3 Effective Strategies to Reduce Contact Center Abandonment

Every Missed Call Is Lost Business

Missed calls represent potential lost business in today's highly competitive consumer-centric environment. This stark reality is particularly pressing for contact centers, where abandonment rates can directly impact the bottom line.

?In this post, Barbara Edwards, Vice President of Customer Care at ComOps, underscores the importance of addressing contact center abandonment head-on, advocating for a proactive approach to scheduling, staffing, and overall customer engagement.

?Let’s see what she has to say.

Understanding Contact Center Abandonment

"Let’s talk about it in the contact center first," says Barbara. "You have a guest who called when it was convenient for him or her to call. That's what you have to think about. Number one. They called you. This is a good time for them."

?Unfortunately, many organizations schedule based on internal convenience rather than customer need, leading to scenarios where customers hang up in frustration because their calls are not promptly answered.

?Barbara emphasizes the critical nature of these moments: "Every abandoned call should be looked at as lost business. There’s no guarantee that the caller will call back."

?The stakes are high—if a caller doesn’t get through, they might simply turn to a competitor.

?Whether it’s choosing another hotel, restaurant, or service provider, the ease with which customers can shift their business makes it imperative that contact centers are staffed and ready to respond.

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Strategies to Reduce Contact Center Abandonment

1. Get Back to Basics The first strategy Barbara suggests is ensuring that everyone in the organization understands the importance of answering calls. ? "Whether it’s your agent on the phones, your team leader who has an opportunity to jump on the phones, or your workforce planning manager—everyone needs to be aligned on this priority.
2. Schedule Effectively Barbara warns against the common pitfall of scheduling based on when employees want to work rather than when customers are likely to call. ? "We also will schedule everybody during the day when we have enough people, and then we will skimp on staffing overnight. If you’re not able to staff your contact center around the clock, then think about overflow contact center support."
3. Analyze and Learn from the Past Finally, she advocates for a continuous improvement mindset: "Scheduling’s always about looking forward. But now, today, I have to look at yesterday. What did I learn about yesterday? Did I have a high service level? Did I spend too much for it?" ? This retrospective analysis is crucial for refining operations and ensuring that every call is efficiently managed.

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Real-World Impact

One compelling case study Barbara shares involves a hotel client who believed they were handling around 600 calls a day. However, upon closer inspection, it was revealed that they were losing over 700 calls daily due to inadequate staffing.

?The hotel saw immediate improvements by setting up a call center support team and adjusting its social media presence. "Within 30 days, those negative comments were gone," Barbara reports.

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Conclusion

Barbara Edwards’ insights provide a clear roadmap for reducing contact center abandonment and improving customer engagement. Organizations can turn missed opportunities into loyal customer relationships by focusing on effective scheduling, fostering a customer-first mindset, and learning from past performance.

?As Barbara aptly says, "If I can walk into a contact center and help you be better than you were yesterday, then I can come home and feel like I did a good day's work."