To boost efficiency, it is important to cut down the average handling time in your call center. In order to reduce the average call handling time, multiple factors need to be taken into account, such as talk time, hold time, and after-call work.
To find out how to reduce AHT, continue reading.
Automate Simple Tasks
When customers are calling about simple and easy tasks, it may increase your average handling time. To reduce it, incorporate automated features into your contact center that help remove simple tasks from your agents’ workload.
By automating simple calls, agents do not have to speak with a customer, put them on hold, or do any after-call tasks.
After-Call Work
Speak to your agents about making efforts towards reducing after-call work. When on the phone, you never want to cut down the time an agent speaks to a customer because a customer will most likely feel a negative customer experience.
Put emphasis on productivity after the call, where agents are not pressured to hang up a call early or not fulfill a customer need.
Route Calls Accordingly
When trying to reduce average handling time, skilled agents can be the key to shorter calls and First Call Resolution.
By adopting an IVR system, call centers can route calls based on the customer’s inquiry. This helps reduce the average time an agent speaks with a customer in the case that an agent is unfamiliar with the inquiry or concern.
Routing calls reduces stress on your employees and on you. This way, agents that are skilled at handling certain tasks can answer to a customer in need of their help.
Allow for Other Contact Points
Invest in omnichannel communication, which will enable you to speak with your customers through any channel they want.
Other contact points such as chat, email, and SMS, will reduce the average handling time in your call center significantly. Another bonus is agents can take a breath from phone calls and answer customers from all around the world.
Ask Agents for Improvements
It always helps to communicate with your team about how you are trying to improve your call center. However, asking agents to help out as well makes for a unified team.
Give agents guidelines as to how they can improve themselves during calls so that the calls are shorter and after-call work is reduced. To motivate your employees, make sure to provide rewards or incentives.