Boost Your Call Center’s Inbound CX Strategy

Think about how often you reach out to businesses with a question or an issue. Do their customer service representatives typically exceed your expectations? Or are you left feeling more frustrated than you did before you picked up the phone?

These days, simply offering an answer to a customer’s question just isn’t enough. With so many companies in all industries seeking new ways to engage their customers, expectations are always increasing. That’s why investing in an inbound customer experience (CX) strategy is so essential.

Quality CX strategies help your business stay focused on your customers’ needs while increasing retention and acquisition. But there are some key differences between inbound call strategies that drive results vs. ones that fall flat. Read on to learn 3 ways to exceed your customers’ expectations when they contact your organization.

Outbound vs. Inbound Calling

Before diving in, let’s first establish the difference between outbound and inbound call strategies:

• Inbound calls are those initiated by the customer. Effectively answering these calls is one of the key functions of any contact center. Customers are looking for quick, accurate service when they reach out to your business.
• Outbound calls are those initiated by your business or your call center. For example, maybe you’re a healthcare provider that needs to reach out to a customer to remind them about their upcoming appointment.

Inbound calls are where many businesses may struggle to perform. Customers often complain about facing long call waiting times, getting transferred to multiple agents, and being asked to repeat their inquiries several times. It’s vital to address any inbound call challenges in order to provide enhanced customer experiences.

#1: Offer Multi-Channel Inbound Contact Options

Nothing is more frustrating to customers than being forced to wait on hold indefinitely to reach a customer service representative. The American Express Global Customer Service Barometer showed that customers are willing to wait for a maximum of 13 minutes on hold. But nearly two-thirds of respondents said that they are only willing to wait 2 minutes or less before hanging up the phone.

However, many business owners know that it can be challenging to answer customer questions in a timely manner when things are busy. But when your customers are waiting on the phone, they can’t see that all of your live agents are already serving someone else.

As a result, customers may assume the worst – that you’re ignoring their call or that your organization just doesn’t care about providing quality service. That’s why offering multi-channel inbound contact options is so appealing. It simultaneously allows your customers to quickly get answers to their inquiries while freeing up your agents’ time.

More than 6 in 10 U.S. consumers say that their go-to channel for simple inquiries is a digital self-serve tool such as a website (24%), mobile app (14%), voice response system (13%), or online chat (12%). Find out how our clients use Radius Interactive Virtual Assistant (RIVA), an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot designed to benefit both your company and your customers:

#2: Keep Call Center Agents Aligned

Delivering consistent customer service is another way your business can improve its inbound call strategy. If your customers are getting different answers to the same questions from your call center agents, that does nothing to instill confidence in your brand as a whole. How can they be sure that they’re getting the right information?

That’s why it’s key to keep your agents aligned on your current offers, upcoming events, product/service descriptions, hours of operation, and so on. Of course, there will always be company information that you can’t share with everyone. But taking the time to meet with your team and answer any questions they may have will make them more confident when speaking to your customers.

At Radius, we install Radius Navigator on our agents’ computers. Radius Navigator is our customer engagement roadmap technology that provides real-time directions to help ensure that our agents respond correctly to any given scenario.

By leveraging our contact center technology, you can feel confident that your customers are receiving consistent, accurate responses to their inbound call requests.

#3: Collect Customer Feedback

Collecting customer feedback is a concept that makes some executives cringe. They worry that sending out a survey is an open invitation for criticism. But if your business can gain valuable insights into products or services that need improvements, it’s worth fielding some potential spam.

A report by Microsoft revealed that 77% of consumers see brands in a better light if they care enough to collect customer feedback. After all, without your customers, you have no business. Why wouldn’t you want to know how to improve their experience with your brand?

Customer experience surveys are a highly effective method for finding out how to continuously improve. You can get answers to questions such as:

• What products/services are the most valuable to your customers?
• Which products/services offer the least value?
• What are your customers’ preferred service channels?
• Does your customer service team offer efficient and accurate service?
• Are your customers likely to recommend your business to a peer?

It’s a good idea to send these surveys annually or bi-annually to account for any new customers or shifting perspectives as time goes on. By regularly collecting and analyzing this data, you’ll be equipped with the information you need to deliver better inbound call experiences.

Partner with Inbound Call Strategy Experts

Radius Global Solutions has decades of experience handling inbound call requests with ease. As a call center provider, we utilize the latest technologies and contact methods to help your customers get the answers they need when they need them.

Contact our team today to start building a more effective inbound call strategy.