Published : August 31, 2023Customers today have high standards: they want quick ways to resolve their queries and simple ways to communicate. They demand quick self-service options and dislike being placed on hold. Businesses need to raise call center productivity and maximize the resolution rate of incoming calls to combat rising call volumes and service costs.
Call deflection can become a key resource for successfully improving the customer experience. Let’s understand call deflection and find out smart strategies to satisfy customers.
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Use this data to refine your call deflection strategies, ensuring they remain effective and customer-focused.
What Is Call Deflection?
Call deflection is a strategy to reduce the volume of work for call center employees by redirecting some incoming service calls to digital support channels. This approach helps contact centers, help desks, and call centers temporarily handle fewer incoming calls by directing callers toward alternate digital or self-service resources.
It is usually accomplished by redirecting calls to more affordable digital business communication channels, freeing up customer service agents, and offering a more independent client experience. Now that you have understood the call deflection meaning let’s see how it works.
How Does Call Deflection Work?
For call deflection to work, customers can choose to move the conversation to a digital chat channel when they call an organization to get information in accordance with the IVR menu. With confirmation, the API immediately starts the transfer and has an exchange with an agent or a chatbot on the specified channel.
Call deflection is a technique that, depending on the complexity of the problem and the caller’s request, selectively routes inbound calls to other digital platforms like text messaging or chatbots. This is a quick overview of the process:
- Knowledge bases and in-app guides are examples of self-help resources referred to for basic or low-touch inquiries.
- Queries that are mid-touch or slightly challenging are sent via SMS, WhatsApp, or live chat.
- Call center agents deal directly with high-touch issues that need immediate and specialized attention.
Call Deflection Use Case
Consider the following scenario: three distinct clients, each with a unique experience, are waiting on the phone for support agents:
Customer A: This customer has a simple query and has been waiting for more than 15 minutes. He is considering hanging up and switching to a different company.
Customer B: Unsure if their query is simple or complex, Customer B attempted to figure out the solution by themselves before contacting them. She is worried and thinking about hanging up after a long period of waiting.
Customer C: Handling a complex problem, this client has already spent 40 minutes on the phone after a long one-hour wait. Despite being frustrated, they needed help.
The common thread is that each customer relies on agents. IVR call deflection can transform how companies handle customer service. Instead of entirely burdening the agents, customers can choose from the following:
1. After-Hours Customer Service
When your representatives leave for the day, your customer service shouldn’t stop. If you don’t have a 24/7 call center, route clients to a sales assistance chatbot during off-peak hours, as a greater number of individuals shop online. Using photographs, videos, or website links for comprehensive information, the chatbot can help close more transactions by offering product information, stock updates, and payment support.
2. Digital Documentation Submission
Give clients the option to turn in documents digitally to ensure they can do away with postboxes and stamps. Permit them to use digital channels and transmit these documents—whether they’re signed contracts or certificates—as attachments or pictures.
3. Making Appointments
Enable virtual receptionist appointment scheduling via your website or other digital channels to save your consumers time and lessen the strain on your call center. Consumers select a time and day that works best for them, and if they have any questions, they may leave a message to be answered in advance of the appointment or speak with an agent.
4. Video Assistance
In situations where in-person communication is necessary, standard voice services may not be adequate. Customers should be redirected to chat so that agents can use the contact center solution conversations to create a video call link. Using this link, you can start a live video conversation to address client concerns more successfully.
Maintaining a Positive Customer Experience with Strategic Call Deflection
Crafting effective call deflection strategies is crucial to ensure a positive customer experience while optimizing operational efficiency. Here, we explore in-depth the key strategies that contribute to a seamless and satisfactory customer journey.
1. Track Call Volumes and ASA Time
Monitoring call volumes and average speed of answer (ASA) times closely can give you significant data about how well your contact center is doing. To improve customer service, track these metrics and other key performance indicators (KPIs) using heat maps.
2. Use Workforce Management Tools to Improve Performance
Putting strong workforce management tools in place first can help you adopt effective call-deflection tactics and make sure your contact center is ready to handle high call volumes. To simplify operations, choose a contact center solution that works well with a variety of workforce management programs.
3. Analyze Customer Calls
Through the analysis of customer calls, you can pinpoint common product problems and patterns of behavior. Organizing contact drivers according to items, channels, and geographical areas offers significant details on product flaws. Consumer behaviour can be used to determine preferred means of interaction.
4. Create a Peer Support Community Online
Call deflection combined with brand loyalty can be accomplished by creating an online community where consumers support one another. It enables seamless real-time communication.
Consumers can get solutions from peers in these spaces—whether they be community forums, Facebook groups, LinkedIn groups, or other social media platforms—thereby decreasing the need to contact customer support.
5. Managing Heavy Traffic
Even with a strong call deflection system, there will still be times when clients would rather talk with a live person, particularly for sales campaigns or the introduction of new products. To guarantee that no call goes unanswered during these periods, effective human resource planning is essential.
By analyzing past traffic patterns and forecasting spikes, workforce management solutions let you modify your call deflection strategies appropriately.
6. Proactive Strategies to Cut Down on Calls
Create a call deflection strategy that helps customers before they contact in order to lower the number of incoming calls and improve customer service.
Using conversational AI on your contact page might help you address customers’ issues before they call, as they usually visit it first when they have a problem.
How Can A Chatbot Help In Call Deflection?
While they are not necessary for a call deflection strategy to be effective, chatbots add a great deal to it by covering more scenarios and serving more customers without adding additional workers.
1. Common Customer Questions
Use a chatbot to respond to frequently asked queries like “What is my account balance?” and “What are your opening hours?” These queries can be handled effectively by a chatbot and don’t require human involvement.
2. Lead Generation
A chatbot can instantly supply potential consumers with the information they need when they visit your website with pre-purchase questions, saving them from looking for alternatives on the websites of competitors.
3. Order Management
Specifically for gifts and personal treats, customers often desire timely updates on their orders. By using a chatbot to provide order status updates, you can reduce the number of calls that your team has to answer, eventually reducing the call abandonment rate —especially during peak hours.
How To Implement Call Deflection In Your Call Center?
When used effectively, call deflection can drastically cut expenses and improve the customer experience. When implementing this method into effect, keep the following in mind.
1. Set Up Smart IVR Systems
By automating repetitive operations, IVR systems improve customer satisfaction and cut down on wait times. Create an interactive voice response menu and set up unique routing rules to guide customers to common queries.
It can save resources to divert callers to other digital channels like text messaging, live chat, or platforms like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp Business Chat, or Apple Business Chat.
After being routed, a customer service agent can easily continue service by verifying phone numbers to IDs on the new channel. Provide the customer service team with the tools they need to address problems and offer answers; this will help them comply with customers.
2. Measuring Call Deflection Efficiency
Your call deflection rate, which indicates how much demand is taken up by your digital and self-service channels rather than your call center employees, can be used to determine how successful your call deflection initiatives are.
Use this formula to get your deflection rate:
For example, if you handled 280 self-service requests out of 1,000 support requests that you got over two weeks, your call deflection rate would be: Call Deflection Rate = (280/ 1,000) x 100 = 28%
3. Maintaining Human Communication
Call deflection and automated assistance technologies are useful, but human interaction is still essential in customer service. To guarantee a customized and fulfilling experience, clients need to communicate with live agents at every stage of their journey.
Use warm transfers between agents and bots to minimize client attrition and prevent unexpected shifts. Customers can use this approach to chat with a representative prior to calling, which helps the customer support team grasp the problem and provide a customized solution.
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Conclusion
There are no one-size-fits-all call deflection techniques because every business is different. But the solution is obvious if you want to enhance customer satisfaction, shorten wait times, and cut down on call volume: implementing a customized call deflection plan is crucial.
Adopting an effective cloud contact centre platform like CallHippo will enable your agents to use a range of tools to implement successful call-deflection tactics.
: What Is Customer Service Recording?FAQs
1. What is the difference between call forwarding and call deflection?
Call forwarding redirects incoming calls to another phone number. In contrast, call deflection shifts call to digital channels like chatbots or SMS, aiming to reduce call center load and enhance customer experience.
2. How to measure call deflection?
Measure call deflection by calculating the percentage of support requests resolved through digital channels versus total support requests: Deflection rate = (digital channel resolutions / total support requests) × 100.
3. What is a good deflection rate?
There is no standard benchmark for a deflection rate since it can vary depending on the industry, the complexity of the product or service, and the effectiveness of the company’s self-service options.
4. Who pays when a call is forwarded?
Call forwarding commonly reroutes incoming calls to another local phone number. However, the individual who owns the forwarded line is responsible for any toll fees associated with redirected calls.
Updated : December 10, 2024
Supriya Bajaj is a senior content developer with immense experience in the VoIP telephony domain. With a deep knowledge of VoIP systems and emerging technologies in the field, she provides insightful and targeted content. Known for simplifying complex topics and her thought-leadership articles, Supriya delivers actionable content for both technical and non-technical audiences.
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