{"id":507,"date":"2022-11-14T17:18:42","date_gmt":"2022-11-14T17:18:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.confiemx.com\/blog\/?p=507"},"modified":"2022-11-14T17:18:45","modified_gmt":"2022-11-14T17:18:45","slug":"7-ways-to-lower-your-call-time-per-customer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.confiemx.com\/blog\/best-practices-case-studies\/7-ways-to-lower-your-call-time-per-customer\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Simple Ways to Lower Your Call Time Per Customer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
What if your biggest strength at work was also what was holding you back? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you work in a call center<\/a>, then chances are you know how to hold a good conversation. This is an important skill in a career that is all about talking to strangers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, these conversations sometimes go on a bit too<\/em> long. To become the best possible customer service representative, you need to understand how to lower your call time<\/a> per customer. Keep reading to discover our top tips! <\/p>\n\n\n\n In a call center, scripts can be something of a double-edged sword. For example, if you get too focused on a script<\/a>, you may not know what to do when a customer has a more unusual problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, it\u2019s important to at least have (and use) script templates for a variety of different caller situations. Ultimately, it\u2019s up to you and your instincts to know when to veer away from that script. Most of the time, though, a good script can keep the conversation focused and lower your overall call time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When call times are longer than they should be, it\u2019s usually because a conversation is dragging on too long. More often than not, that happens due to customers nervously chatting. Basically, if you are quiet while working on the problem, nervous customers may try to fill the silence with chatter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is why you should announce what you are doing out loud to the customer as you are doing it (and be mindful of how you phrase it<\/a>). These announcements help reassure customers that you are actively working on the problem. Making regular announcements will keep them from initiating many off-topic conversations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Every now and then, you may get a completely new customer with a completely new issue. Most of the time, though, you get either repeat customers, repeat issues, or both<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can use this to your advantage by checking both your company\u2019s knowledge base and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) program. A knowledgebase stores common solutions to common customer issues. With the right CRM, customer service representatives can update the file on repeat callers. When these customers call back and get someone new, this knowledge of their previous caller history can help shorten each new call and help with angry callers<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes, it\u2019s not talkative customers that keep your call times long. Instead, it can be as simple as a matter of knowledge. If you have to keep looking new things up as the caller discusses them, it can really prolong the conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a simple problem with an equally simple solution. The best thing you can do is memorize everything about your customer\u2019s products or services. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you know everything backward and forward like this, it helps to shorten call times because you can more easily discover what the customer\u2019s problem is and how to solve the issue. By becoming faster at problem-solving, you can make (and keep) those call times low! <\/p>\n\n\n\n As an added bonus, understanding your products better can always help you sell those products. So if your customer service job also requires selling products, learning more about those products can boost your sales<\/a> even as it lowers your average time per call.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n1. Use the Right Scripts to Lower Call Center Call Time\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2. Keep Callers in the Loop About What You\u2019re Doing\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3. Take Advantage of a Knowledge Base and CRM\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4. Learn the Products You Represent Backward and Forward\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n