Call Transfers: Cold/Blind vs Warm Transfer

Types Of Call Transfer

Call transfer is sending a call from one user to another. Whether it’s an incoming or outgoing call, your business needs to be able to handle it. We need to keep in mind customers don’t prefer to be transferred from one agent to another during a call. They like to talk to one person from beginning to end. So, if you want to transfer the call, you need to know how to do it properly to avoid customer dissatisfaction.

The two main strategies used are cold transfer and warm transfer. You need to understand the difference between the two and determine what your customers prefer.

1. What Is a Cold Transfer

When you transfer a call to a new representative without first speaking to them, it’s called a cold or blind transfer. That transfer may occur because of several reasons.

Cold or blind transfer can be highly annoying for the person being transferred to and considered unprofessional. In addition, when talking to cold callers, it can be challenging for a new representative to understand what the problem is, and some callers may decide not to speak at all if they have to repeat themselves. Some customers may even hang up altogether, as they do not want to repeat the whole process.

Although, cold call transfers are often necessary to keep your organization’s lines of communication open. For example, a customer might call in requesting a bill, and you don’t need to share that information with the sales agent, so you transfer the customer to the financial team.

To improve customer experience and increase sales and retention rates, businesses are switching from cold transfers to warm transfers.

2. What Is a Warm Transfer

A warm transfer is a means of solving cold transfer issues. In a warm transfer, the new agent who receives your call is notified of your details, location, and reason for calling. Therefore, you don’t have to repeat the details.

When the new agent receives the call, they already know who they are talking to and why he called, so he can serve and respond as needed without asking questions or being confused by details. This saves time and makes customers happier with their experience because they aren’t repeating themselves; they’re getting help faster.

In the past, warm transfers were performed using secretaries or answering machines; today, IVR systems automatically direct and route calls with VoIP services. In addition, warm transfers make customers feel valued because agents greet them personally and customize each answer.

Warm Transfer vs. Cold Transfer

The key difference between these two methods of call transfer is whether or not the caller is introduced beforehand.

A Warm Transfer introduces, converses, and presents the caller’s information to an agent, then transfers the call to the appropriate department later. On the other hand, Cold Transfer is a quick, direct way of connecting a call to the relevant department without a prior conversation.

Warm transfers are beneficial when you need to resolve complex issues or customers need to be addressed immediately. Also, warm transfer is ideal for keeping your leads engaged for sales calls. This approach shows your prospects that you are attentively attending them, which will eventually limit the number of transfers in one call.

Cold transfers are ideal when your team is out of the office or in certain situations when you want to progress a call. For example, if the caller needs to reach the right department and neither their identity nor the identity of the agent matters, a cold transfer is an ideal choice.