Every repeat call (or interaction via any channel) about a single issue is a warning signal of potential churn and a sign of underlying inefficiencies! 

Frustrated customers may vent their dissatisfaction on social media, inviting brand damage, request refunds, or simply switch to a competitor. In most cases, when customers can’t get their issues resolved during the first interaction, the reasons are typically linked to poor access to information, lack of agent empowerment, outdated systems, or inefficient communication between departments.

But with the advent of AI, contact centers are undergoing a significant transformation. Businesses are now improving their First Call (or Contact) Resolution (FCR) rates dramatically, addressing these very pain points.

Would you like to learn more? We hear a yes. Awesome! Let’s dive into 9 game-changing strategies to reduce repeat calls and elevate customer satisfaction.

9 Proven Ways to Reduce Repeat Calls (Contacts) into Your Contact Center

One way to really understand what’s really happening in a contact center is to employ mystery shoppers to step into the customer’s shoes. Steve Nattress, Vice President of Product Management at Enghouse Interactive, recommends:

“Use mystery shopping techniques where staff pretend to be customers to identify pain points…

Document your findings from this experiment, make any corrections needed, and keep measuring improvements for a smooth customer experience.”

Beyond mystery shopping, here are nine innovative strategies to pinpoint the root causes of repeat calls (contacts) and tackle them head-on:

  1. Empower Customers with Self-Service Solutions
  2. Use WFM to Right-Staff
  3. Implement Efficient Call Routing
  4. Integrate with CRM Solution
  5. Conduct Regular Agent Training
  6. Empower Agents with Real-Time Collaboration
  7. Create a Centralized Knowledge Management System
  8. Support Pivot to Video
  9. Conduct Voice of Customer Analysis

Let us look at each of these solutions in greater detail.

1. Empower Customers with Self-Service Solutions

A persistent challenge in customer service is handling repeated calls for minor issues, such as billing inquiries or order status updates. Self-service tools like bots and smart IVRs empower customers to resolve these routine concerns independently, significantly reducing the volume of such calls.

Menu-driven IVR solutions direct callers to the correct department and handle common queries, such as balance inquiries and account information, without needing live agents. Smart (read voice-enabled) IVRs augment that capability by using AI to allow customers to use natural speech to interact with the IVR menus, making navigation easier. And speech-enabled chatbots handle queries beyond the predefined menus – all combining to ease the burden on your agents and allow them to focus on complex issues.

Enghouse Interactive exemplifies this approach by offering advanced IVR solutions that provide 24/7 self-service across multiple channels, including voice, SMS, and AI-powered chatbots. This makes support more accessible and convenient while reducing Average Handle Time (AHT) by 1-2 minutes.

In addition to enhancing customer experience, this technology cuts operational costs significantly, leading to greater efficiency.

To gauge the impact of advanced IVR systems, check out this case study. The Seattle Times, a leading newspaper in the Pacific Northwest, employed Enghouse Interactive’s advanced IVR systems to automate the resolution of routine queries like bill payments, subscription renewals, and credit adjustments. Besides IVR, they also implemented additional Enghouse Interactive solutions, saving $180,000 annually.

2. Use Workforce Management Tools to Right Staff

Call centers often face challenges in staffing due to fluctuating call volumes and inaccurate forecasts.

When there aren’t enough agents during busy times, customers face long wait times, and agents may rush through calls, leading to repeat calls due to unresolved issues.

Conversely, an overstaffed call center may lead to underutilized employees, which can cause disengagement or complacency. When staff are not actively challenged, their attentiveness or drive to resolve issues efficiently may diminish, potentially leading to more unresolved issues and repeat call (contact).

A Workforce Management (WFM) tool addresses these challenges by providing more accurate predictions of call volumes. By analyzing factors such as seasonality, marketing campaigns, events, and planned maintenance, WFM solutions offer managers the data needed to staff appropriately.

As Dane Smith, Global Learning and Development Manager, explains, “By optimizing scheduling and resource allocation, WFM solutions help maintain high service levels, reduce agent burnout, and enhance overall customer experience during peak periods.”

Enghouse Interactive’s Workforce Management tool optimizes resource planning with accurate forecasts and skill-based staffing. This improves First Contact Resolution (FCR) times and enhances customer satisfaction. Enghouse Interactive’s WFM tool also lets agents trade shifts autonomously, supporting work-life balance, which leads to happier agents and lower attrition rates.

3. Implement Efficient Call Routing

When calls are not directed to suitable agents with the necessary expertise, customers often face unresolved issues or incomplete resolutions, which increases the likelihood of repeat calls (contacts).

The solution lies in intelligent call routing, routing calls to the most suitable agents based on their skill set, experience, and real-time availability. This ensures that customers receive the proper assistance from the start, reducing the need to call again.

Contact center solutions from Enghouse Interactive enhance this with a user-friendly graphical interface that allows contact centers to create and manage routing strategies visually. By incorporating dynamic conditions such as customer value, agent status, and real-time data, Enghouse ensures timely and effective responses, reducing handling costs and wait times while improving First Contact Resolution and customer satisfaction.

4. Integrate with CRM Solution

Many instances of repeat calls (contacts) can be reduced if agents have instant access to a comprehensive view of each customer’s history, preferences, and previous interactions to aid them in issue resolution.

Integrating a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution can help unlock this efficiency. This means that when a customer reaches out, the agent can quickly identify past issues, follow-up actions, and the current status of any ongoing concerns. With the help of this context, the First Call (Contact) Resolution rate can be greatly improved.

Moreover, integrating a CRM tightly within the contact center supports live call note-taking, customizable wrap-up codes for automating follow-up tasks, and tracking advisor availability for more efficient call routing.

By displaying caller information from their name and journey history to how long they’ve been waiting on the screen, Enghouse Interactive empowers agents to reduce call duration by fifteen seconds or more, boosting overall efficiency.

Moreover, integration with CRM allows for the personalization of customer service, taking it to a whole new level, as Steve Nattress, Vice President of Product Management at Enghouse Interactive, rightly says:

5. Conduct Regular Agent Training

One primary reason for repeat calls is incomplete or incorrect issue resolution, resulting from agents lacking the necessary skills or knowledge to handle complex problems effectively.

The best way to address this challenge is by investing in proper and regular agent training that goes beyond basic troubleshooting. This is because contact centers are constantly dealing with evolving products, services, and customer expectations, which agents need to keep pace with to deliver satisfying customer experiences.

Beyond technical knowledge, training programs should prioritize communication skills, active listening, and problem-solving abilities.

Enghouse Interactive’s Agent Improvement Solution is specifically designed to meet these training demands. As a cloud-based training platform, it can be accessed anytime, anywhere, ensuring agents can continuously improve their skills without being tied to a physical location or schedule.

Enghouse Interactive also offers two critical tools for comprehensive agent development:

  • Momindum delivers HD video-based training, allowing agents to engage with interactive, visual content that enhances learning and retention.
  • Automated Agent Evaluation facilitates the evaluation of 100% of agent interactions leveraging AI, in contrast to random or flagged samples, providing comprehensive feedback on performance and identifying areas for improvement. This helps tailor future training to address individual skill gaps, ensuring agents remain competent and confident.

Competent and confident agents can significantly reduce repeat calls.

6. Empower Agents With Real-Time Collaboration

At times, agents need more than just training to deal with complex issues—they might need assistance from managers with greater decision-making power and non-agent staff like subject matter experts, back-office teams, etc., to solve the problem during the first interaction.

This can be achieved by integrating software like Microsoft Teams with a contact center solution to enable real-time collaboration, communication, and information sharing among agents and employees across different departments.

This approach allows agents to escalate issues and receive immediate guidance, reducing the need for follow-up calls.

Enghouse Interactive’s Microsoft Teams Enabled Contact Center is designed to provide agents with precisely that. The platform also supports video collaboration and screen sharing and integrates with other Microsoft or third-party apps, giving agents everything they need to resolve issues in one interaction.

As a part of the Microsoft Technology Adoption Program (TAP) for Microsoft Teams, Enghouse Interactive is rated in the top 1% of Microsoft’s Partner Ecosystem. 

7. Create a Centralized Knowledge Management System

Even with self-service options available, customers often call again when they can’t find accurate or helpful solutions to their problems. This usually occurs when the information they access is either unclear, outdated, or scattered across multiple sources.

Customers may also call when their issue isn’t fully resolved during the first call due to an agent’s access to outdated knowledge, necessitating frustrating follow-ups.

A centralized Knowledge Management System (KMS) can solve this issue. By ensuring that clear, well-written, and well-organized information is available in one easily accessible location, customers and agents can quickly find the solutions they need.

Enghouse Interactive offers a Knowledge Management System that makes this possible. It provides a single, centralized repository of up-to-date information, enabling customers to help themselves and agents to provide consistent, accurate answers. This system reduces repeat calls, increases FCR, and can save businesses $1-3 million annually by freeing up agent time and improving customer satisfaction.

8. Support Pivot to Video

At times, customers may struggle to clearly describe their problem, leaving agents to interpret the situation based on limited or vague information.

Allowing customers to switch to video conferencing is a powerful way to reduce these communication challenges. This enables agents to see the problem firsthand, better understand the customer’s situation, and resolve the issue faster and more accurately.

Enghouse Interactive’s Video Conferencing solution is designed to deliver precisely this efficiency while providing secure communications through a constantly evolving range of security technologies.

It adheres to strict SOC2 and HIPAA regulations, ensuring the privacy and security of all communication. Additionally, with HD 4K and 8K displays, agents can see problems in high resolution, improving the accuracy of diagnosis and reducing the likelihood of repeat calls.

9. Conduct Voice of Customer Analysis

Today, call centers collect vast customer interactions and feedback across various channels, from phone calls to social media.

By effectively analyzing the sentiments and opinions expressed by customers in these interactions, call centers can uncover the underlying reasons behind repeat calls and identify actionable steps for improvement.

Voice of Customer (VoC) analysis helps achieve this by systematically gathering customer feedback through interaction recordings, surveys, interviews, and other channels to capture their experiences and expectations.

Once this data is collected, it undergoes rigorous analysis to identify patterns, trends, and common pain points in products, processes, and more. Enghouse Interactive’s AI Insights and Voice of Customer (VoC) go a step further here by detecting customer emotions like frustration, satisfaction, or even sarcasm, giving valuable context about the customer experience.

With these insights, call centers can understand the actual reasons behind repeat calls and take steps to fix them. Learn how by exploring Enghouse AI Insights and Voice of Customer (VoC) today.

Having explored effective ways to reduce repeat calls, let’s now see what sets Enghouse Interactive apart for your contact center needs.

What Sets Enghouse Interactive Apart as a Solutions Provider for Your Contact Centers

With 40 years of experience in the industry, Enghouse Interactive stands unmatched when it comes to delivering comprehensive contact center solutions for businesses of all sizes and needs.

Keeping pace with the rapid advancement in contact center technology, we pride ourselves on bringing the latest innovations to our customers. However, what differentiates Enghouse Interactive is our cutting-edge technology and ability to scale and integrate seamlessly with existing systems and workflows. Additionally, customers love the customizations we offer as part of our professional services.

Contact us today and discover how Enghouse Interactive can transform your Customer Experience. (CX)

FAQs

What is a Repeat Call Analysis in a Call Center?

Repeat call analysis examines data from cases where customers contact a call center multiple times for the same issue. By analyzing these interactions, call centers can pinpoint the underlying causes of repeat calls—whether they’re due to unresolved issues, communication breakdowns, or process inefficiencies. This analysis helps contact centers enhance service quality by preventing future repeat calls.

How to Improve First Call Resolution (FCR) to Reduce Repeat Calls?

Here are some ways to improve first-call resolution:

  • Optimize call routing: Ensure that calls are directed to the most skilled agent who can handle the issue effectively from the start.
  • Provide agents with relevant customer information: Equip agents with a full view of the customer’s history and context to resolve issues faster.
  • Use AI-powered tools: Leverage AI to “hear” the voice of your customers and adjust processes and improve your products and services..
  • Enhance agent training: Invest in continuous training to improve agents’ problem-solving abilities and knowledge.
  • Monitor and adjust strategies: Regularly assess FCR performance and adapt call routing, tools, or training based on insights.

 

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Contact Center

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