Dell Testimonial

February 25, 2021

Tips to Set Up an Ad Hoc Call Center in the COVID Era

Call center representatives working in masks

COVID-19 has changed life as we knew it, and this is increasingly evident in terms of social services related to providing vaccinations. Since vaccine rollout began earlier this year, state and local governments have had to fend for themselves to provide appointment systems and facilities for this important endeavor. However, relying on first-come, first-served or solely on web appointments has proven to be unreliable.

With decades of experience in call center operations – from setup to customer experience (CX) – below we outline the best practices used for setting up a call center that can help your organization schedule appointments efficiently while remaining empathetic to callers.

When it comes to call centers, one size or type may not fit all. Consider these tips and tricks for success and modify as necessary for your setup.

Culture and Customer Experience

1. Look for the best people

Qualified customer service candidates will have previous experience, possibly commendations from previous roles. This may include those who come from hospitality or retail backgrounds; those with solid customer support experience.

Speaking of roles, what has their tenure been in previous organizations? Did they change jobs every six months, or stay in one place for six years? Did they show initiative in previous positions?

Language skills are another great service get. Bilingual and multilingual candidates are in demand right now, and the best ones can provide superior service in cross-cultural settings, which in 2021 is every setting.

Lastly, note their attitude in interviews. Are they team players? Approachable? Inquisitive? Good listeners? How is their speaking voice? Attitude is projected across how they provide service in calls, chats, emails, social media and other channels.

2. Create a customer service culture

You want to structure your operation to ensure your team members provide your callers with the best experiences possible. Find the right folks and build a team willing to participate in the customer experience. That often entails finding individuals who enjoy communicating with people and care about providing great service.

Think about job roles you have enjoyed working in. Professional and friendly, knowledgeable and approachable. Always try to keep a smile going from person to person. As the saying goes, you can hear a smile over the phone. It’s the same with messages and emails. Tone is more difficult to master in electronic channels, but it’s possible to convey a smile across them, nonetheless.

And most importantly, one can always show a smile from behind a mask.

Training and Management

1. People, performance and management

Your people, performance and management are three key drivers in call center success. You can drive their success by:

  • Investing in your people. Train your team right by using qualified and experienced trainers, keeping the class sizes small and doing nesting—taking live calls during training with an experienced person.
  • Creating a productive work environment. Your staff will work more effectively with less stress if you help them out. Where possible, provide them with access to forecasts of contact volumes they will be tackling.
  • Recruiting seasoned managers. The best managers create an open, honest workplace where everyone pitches in, and even jump on calls when needed. They offer folks flexible schedules, mentoring options and one-on-one meetings.

2. Empathy, now more than ever

Phone reps need to spend more time listening. Our contact center survey results show that service leaders are aware of the challenges presented by the COVID and are already taking measures to adjust. Call centers can adjust by:

  • Training people on soft skills, such as active listening, using positive language and emotional intelligence.
  • Implementing new communications technologies to reach customers. See the Omnichannel and Technology and Partners sections below.

3. Turnaround time is still a priority

The general public may be more tolerant of substandard service in the COVID era, but it won’t last forever. Your turnaround times are still a priority to be considered. Be sure to measure the following data:

  • Average speed to answer – how long are your callers/chatters waiting?
  • Average answer time – how long is your average call or chat?
  • Call abandon rate – how often are your callers hanging up? A 5 to 8 percent call abandon rate is considered average. And bear in mind that a well-programmed interactive voice menu (see Omnichannel below) may answer callers’ questions or resolve issues before they reach a live person.

These measurements tell you how you’re doing. If metrics are lagging, look to improve through technology, training and management.

4. Innovation is key

Whether your callers/chatters interact with live people, AI, chatbots or other technology to get help, innovative thinking (going beyond the script) will always play a positive role when resolving an issue. A chatbot can handle simple tasks, such as sign-up issues. Try to save your live individuals for the complex issues, ones that require empathy and insight to provide the best service.

Omnichannel

People want access to immediate service and information at all hours of the day, through a variety of paths that are convenient to them. The best way to do this is by offering multiple channels for your contact center:

  • Website – Answer questions like: “who is eligible to make an appointment?” “what paperwork should you bring?” and “what should you expect at the appointment?” This will help reduce the number of people calling and allow workers to focus on more-vulnerable people such as the elderly or those without internet access.
  • Chat – A chatbot can tackle simple requests, take contact details and answer common questions. Steps are recorded in case the issue leads to a live person, who can take the reins from there.
  • Text – Notify registrants when they are eligible to make an appointment with text “pushes.” Offering text updates during preregistration helps avoid waves of people trying to get appointments at the same time, which can crash computer systems.
  • Email – Email support may be best to follow up on contacts; for example, if appointments need to be rescheduled due to inclement weather. Emails should be followed by automated or live phone calls to ensure the information has been received.
  • Phone – Using automated voice menus, you can still address FAQs before directing the caller to a human responder – to save time.

Self-help options are your friend. People expect to find self-help when they visit a website or call an organization. Self-help offers the following:

  • Website visitors get 24/7 access to learning, educational videos and tools that enable them to find information on their own.
  • Interactions are saved, so you get feedback to help add information and answers to your site, as well as improve its design.

Technology and Partnerships

For efficiency, your call center should actively review and use the latest technologies, which can improve those data and measurements, as well as satisfaction rates for your service. Technologies could include:

  • Chatbots and virtual assistants: Giving people a quick place to search for answers can improve relationships and experiences. And the best chatbots are programmed with not only answers, but also empathy. With access to fast answers, perhaps users won’t need further help.
  • Knowledge is power: Build or contract with a knowledgebase that offers the answers individuals need. Revise and add to FAQs regularly.
  • Robotic Process Automation (RPA): Use it to streamline back-office processes (e.g., automating a response to an email inquiry). By eliminating manual, redundant and inefficient tasks, RPA is one way to improve agility and service while reducing costs.

If your responders are equipped with the latest knowledge, they can answer questions, offer reassurance and set up appointments on the first call or contact. This means more successful vaccination scheduling, fewer inefficiencies and less frustration for individuals who will not need to contact you a second or third time.

And you’re not in this alone! Plenty of companies offer the call center expertise, support and staffing to help you along the path. Make sure your partner is proven, successful and equipped with the right people and tools to help you get the job done.

Telehealth

Because the elder population – and those with certain health issues – have a high risk of complications from COVID-19, immediate and long-term solutions need to be addressed. They may be worried about COVID-19 exposure when coming in for a vaccine. Here are some tips to address concerns:

  • Remind callers of CDC health and safety practices.
  • Keep up to date on and share the latest details on vaccines, treatments, side effects, etc.
  • Reassure callers about your facility’s safety and cleanliness.
  • No misinformation: If you don’t know, ask a teammate or manager for more details.

Bottom Line

Culture, knowledge, technology, training and empathy are the keys to more successful vaccination scheduling. Remember, each live interaction involves two human beings: one asking for assistance, and another providing it. COVID may have changed the way we live and work, but it has also accelerated technological advancement. Strange as it may sound, these technologies and techniques can allow us to be more human and create healthier, longer lives in the process.

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