today, how many rings will you let any phone ring before hanging up? Then, how many of you that hung-up, expect the person/company that you called to call you back? (This is a social - younger/youthful behavior)

Tolerance seems, in today's standard, pretty low, especially when those call center engineers have to offer callers a choice of music just to appease them. If Dimension Data's report is a reflection on life, then reexamination of the art of call centers is in order, and I don't think self-service, Web portals and other gadgetry is the cure--but they will help.

Instead, my bet is on the business process and this begins with throwing products over the wall at customers. Once customers start throwing products back- sometimes the factory guy gets the message and even still, it's often mis-communicated.

Clearly, while people have grown impatient and less willing to sacrifice their time just because companies didn't spend adequate time prior to releasing their product or service, this behavior (call abandonment) does cost the call centers money, especially if the same caller does call back. When the callers don't call back, it's loss of revenue. In Beam Me Out, you can read some of Dimension Data's previous findings.

I want to use an old and good example of AT&T and the former (no longer manufactured but- still in service) Dimension 2000 PBX product manual that detailed behaviors and conditions of all the features and options within the product family. It was a great example of system documentation that was worthy. Why? Before implementing a feature and reading the guide as a first step; the documentation would provide enough detail to the reader, explaining that specific changes could mean a loss of a specific functionality or change in behavior of call routing. The down side to the manual was that it was available exclusively through the Consultant Liaison Program, unless of course you had national account status and/or pull to get one.

Technical writing is no easy task. In college, it was painful and even tiring, so my guess is that it's appreciated when a manual or product/software document is well prepared. When it's not, it will clearly generate telephone calls. Will better documentation solve the abandoned calls? No, but it will contribute to reducing calls, as will making better products and improving services so customers don't call in.

The same is true with the website supporting the product or service. The website must be user-centric not tech-centric, and it must flow smoothly or allow the users to flow through and obtain what they need to solve their own problems or answer their specific questions.

Some of us try to figure out the answer to our questions while we're stuck in queue waiting for support. Recently, while in queue, I paid due diligence by poring through a 768-page user manual again, determined to find the buried answer (how to change the telephone ringer cadence) before speaking with factory first level support. It just wasn't in the obvious sections of content, and while I listened to music, it was at the expense of the manufacturer and it did take me 27 minutes to find the solution. Rack up another successful abandoned call.

Lousy documentation generates unnecessary telephone calls, and it's not always because of laziness or desire for convenience. I hope that this behavior of mine goes noticed, because I'm not alone and these types of calls will impact your bottom line--and how many callers did I adversely affect by self serving myself at the factory's expense while listening to their music for 27 minutes?

(Simple TIP for Better Documentation: 3Com did this very well. 3Com published an email address in the manuals to report discrepancies- so as dealers and end user customers, we could contact 3Com directly and note the discrepancy or issue. Empower your customers whomever they are, to do the same. You are enlisting a FREE workforce that improves the process for you)

Alternatives: Improve the documentation, make better products or improve services offered, and enhance free flowing self-service through the web. Anyone assembling toys, bicycles or any baby items for the first time will have an appreciation of what I'm talking about. Life's too short, and companies that don't communicate in the end user's national language by way of their manuals, documentation, CDs or other media forms can expect more abandoned calls and less repeat business. That's how it really works and that's how your bottom lines are unnecessarily impacted. You can have the best call center in the world and still miss the mark.

Dimension Data's report goes on to say, "the effective use of technology - balanced by people, process and policies - continues to be more important than ever to turn the tide on customer service metrics, as more companies than ever are recognizing that customer service has a direct impact on their bottom line."

My final suggestion is to reverse-engineer the process, and then you should be able to track the source of the problem. Make the call center agent drill back down to the customer to discover and document the source. Of course I know that takes more time and creates longer queues. So build better mousetraps instead.