Call center basics

Most banks have realised the importance of having a call center to address customer requirements. Banks do realise that servicing customers at branch can be an expensive affair for the bank and inconvenient for the customer. Many have either set up or are planning to set up a call center.

There are several basics to be kept in mind while setting up a call center and I try to capture a few of the important ones below.

1. Should ideally be accessible 24 x 7 - If not, should be available during normal working hours.
2. Should ideally be centralised but not necessary. Centralisation helps in managing costs and standardising output.
3. If centralised, should have at least 2/3 locations to manage disruptions
4. Should have adequate staff to cater to incoming calls. Optimising is required.
5. Staff well trained on
- Different products & technologies used
- Customer handling skills
- good listening / comprehension skills
6. Multi lingual staff capabilities
7. Top notch technology which can give
- On line status of accounts
- Status of deliveries
- Current offerings
- Single view of customer's various accounts
- ability to divert customer to correct desk depending on status, need etc.
- recognise the customer based on number
- authentication of customer
- speed in capturing requirements
- trail information of all past calls to / from customer
- ability to assign and track tasks till completion
- Recording calls for audit / training purposes

Banks have to take a hard look at the services that they would like to continue at the branch and those that they wish to migrate to the call center. While some essential services need to be done physically at the branch, there are many opportunities to innovate and migrate most of the activities to the call center.

Although, servicing of customers is the key activity of call centers, it is also used by banks for recovering loans, reminder management, selling products, market research activities etc. While inbound calling forms the bulk of the activities of call centers, outbound calling is also resorted to on 'need basis'.

One of the key challenges in the call center would be to ensure that customer calls are closed, to the satisfaction of the customer, with high level of speed and efficiency. In general, customers desire to have a quick resolution and an end to the call. The whole process at the call center should be designed to make this happen. For example, the IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system should follow the 'KISS' principle (Keep It Simple and Short). Customers would get irritated if there are too many options or if they are not clear. Also, there should be no loops or dead ends.

The staff capacity should be managed so as to keep the 'wait time' to the minimum. Of course, this can be adversely impacted by sudden or unexpected surges of call volumes. If the customer finds the wait time unreasonably long, it will result in dropped calls and increased 'walk ins' by irritated customers in the branches. Also, if the wait time is too long, it may result in more calls coming in during 'office hours' when customers call call from their place of work without worrying about the call duration. This results in bunching of calls and a vicious cycle of delays.

Keeping the staff energetic, enthusiastic and motivated can be a challenge esp. if they are dealing with complaints or delinquent customers. A lot of counselling and hand holding may be required with regular breaks interspersed with recreation. Staff should be encouraged to share experiences and learning. Replay of recorded conversations is a useful method of imparting and enhancing call handling skills.

Staff should also be trained to identify / prevent potential frauds. The processes should be robust to ensure this is continuously monitored and improvised. Data security is a challenge and steps must be taken to prevent data thefts. This can be done in a variety of ways like preventing data copying facilities, non-use of pen & paper in the work stations, non-use of mobile phones at work stations etc.

If managed well, a call center can enhance the bank's efficiency and profitability significantly. It can also enhance the bank's reputation and help it sell and recover more.

I would love to hear your views on this blog. Please feel free to leave a comment on the blog or send me a mail at vish.sesh@gmail.com and I will quickly respond.